Research Insight:Blurred lines: Is BYOD changing the way we work?

Intelligent Market Research

2

Blurred lines: Is BYOD changing the way we work?

A surge in the popularity of smartphones and tablets has led to an increasing trend of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) in large UK businesses.

In an age of hot-desking and �exible working, it seems that BYOD could be the answer to creating a more e­cient, and a more satis�ed, workforce. But with more freedom comes greater responsibility. The security risks to businesses of BYOD cannot be ignored.

We surveyed 100 UK businesses with minimum of 500 employees (50 with 500-3000 employees and 50 with 3000+ employees), to �nd out just how prevalent BYOD has actually become – and to see what the driving force behind the new trend is. We then surveyed 200 US businesses (100 with 500-3000 employees and 100 with 3000+ employees) to provide a geographical comparison.

Find out more:Watch our latest webcast providing the headline analysis from our BYOD research

Find out more:Download our 'BYOD:The Reality in 2014' Infographic

Find out more:Watch our video interview with Ben Daubney, Research Consultant at Vanson Bourne, where he looks at just who is driving the growth of BYOD.

BYOD is in full swing

Push or Pull?

It is no longer a case of if companies will choose to incorporate BYOD

into their normal working practices, but just a matter of when. More

than half the organisations surveyed already have a policy in place and

the majority of those that don’t, expect to see one implemented

within two years.

There are, however, still some organisations that have a policy

prohibiting BYOD, although the majority of ITDMs surveyed believe employees are using their personal

devices for work purposes anyway.

With more than 40% of respondents believing that a BYOD policy will provide them with a competitive

advantage over the competition, it is easy to see why this new approach is on the rise.

When it comes to the driving forces behind BYOD there has been

a marked pull from employees to get management to sanction it.

In contrast the senior decision makers do not appear especially

proactive; the majority are said to be either indi�erent or cautiously

allowing BYOD experimentation. That leaves a notable contingent

at management level that is doubtful of the bene�ts of this new way

of working.

Expansion in the use of smart phones and tablets – and the opportunity that the Cloud o�ers enterprises

- has made it easier for people to access their work on the go and been the organic generator for BYOD.

The adoption of a policy to ratify these now widely-used practices is expected by the majority within

two years.

What are you looking at?Whether they are actually permitted to do so under a speci c policy

or not, more and more employees are using personal devices for

work-related activities. Topping the ‘to do’ list of employees

on-the-go, are reading emails and using the internet for work

purposes.

With more companies realising the importance of enterprise social media

and the need for immediate online interaction, it is not surprising to see 39% of ITDMs say that they

believe employees are using their own devices to access publically available apps, such as Twitter and

Find out more:Download our BYOD Infographic which gives a breakdown of BYOD device usage

Left to their own devices

Find out more:Read our latest blog from Graham Opie, Director at Vanson Bourne, where he looks at BYOD

Leaving employees to their own devices will create a more

�exible and productive workforce, while also o�ering companies

a competitive advantage over rivals who haven’t yet adopted a

BYOD policy.

Larger organisations view increased productivity as a key bene t of

such a policy, while smaller enterprises see the ability to work more

�exibly and o�er better customer service as higher priorities met by the

introduction of BYOD.

Cost cutting is also a driving factor for companies when introducing BYOD. Of those IT decision

makers surveyed nearly 40% say that they see it as a way of reducing operational costs and more

than one fth see it as a way of reducing commuting costs and time for sta�.

3

How secure is BYOD?

The security risks of adopting a BYOD policy are evident

and could have far reaching consequences for businesses.

But with employees using their personal devices for work

purposes in half of all respondent organisations,

management cannot leave their heads buried in the

sand for much longer.

The Information Commissioner’s O�ce has already issued

guidelines to companies to help them navigate the mine�eld of data protection now that

BYOD is so prevalent. Using encryption and secure channels to transfer data, as well as

creating a data wipe facility should the device ever be lost or stolen, are just some of the

techniques that can be used to minimise information leaks.

Find out more:Watch our video interview with Ben Daubney where he examines the security risks of BYOD

Around one in three of the organisations surveyed has an approved list of devices employees

can use for BYOD, but under one in 10 has a similar list of supported applications. It seems

that securing the information that is being accessed has a long way to go before it catches up

with the growth in the trend.

View Research Now

Intelligent Market Research

Access the full in-depth market research results on BYOD on our website here.

4

Geographical di�erences a�ect attitude towards BYOD

Find out more:Ben Daubney looks at whether the growth in BYOD is a global trend in our �nal BYOD video.Download our UK v US BYOD Infographic comparing the results from both surveys.

UK44%USA

74%

We did the same research in the USA, to compare and contrast. Although the majority of

respondent organisations in both countries either already have a BYOD policy in place or

expect one to be implemented in the near future, attitudes to BYOD adoption are more

positive in the USA. Nearly three quarters of US respondents believe that BYOD gives

companies a competitive advantage, compared to just 44% in the UK.

Managers in the USA are embracing a BYOD policy more readily and the signs are that they

are implementing proper procedures to limit potential pitfalls. Around a quarter of those

surveyed in the USA say that their organisation has an approved list of supported

applications, compared to just 8% in the UK.

But whatever the di�erences in the attitudes towards and the regulation of BYOD,

respondents from both sides of the Atlantic agree that employees are the driving force

behind this latest technological revolution.