From BYOD to BYOE - what is the reality?

I – and others - have written frequently on the subject of BYOD; for example, in this blog post . The progressing mobilisation of workers and, thus, the question for IT decision-makers, administrators and CIOs, is WHO accessing through WHAT smart device gets to WHERE on the corporate network?

I know from experience with customers that, for IT departments initially, the process is all about accomplishing the above safely and quickly. Despite all the BYOD noise, it’s clear that, for many IT departments, the use of private equipment is still in the future. An IDC study says even that the BYOD hype is over (please make use of Google Translate - this page is in German).

At the same time, I wonder whether the majority of employees even want to allow their personal tablets or smartphones for business purposes. Even for smart devices, there is a work/life balance.

Now that BYOD is much-discussed as a topic and is widely understood, the analyst community, in the shape of Gartner, sees a new trend: Bring Your Own Everything.

It’s easier for me to deal with today’s reality. For me, the IT department reality is this: how do we implement secure solutions for our employees that enable mobility and flexibility, and thus gain a competitive advantage?

Employees who can work from anywhere and experience anytime access to the corporate network means more efficiency and productivity for the company, even if smartphones are turned off once in a while to ensure work-life balance is maintained.

Employees these days can experience tremendous flexibility – many have freedom from working in a set office in core business hours.

The companies who are most prepared for a mobile device policy that makes sense for the business - i.e. allays financial, legal and security requirements – are employing Mobile Device Management, or MDM, in the business model.

MDM allows organisations to extend full network-like controls to devices outside the network and, in doing so, addresses security concerns, especially around corporate applications access.

IT teams have an enormous task on their hands with initiatives such as BYOD. Only by providing the optimum infrastructure can secure, fast access and increased flexibility for the company and also for employees be achieved.