The Impact of the “Bring Your Own Device” The Impact of the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) Trend in the Workplace(BYOD) Trend in the WorkplaceBy Paul Van EsscheBy Paul Van Essche

•Mobile research, analysis, and forecasting provider Juniper Research recently reported that the present trend of employees bringing personal mobile devices to the workplace is anticipated to double to 350 million users by 2014.

While this trend towards corporate tolerance of worker resources carries productivity benefits, it also creates a number of security concerns.

•At the forefront of this trend is a generation of young knowledge workers who expect corporate policies that allow them to bring personal devices to work, and have these devices interact with corporate systems, for both professional and personal use.

In a surprising global survey by Fortinet, over half of 3,000 employees in their 20s felt that BYOD was more of a right than a privilege.

Furthermore, one-third indicated a willingness to violate any company policies that constrain their use of personal devices in the workplace.

•In their recent Insurance Journal article “Mobile Device Explosion in the Workplace Creates Need for Heightened Security,” co-authors Kathleen Ellis and Ken Goldstein cited a Dimensional Research survey of information technology professionals.

Leading IT managers indicated that 65 percent permitted personal device connections to their enterprise networks.

•Of those, 47 percent indicated that customer data was transferred via employee-owned devices, and 71 percent felt such personal devices contributed to security issues.

While the BYOD trend is more prominent in the private than public sector, it will nonetheless require all organizations to study and revise security management policies as personal devices become ubiquitous in the workplace.

•About the Author: At the helm of van Essche & Associates, Paul Van Essche is a broadly experienced business consultant in areas including information technology, finance, and change management, among others.

For more information about Mr. Van Essche, visit his website at www.vanessche.com.