Employees are Shelling Out Big Bucks to Ditch IT
Summary: 42% of employees admit to using their own computer or smartphone to do their jobs, and 27% say they have better tech at home than at work. Why not unleash employees' productive potential by giving them freedom, and implementing a bring-your-own-computer policy?
The term "Individual contributor" covers a lot of ground -- from brain surgeon to the shipping and receiving clerk at your local Wal-Mart. I'm not sure which of these two is a better fit for a virtual desktop, or which one has a Mac at home, but I do know that the individual contributors who spent their own money on technology last year to do their jobs, shelled out $1252.60 on hardware alone, and another $556.90 on software. That's a heap o' cash.
When we asked them why they spent the money, 42% said it was something they use in their personal lives that they wanted to use for work. Another 27% said their own equipment is better than what their companies provide (presumably CT scanners, portable defibrillators and Sony PSPs can be ruled out). How do their companies feel about them using their own devices and software? 48% said their firms would either not approve, or make them stop using it.
Of course we know the usual reasons why: Security and and company policy, and the "benefits" of centralized IT and shared services, among others. I don't know about you, but I always found "shared services" to be a bit of a sham. You know how it works: the VP with the biggest, high-profile project gets all of the services, and the rest of the plebes get to "share" the table scraps. Want a copy of Microsoft Project or a new laptop for that customer service rep who starts next week? Sorry…Steve's program is using all of the Project licenses, and all we have left in the closet is Pentium II desktops…but they have ergonomic keyboards!
And this is how it starts. Employees with a responsibility from the CEO or their own boss to meet business goals by executing well, don't make their careers by putting policy first. They make it by putting execution first. If they have everything they want from the company, they will live within the policies. When they want something else and can't get it, policy goes out the window and they devise ingenious ways to keep from getting caught. Is this bad? Not inherently, no. It would be if the employee engaged in illegal or unethical activity, but most of the time, it's honest people just trying to get their work done without being hassled.
Why not use this free energy? Why not have a formal policy and technology framework that allows your firm to embrace this show of initiative and passion? Why not unleash employees' productive potential by giving them freedom, and implementing a bring-your-own-computer policy? Why cripple your best people with bureaucratic processes and draconian controls? You can do it, and Michele Pelino and I will show you how. It's the biggest IT green field opportunity of them all!
This is a highly charged and polarizing topic, filled with strong opinions and bravado in equal measures. Bring them with you, and join us for a deep dive on BYOC best-practices on May 24-25 in Las Vegas, at Forrester's Infrastructure & Operations Forum 2012.
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Talkback
Two problems...
In olden days, companies had central switchboards. All was fine until companies decided they would listen in to spy on their employees. When the cell phone was invented, popularity exploded, since a person could now make a private call from work.
Fast forward. Companies were forced by Sarbanes-Oxley to buy fancy new e-mail recording devices. This would have been fine, but in short order companies realized that they could track internet usage and spy on their employees. Notebooks weren't small enough, they could be found by evil IT departments (see the IT failure article in todays' ZDNet). A tablet, however, could be hidden in a purse, and wasn't considered a threat. When the ability to run Farmville appeared on the iPad, sales zoomed to the sky!
That's all the iPad is, just as cell phones before it, a response to heavy-handed company security.
not so fast ...
We welcome employees to provide their own technology but with that comes employee responsibility. They have to keep their devices up to date, Ensure their virus and malware protection is applied (and current). We provide limited support to corporate Applications. Corporate data should not be stored natively and in most cases is only accessible via web / virtual applications (Citrix, VDI etc).
So it's really a trade off. Personally I'll take whatever the company provides they feel is needed to do my job. I value my privacy and do not wish unneeded wear and tear on my tech gear. BYOD really only makes sense if your company stipends the expense, without that it's silly to think I'm going to use my gear and adhere to company policies. It's like the shift in health care costs. The perk is all in the corporation favor as they have less hardware expense, less wireless service expense but the cost is shifted to provide more backend / cloud systems to allow this new model.
Considering many corporations have a lot of legal speak in their BYOD policy regarding liablity and confiscated devices if needed for legal discovery it's not that great a deal for any employee to jump on this "trend"
They will stipend, but then say "Austerity!!" and cut that off as well
Keep putting these thoughts...
They'll be glad to eliminate IT as a cost. And they'll never stop to consider:
- it's a personal computer: who owns data on it?
- who and how is going to backup docs, notes, emails, etc.?
- how are you going to perform e-discovery if someone someone sues you?
- how are you going to enforce security, access rules, etc.?
- who and how is paying if personal device infect entire network?
Should i continue?
I can't believe the blogger actually thinks this is a good idea.
BYOD is a BAD idea.......
The penalties for getting caught with that information, whether it is intentional or not, are steep, and may include criminal penalties.
I know I am not going to take that chance, are you?
Love those yardsales....
The average user has no idea --- NO IDEA AT ALL --- how many laws they can break, how many lives they can destroy with absolutely hairbrained, half-witted ideas like "bring-your-own-laptop-to-work". Companies that allow such wanton disregard for even the most basic security deserve every bad thing that will happen to them. EVERY BAD THING.
Right on, rock06r!
These are the most basic topics that is beside the simple virus/malware that a lot of the "media writer" are somehow either not understanding or dont even know exists and they're going about all these oh yeah, BYOD, it'll be cheaper for the company, blah blah blah.
These ppl need to tell the reasons WHY it's a very bad idea from both side of the equation.
Risk is not worth the few dollar savings at all.
Except our economy is supply-side economics based
Dam it Jim I am an Employee not a Contractor
Why Not t first I am an Employee, This not free for me since I had to by the technology from my own pocket. Worst I probably cannot take the deduction for work use unless perhaps the home office. Second liability. How do a company enforce IT policies on my equipment. Not to mention I keep my own side business data on my machine and I am a furry and anime fan. Do I really need to disclose my while family friendly but eccentric hobbies with my boss? Do I give up my privacy rights because I use personal tech for work?
There a lot a questions why I say no thanks.
It is not free - all of this is just delegation of cost
As a result, one's wage is dropped down by the cost of the BYOD unit plus monthly fee.
People being cajoled to BYOD is not unlike the corporate transition from pensions to 401ks a few decades ago - pass along the costs, make it sound nice in the process, and pocket the difference as profit. No fuss, no muss.
Draconian controls?
Seriously? Is it the bloggers opinion a company puts controls in place solely to cripple their employees?
They are only Draconian controls when
Or they want to use "their" corporate PC for non-work use
If they want to play Farmville on their own PC/laptop/tablet/smartphone at work while using their own personal dataplans and/or a Wi-Fi connection from a close-by restaurant or coffee house, that's their choice. But the minute they want to start using company assets (including the Internet connection) for non-work activities, that's when the company has the right -- if not the [b]duty[/b] -- to set restrictions and limitations on their use. It's no different than using the company copier to print off invitations to your kid's wedding/baby shower, but for some reason becuase it's IT or Internet-related people think it's different.
Great stuff, this BYOD
If we choose not to allow this, the company will buy us a device they will then own. Since this means carrying two devices at all times, a large percentage of the workforce chooses to just use their own despite the inevitable consequences.
At the last contract, emails forbidden to be bounced to private addresses
Australian DSD approval for iOS makes it almost impossible for private use
I would expect that Android (if not all OSs) would be in the same boat.
Disasters waiting to happen
So, with just these few examples, how much money was saved due to people bringing in their own equipment and causing these support instances and loss of business/productivity?
BYOD does not mean Abandon your senses
The nexus installfree allows cloud data to be executes on private (or public) cloud applications - streamed to any device - I can then use any device to work at home or on the road.
BTW - Security isnt about plugging all the holes - its about making sure the holes dont affect the company... or is that jobs for the boys being threatened....
All his comes down to one thing - productivity. If companies want staff to only work from an office LAN, lugging about a big & heavy laptop, they will get less productivity. If companies enable BYOD or even provide the device, employees can, and want to work that little bit more - and thats how you become a leading company, not a runner-up