95% Of Cos Allow BYOD In Some Way, Shape Or Form

Cisco has announced 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, BYOD as a reality in the enterprise. The study also shows some of the quantifiable benefits and complexities associated with allowing employees to use their own mobile devices on their employer’s networks. Coinciding with the publication of the study, Cisco also highlighted ‘Smart Solutions’ for the enterprise and opportunities for service providers to help customers, and end users, make the most of mobility experiences in the office, at home, or on-the-go.

The study found most organisations are now enabling “Bring Your Own Device” in the enterprise, with a staggering 95 percent of respondents saying their organisations 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, up from an average of 2.8 in 2012. IT managers are balancing security and support concerns with the very real potential to reap significant cost and productivity benefits from the BYOD trend.

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What’s more, the survey, found that BYOD is just the gateway to greater business benefits. Over three-fourths (76 percent) of IT leaders surveyed categorised BYOD as somewhat or extremely positive for their companies, while seeing significant challenges for IT. These findings underscore that BYOD is here to stay, and managers are now acknowledging the need for a more holistic approach–one that is scalable and addresses mobility, security, virtualisation and network policy management, in order to keep management costs in line while simultaneously providing optimal experiences where savings can be realised.

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 virtualisation solutions.

Key Survey Findings

More IT and Business Leaders Saying Yes to BYOD

• 95 percent of organisations allow employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the workplace.

• 84 percent of respondents not only allow employee owned devices, but provide some level of support.

• 36 percent surveyed provide full support for employee owned devices. In other words, they will provide support for any device (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc) the employee brings to the workplace.

Mobility and device use are on the rise: 78 percent of U.S. white-collar employees use a mobile device for work purposes and 65 percent of white-collar workers require mobile connectivity to do their jobs. By 2014, the average number of connected devices per knowledge worker will reach 3.3, up from an average of 2.8 in 2012.

On average, mobility initiatives will consume 20 percent of IT budgets in 2014, compared to 17 percent in 2012.

Most IT leaders (76 percent) consider consumerisation “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 percent of respondents cited “device choice” as employees’ top BYOD priority (the ability to use their favorite device anywhere).

Respondents’ 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 percent 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. At Cisco specifically, the typical Cisco employee who chooses to use his or her own devices at work pays, on average, a $600 premium to do so.

Soft 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

Security and IT support are the top BYOD challenges: Respondents cited security/privacy and IT support for multiple mobile platforms as the top challenges of BYOD.

Device proliferation requires new policy, approach to control cost: According to Cisco IBSG analysis, only 14 percent of BYOD costs are hardware-related, highlighting the importance of choosing the right governance and support models to control these costs.

Desktop Virtualisation on the Rise

Companies recognise the value in desktop virtualisation: 98 percent of people surveyed were aware of desktop virtualisation. 68 percent of respondents agreed that a majority of knowledge worker roles are suitable for desktop virtualisation and 50 percent noted that their organisation is in the process of implementing a desktop virtualisation strategy.

Desktop virtualisation benefits three key areas: (1) business continuity so that workers can access applications through multiple locations and devices even if, for example, a server goes down, (2) employee productivity, and (3) IT costs.

Data protection is the number one concern: Ensuring that only the right people have access to sensitive company and customer data is a top priority.

Padmasree Warrior, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Cisco, said, “While most companies are dealing with the onslaught of personal devices in the workplace, they need to think more broadly. There is a very real risk of spending all of your time and energy simply addressing the BYOD craze and not really unlocking the true value of a mobility strategy. By allowing employees to ‘work their way,’ you can attract and retain greater talent and increase worker productivity while making sure your data is secure. Providing a superior mobile experience doesn’t have to compromise your IT budget or the way you do business.”