Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)? o.O

Originally posted February 17, 2012

I love new technology trends, especially when they aren't so new.  I liken this to a repackaged gift in shiny new wrapping paper.  I believe Bring You Own Device or BYOD falls into that category.  As long as I have been in IT, I have always had some sort of method available to me to enable the use of my own personal device.  As an admin, I had the ability to use one of the first versions of what is now Microsoft Remote Desktop Session Host to log into the corporate network.  The sole purpose of this access was to allow me to kick off task during non business hours.  Web based email allowed me to monitor my emails while not in the office.  When smart phones became available, I was able to have my email delivered to my pocket instantly.  Do you see a trend here?  Using my personal computing devices has always been a part of my work life, so to me its nothing new.  What is new, however, is how possible it is today to deliver corporate productivity to the mass of end users, on demand.  Most people have a personal laptop and/or a smart phone and they have become accustomed to the devices functionality.  These devices have even become ingrained in their daily activity.  Given this, many companies are implementing technologies and processes to harness this age of technology consumerization.  But with this new wave of BYOD sweeping the corporate scene, companies are faced with how best to embrace it, if at all.

You probably already have a strategy for supporting the delivery of email to non-corporate owned smart phones.  It may be limited support like only allowing IMAP connections or a small list of approved devices.  But what about the ability to allow any smart phone potentially used by your employees?  What about the ability to use their personal laptops?  How do you truly embrace BYOD as a company? There are some questions you should answer before fully immersing your company with a true BYOD strategy.  Questions like the following will better help you understand the scope of implementing a BYOD strategy.

• Should you support any device or create a list of supported devices?
• Do you need to manage the device?
• Who supports the device?
• Do you privde a stipend or is the cost the users responsibliity?
• Should the device be allowed on the secure network?
• How do you control the flow of data?
• Will virtualization help?

After determining the answers to these questions and others, keep in mind, not all solutions are created equal and beware the dreaded marketecture.  Many vendors will try to sell you the golden egg that will solve all your BYOD problems.  The best way to validate this claim is to test it.  Request a live, interactive demo or a proof of concept and determine which solution(s) best fit your user cases and your enterprise.  No matter how you ultimately decide to adopt a BYOD strategy you need to ensure you have all of your ducks in a row.