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By Tom Sloan
Recent findings from the Cisco IBSG Horizons Study of 600 U.S. IT and business leaders that shows IT is accepting, and in some cases embracing, "bring your own device" (BYOD) in the enterprise.
The study shows some of the quantifiable benefits and complexities associated with allowing employees to use their own mobile devices on their employers' networks.
The results show most organizations are now enabling BYOD in the enterprise, with 95% of respondents saying their organizations permit employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the workplace.
This study also concluded that the average number of connected devices per knowledge worker is expected to reach 3.3 by 2014. This is up from an average of 2.8 in 2012.
The mobility numbers are staggering and depict the increasingly global consumerization of IT trend in most organizations. By April 1, the population of the world will reach approximately 7 billion. According to research from mobiThinking, as of January 2012, the number of cellular subscriptions worldwide was approximately 6 billion. The number of cellular mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide was approximately 1.2 billion.
IT managers are balancing security and support concerns with the very real potential to reap significant cost and productivity benefits from the BYOD trend. The survey also reveals that BYOD is just the gateway to greater business benefits.
Over three-fourths (76%) of IT leaders surveyed categorized BYOD as somewhat or extremely positive for their companies, while seeing significant challenges for IT. These findings reinforce that BYOD is no passing fad and is here to stay.
Many it managers are acknowledging the need for a more holistic approach to managing BYOD. This includes one that is scalable and addresses mobility, security, virtualization and network policy management, in order to keep management costs in line while simultaneously providing optimal experiences where savings can be realized.
These research findings support Cisco's assertion that mobility needs to extend well beyond BYOD to include the integration of service provider mobility, enterprise mobility, security, collaboration and desktop virtualization solutions.
Several Key Survey Findings
95% of organizations allow employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the workplace.
84% of respondents not only allow employee-owned devices, but also provide some level of support.
36% of surveyed enterprises provide full support for employee-owned devices.
78% of U.S. white-collar employees use a mobile device for work purposes.
65% of white-collar workers require mobile connectivity to do their jobs.
Mobility On the Rise
On average, mobility initiatives will consume 20% of IT budgets in 2014, compared to 17% in 2012.
Most IT leaders (76%) consider consumerization "somewhat" or "extremely" positive for their companies.
Among respondents, the top two perceived benefits of BYOD were improved employee productivity (more opportunities to collaborate) and greater job satisfaction.
Employees want to work their way:
Employees are turning to BYOD because they want more control of their work experience:40% of respondents cited "device choice" as employees' top BYOD priority (the ability to use their favorite device anywhere).
Employees' second BYOD priority is the desire to perform personal activities at work, and work activities during personal time.
Employees also want to bring their own applications to work: 69% of respondents said that unapproved applications -- especially social networks, cloud-based email, and instant messaging -- are somewhat to much more prevalent today than two years ago.
Employees are willing to invest to improve their work experience. According to Cisco IBSG, Cisco employees pay an average of $600 out-of-pocket for devices that will give them more control over their work experience.
Benefits of BYOD add up: The benefits of BYOD vary based on an employee's role and work requirements. Cisco IBSG estimates that the annual benefits from BYOD range from $300 to $1,300 per employee, depending on the employee's job role.
BYOD Does Bring Complexity: Security and IT Support
Respondents cited security/privacy and IT support for multiple mobile platforms as the top challenges of BYOD.
According to the report only 14% of BYOD costs are hardware-related, highlighting the importance of choosing the right governance and support models to control these costs.
Data protection continues to be the number one concern among IT managers. Ensuring that only the right people have access to sensitive company and customer data is and should remain a top priority.
Published by myITview.com
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