BYOD is here to stay. Time to get an action plan?

This new article produced by our industry experts covers the need for a Bring Your Own Device action plan, and how services like Windows InTune can help you manage this growing phenomenon.  

For decades, information technology lived largely in the workplace - with high-spec hardware and enterprise applications providing functionality far beyond the reach of employees’ budgets. At home they had an analogue TV, a landline and perhaps a personal computer; but in the office they used on-premise business programs that seemed unobtainable and exclusive - much like the hardware on which they ran.

Today, that distinction between enterprise and consumer technologies is rapidly disappearing - so much so that information workers often endure workplace technology inferior to that which they have at home or even in their pockets. This, along with the proliferation of Wi-Fi, high-speed broadband and a more mobile workforce, is driving the trend dubbed ‘Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)’.

 Demand for a more flexible workstyle

A recent report from analysts TechMarketView predicts that by 2016, 9.5 million employees in the UK - about one-third of the workforce - will be using their own computing devices for work. Meanwhile, a Cisco-sponsored survey of 600 IT and business leaders found that 95% of their companies allow employee-owned devices on the corporate network. 36% said they support all BYOD devices, while 48% support a select list of devices. A further 11% tolerate employee-owned devices on enterprise networks, but offer no IT support.

According to Graeme Burton of Computing magazine, the growing demand for a more flexible workstyle is being fuelled by the astronomical uptake of mobile devices and the proliferation of mobile apps. Recent research by his publication found that only 15% of respondents don’t own a smartphone, while the majority own a tablet PC.

 “Our research shows that new mobile technologies have swiftly gained a majority foothold in most organisations, although in many cases the devices being used are not owned by the company,” says Burton. “Needless to say, the fact that employees expect instant access to email, CRM and business intelligence systems via their own superior technology is presenting new challenges for IT managers, particularly in midsized companies with finite resources.”

 BYOD now a fact of life

Whilst there’s a strong case to be made - based on security and privacy concerns - against allowing staff to use their own devices at work, it seems prohibition is no longer an option. BYOD is now a fact of life, not a go/no-go decision made by IT management. Whether they like it or not, the ultimate decision is being made by the employee. The good news, however, is that - though there’s still some way to go - vendors like Microsoft are on the case when it comes to helping IT teams with this new influx of devices.

 “Nobody has yet cracked the code on the best way to support BYOD,” says Phillip Redman, a research vice president at Gartner. “Most companies like one-size-fits-all solutions,” he says. “But that’s not possible in this case because there’s so much diversity. It’s a huge concern and one of the top inquiries we get at Gartner.”

 James Lockyer, Windows Client Product Manager at Microsoft UK, believes an organisation’s primary concern should be to develop a BYOD platform that is safe and secure, whilst at the same time making it cost-effective and efficient. He says both of these objectives are addressed by the latest release of Windows Intune, a subscription-based solution that delivers PC management and security features via a standard Internet connection.

 “In addition to the management and protection features available to Windows-based computers, Intune now provides support for mobile devices, such as mobile phones and tablets,” says Lockyer. “This includes Windows Phone 7, Apple iPhones, iPads and Android devices. All of these can now be integrated with the Windows Intune service.

 “Intune uses Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to integrate users’ mobile devices with your business infrastructure and enforce your organisation’s mobile device access policies. Having configured the service, your IT people can use the Intune administrator console to manage both supported Windows computers and mobile devices.”

Intune also provides:

• The ability to secure corporate data on mobile devices by:
  • Targeting Exchange ActiveSync polices to user groups. Policies include settings that let you set requirements for password length and encryption (if it is supported by the mobile device)
  • Setting device access rules by device family or model
  • Retiring and/or wiping lost, stolen or otherwise compromised mobile devices.

• The ability to make internal line-of-business iOS and Android applications available to users through:
  • Hosting and targeting internal line-of-business applications to user groups
  • Self-service capabilities for users, enabling them to download internal line-of-business applications to their mobile devices

From a cost-efficiency perspective, Lockyer says a Windows Intune subscription also includes upgrade rights to future versions of Windows. “It means you can run the latest release of Microsoft’s operating system without ever having to worry about purchasing upgrade licences.”

Draw up a management plan

Having accepted the fact that mobile computing devices of all types will find their way into the enterprise - whether planned or unofficially, the IT team should define the terms under which that will happen, rather than trying to prevent it, says Weston Morris, end-user productivity services architect for Unisys Global Managed Services.

The best course of action, says Weston, is to put systems in place to immediately recognise that a device has connected to the corporate network and apply appropriate polices. “IT should also consider how they’ll support those devices, to what degree they’ll manage them, what access rights will be granted, and how compliant these devices are with various regulations.” To this end, his company has produced a checklist to get customers started:

• Plan ahead: decide in advance which devices you will and won’t support and which job roles will qualify for support

• Define access policies: Determine what users must do to get corporate content on their device - for example, agree to password-protect their device as a prerequisite to accessing corporate information. A good place to start is by looking at the policies you’ve already defined for your corporate PCs

• Determine your support policies: Do you want to offer a helpdesk or do you want to focus on alternative channels such as the Web, Cloud or grassroots support through user blogs and wikis? Do you want to offer all support to all job roles? Or do you want to stratify them by groups - for example, revenue-generating roles eligible for all types of support; certain other roles eligible for a more limited menu?

• Decide which behaviours you want to enable: For instance, will mobile users be allowed to download/edit files or will they be restricted to ‘read only’?

• Monitor for actionable data: By integrating helpdesk support for all end-point devices, you can gather data about what’s happening to users in the field. For instance, did the latest iOS update improve or reduce productivity? Integrated support channels help you understand that and develop compensatory processes you can adapt for future initiatives. Larger enterprises may wish to incorporate a mobile device management tool to help deploy and monitor policy, collect device information and report on non-compliance.

• Review policy compliance regularly: Conduct a post-mortem on helpdesk data every six months. Have devices been jailbroken? Is content secure? Have users violated policies? Review all device activity and adjust policies as necessary.

• Be proactive in helping users: Don’t be tempted to say ‘no’ all the time. Try to be the one who says ‘yes!’

 Embrace and contain

At the end of the day, BYOD is a trend that midsized businesses can’t afford to ignore. It’s been building up over a decade as mobile telephony has transitioned into widespread smartphone and tablet use; but now it’s as important a part of the business communications landscape as having a phone number or website.

 Whereas previously the IT department drove technological adoption and integration, today it’s the consumer doing the driving, or more precisely, consumer technology, says Lockyer. “It’s now time to give people the freedom to get things done their way. In return, you’ll unleash their productivity, passion, innovation and gain competitive advantage.

 “Of course, mobile devices will inevitably make IT management more complex. And yes, some IT pros will naturally want to resist adding more complexity to an already delicate mobile support environment. But given the sheer volume of interest in all things mobile, I believe the better part of IT valour will be to embrace and contain, rather than evade or ignore.”