We foresaw that BYOD would be a big trend and that it’d be next to impossible to stop the phenomenon from happening. We, however, also take new trends with a pinch of salt. We believe that he world of technology runs like god plays dice and so not everything that sounds promising works. Is BYOD working out to be the way it’s expected? Is there something we are missing altogether? Let’s find out:
BYOD can get messy
In a recently penned post on CIO.com, Tom KaneShige points out rather intriguing facts about how the BYOD might actually turn out to be. Tom calls BYOD a “Pandora’s Box” and believes that BYOD can indeed turn out to be a messy affair. Citing an instance of an AT & T Class Action Suit, he refers to the case of issues companies face when dealing with BYOD employees.
Apparently, many companies alleged in the lawsuit can’t claim settlements if they allow employees to bring their own devices instead of corporate-issued ones. Apart from the money loss, there are many other problems such as lost time and productivity; apparent loss of time and resources for creating BYOD policies, and even potential risk of losing proprietary business information.
BYOD Brings more risk
If companies could exercise all the control they could, they could still not control the inevitable data losses, data theft, and even instances of corporate embezzlement. In this scenario, giving employees the whole length of rope might just sound suicidal.
What happens if employees who go with the BYOD (Bring Your Own device) policy freely share proprietary information? Would corporates work with the same efficiency that free, open-house policies that actually saw Wikipedia or open-source software rise? If collaboration is the keyword these days, would the same apply to closed environments like businesses? The answer is that no one knows while the risk is presumably higher.
You are not in Business to Please people
Most startup ideas cater to niches. Talk about niches and a whole lot of people fall out of the purview of the business idea. Apple doesn’t want to sell phones and laptops to people who can’t afford them. Fedex does business who need a dedicated, fast, and reliable courier service even if it comes at a greater cost.
If business ideas take shape because the entrepreneurs weren’t trying to please everyone, why should businesses allow free usage of personal mobile devices at work? If employees were used to regulated, corporate-issued phones and mobile devices earlier, what gives now? Why should businesses buck under the pressure to adopt to new trends just because these trends showed up?
BYOD might not be the hot trend that it is purported to be, right now. We see skeletons in the closet. Whether they tumble out of the closet or not, only time can tell. What do you think about BYOD? Do you think it’s here to stay or do you think it’ll lose its shine with time? We’d love to hear your opinions. Feel free to use the comment section below.