Three core tips for a successful BYOD (bring your own device) strategy

When CIOs and IT managers lose sleep over the BYOD (bring your own device) phenomenon, it’s usually about the security implications of employee-purchased technology. However, there are implications far beyond security which need to be dealt with in order to make your BYOD program successful.

With mobile device management technology rapidly maturing, organisations now have better options for managing the devices their employees bring into the workplae. But even with these solutions, a good mobile policy is still a necessity.

The starting point of a good BYO program is a balanced mobile policy which represents the interests of IT, Finance, HR and the employee. At a minimum, the policy should define the user profiles, user privileges, security settings, supported hardware, recommended apps and spend allowances.

When done properly this policy defines the rules of engagement between the employee and the company and is able to stand the test of time and inevitable changes in technology.

1. Don’t leave users to their own devices

Smartphones and tablets are increasingly being purchased by employees on the weekend and brought to work on Monday - with an expectation that the IT service desk can assist with configuration, connectivity and support. Unless the service desk is constantly investing in skills to support the full range of mobile devices, there will be a growing mismatch between user expectations and service.

On the other hand, abdicating support to the user may compromise productivity, so it is important to provide enough support to keep BYO users connected during work hours. This includes the ability to borrow a loan device until a user has had a chance to have their BYO device repaired in their own time.

2. Manage your mobile spend

Without the need to invest in expensive hardware, it is easy to be led into thinking that BYOD will save your organisation money. However, whether you save money or spend more money all depends on how well you hold the BYOD user accountable for personal usage. Here are a number of things to bear in mind.

Firstly, BYOD opens up the possibility of BYO SIM, which may allow your employees to shop around for the best deals on each of the mobile networks. However, this means you will be paying consumer rates rather than corporate rates, and you lose any free calls with other company mobiles because the users will eventually be spread across different networks. Likewise, you will lose any integration between mobile and landlines.

Secondly, personal ownership tends to increase usage, especially data, which is expensive. In a BYOD scenario, mobile bills can go through the roof and it becomes essential that employers find ways of having that personal usage reimbursed, if not for their own bottom line, then for the issue of avoiding fringe benefit tax.

In order to create this visibility, you will need to capture the billing feeds and split the bill into personal and business categories according to specific criteria defined in your policy. Then, on that basis you can create a reimbursement process for personal usage.

It is important to note, however, that an ‘honesty box’ approach is usually ineffective; employees need to be presented with their personal usage and amount for reimbursement, not have to dig into a spreadsheet to find it.

3. Close the loop with good governance

A mobile policy is only useful if it can to be put into practice and actively managed. Therefore, you need a governance model with a feedback loop that reports exceptions and breaches of the policy to the stakeholders.

Essentially, a BYO program requires an end-to-approach from policy through operations to governance in order to be successful, scalable and sustainable.

*Denis O'Shea is the founder and CEO of Mobile Mentor, a Trans-Tasman provider of mobile management services for enterprise and government. Formerly a Director at Nokia New Zealand, Denis has more than 20 years of global experience in the telecoms industry. He holds an Executive MBA from IMD in Switzerland