Mini guide

© 2013 ShoreTel Inc.

The top 10 BYOD considerations for your workplace

Mini guide The top 10 BYOD considerations for your workplace

http://www.shoretelshowcase.com

© 2013 ShoreTel Inc.

2

Businesses are now more flexible and responsive thanks to mobile working solutions. This trend is set to grow, as a recent survey of 200 directors at UK SMEs revealed:

• Nearly half of businesses have mobile working employees• 73% of mobile staff work remotely at least once a week• 93% see mobile working as a continuing or rising trend

Alongside enhanced flexibility, the ease-of-use and portability of the iPad and iPhone has meant more accurate and timely workflows from sales reps and other employees working in the field and also in the office. Mobile technology is creating opportunities to boost productivity.

The key to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is to ensure that efficiency benefits are truly made possible by usable technology and supporting devices. You need the right set-up to be productive.

1. Ergonomics

An iPhone or an iPad are fantastic BYOD devices but the well-being of your staff still needs to be considered, even though the devices they are using are their own. Heads bent over personal devices can create neck stiffness and headaches. Did you know RSI costs the economy over £300m a year? Consider supporting devices for a BYOD environment such as docks and stands.

2. Battery life

When heading into an important meeting or presentation, your staff don’t want to be worrying about battery life. But with sensible planning, this is a disaster you can avoid. Docks and stands now offer charging too, so wherever your teams are working from, they can be fully charged all the time.

Paragraph title

Mini guide The top 10 BYOD considerations for your workplace

http://www.shoretelshowcase.com

© 2013 ShoreTel Inc.

3

3. Use of apps at home, in the office or on the move

There are so many Apple productivity apps for making working lives easier and these are apps that many of your staff may rely on in their daily lives. Reeder for example is the perfect tool for ploughing through a mountain of articles and RSS feeds quickly, and PocketInformantHD pulls together all your ‘to-do’ lists and multiple Google calendars in one place. BYOD can provide both continuity of working styles and the continued use of apps – improving productivity.

4. Theft

Every year 34,000 laptops are stolen and 76% of businesses report a laptop loss or theft. If your BYOD kit is lost or stolen, there is also the cost of the data loss to add into the equation – and this could carry a hefty fine. But you can protect against this if you fit security cases and cable locks, which can prevent an estimated 40% of thefts. Password protection and recording serial numbers will also help.

5. Maximising ease-of-use

There is nothing more demotivating (especially for an Apple advocate) to have to put down their favoured device and begin working on an office PC. The change in operating

systems is unnatural to working styles and prevents a smooth workflow from home to office. By providing the ability to work continuously from home to work, to meeting room to restaurant you’ll be providing an ease-of-use that your employees will find incredibly desirable.

Also consider workspaces; multiple devices on one desk equals clutter. A simple docking station for BYOD devices is the ideal solution. Staff can come and go as they please. You can even increase hot-desk working, freeing up room and budget.

6. Scalability and manageability

Whichever solution you decide upon to support your business BYOD you need to ensure scalability. Choose a reasonably priced and scalable solution to futureproof your investment and your ROI. Ensure simple deployment is possible and that ongoing management is not going to be complicated, time-consuming or costly.

7. Connectivity

The key to successful BYOD is connectivity; in the home, office or wherever employees may be. Make sure your staff devices can seamlessly hook up to networks, Bluetooth, phone systems and the internet without a hitch, to ensure continuous work and productivity.

Mini guide The top 10 BYOD considerations for your workplace

http://www.shoretelshowcase.com

© 2013 ShoreTel Inc.

4

8. Staff motivation

Giving staff the flexibility to work where they want and when they want is motivational. You may see a boost in productivity as staff are more inclined to answer emails quickly late at night or at weekends; work may become part of their everyday life rather than just a 9-5. You could even attract higher-calibre staff with your flexible working conditions and state of the art technology.

9. Improved communication and working efficiencies

Embracing BYOD will improve communication by allowing wherever and whenever working and eliminating downtime. Working efficiencies are also improved; staff use the operating system of their choice and at times that suit them, allowing them to become more productive. The end result? Increased return on your investment.

10. Unified communications

Take your BYOD one step further and bring together telephone calls, instant messaging, conferencing, mobility, presence, business apps and collaboration capabilities into an intuitive user experience - easily accessed anytime.

Find out more about supporting BYOD with state of the art docking systems >>

Want to talk to us? Why not get in contact? >>

Sources: Mobile Working Report: CoIT and BYOD trends, from managed service provider Timico | www.businessweek.com | Kensington whitepaper: 7 Ways To Maximise Your iPad Productivity