BYOD: Here to Stay or Doomed?

As "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) policies peak in popularity, several strong opinions have come out with their prediction for BYOD's future. While the viewpoints range far and wide, they are primarily grouped into two camps: those who believe BYOD will face decline and self-destruction in the coming year, and those who see it on a upward continuum, gathering strength and leverage within businesses. While only time will tell which opinion is most accurate, a careful look into each side's points may be the best preparation for the BYOD future.

In one camp, there are those who believe that BYOD is set to decline in 2013. This view was thrust into the daylight with Nucleus Research's prediction that BYOD will falter as enterprise mobility matures. This is based on a number of reasons, but the issue of hidden costs is the most prominent. According to Nucleus Research, a BYOD policy may actually make the company spend more, not less, than originally planned.

The reality, in the words of Nucleus Research, "is that the support costs, compliance risks, and usage reimbursement typically lead to a higher total cost of ownership with no discernible return on investment or productivity gains." This research group concluded by saying that CFOs will "seek to pursue the most fiscally responsible option: corporate-based accounts" in 2013.

These concerns were first raised by Aberdeen Group earlier this year in their highly debated report, which claimed that a company with 1,000 BYOD smartphones expends an additional $170,000 per year, approximately. One Aberdeen analyst states that organizations that "simply say BYOD is about productivity and have completely ignored the cost structure are playing with a blank check."

Supporters of this viewpoint, then, believe that BYOD's popularity will wane once the shine wears off and the harsh reality of higher costs and complexities hit.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who believe BYOD will continue to have a strong presence well beyond the next year. These include groups like Gartner that claim that BYOD will rise to become a major technology trend in 2013, largely based on the huge amount of iPads streaming into employees' hands. These tablets in the workplace are expected to reach 250 million by 2016, according to findings by Forrester Research.

For editor and founder of Sidecut Reports, Paul Kapustka, a major flaw of the BYOD doomsayers is that it "misses the point of BYOD" which is "allowing workers to work best with the devices they like and are most comfortable with."

While he recognizes the potential cost and security issues with so many device options on the market, he foresees a type of "tiered support system, where some devices are fully supported, and others are 'tolerated.'"

Kapustka also responds to concerns raised by Nucleus Research with his prediction that cloud-based applications and device management platforms will mature over time. Essentially, this view holds that the "hype of BYOD," in Kapustka's words, may decrease, but only because it has become commonly accepted by companies.

And then there are those who straddle the line between demise and longevity to present a third perspective. In this scenario, BYOD will not necessarily be eliminated from the corporate realm as Nucleus suggested, nor will it flourish on its current "unsustainable" model, according to Dave Michels of UCStrategies, and Principal Analyst at TalkingPointz.

In order for it to survive and be beneficial for businesses, it must be adapted to suit the current and upcoming security challenges. Michels predicts that the upcoming year will bring high-profile breaches where companies are "held liable and accountable," he says. This prediction is backed by findings from Avanade who surveyed over 600 IT decision makers at the end of 2011.

It is possible for BYOD to fade away. There are several well-respected companies that have never incorporated BYOD policies, and the original reason for many organizations to do so, because of the functional gap between the iPhone and its nearest competitors was so large, is now less of an issue.

While the previous scenario is not very likely, Michels believes that corporate owned and sensitive information will no longer be put on employees' personal devices. This is "an issue of corporate liability and responsibility," he says, rather than a "battle about IT control."

There are several options already in the works for keeping company data off the mobile devices, such as using VDI-type solutions or complete web-based models which avoid phone-based installed apps. This also allows information to be accessed and retrieved securely from almost any device, through an HTML5 app, for example.

Michels points out that on a corporate-owned mobile device, IT can remotely remove the data (wipe) if it is stolen or misplaced. With a personal device, such as a smartphone or tablet, it is not so simple to accomplish. Beyond the issues of reimbursement and cost, some employees may not be excited about the idea of purchasing these personal devices in the first place.

A final possibility for shaping the future of BYOD, presented by Michels, is storing the data on the mobile, but within an encrypted and managed application. This would allow employees to continue using their personal mobile devices for work purposes without compromising the company's sensitive information.

This is ultimately a debate about employees' and employers' preferences, corporate liability, and cost effectiveness. Nothing but time will unveil what the future holds for BYOD and the companies that have so thoroughly embraced it. (RP)