seven "bring your own device" considerations

By Jonathan Blackwood,

with Corporate Tech Decisions

Respectfully Reposted by

Tony Sprando

with Audio Visual Bend

Seven "Bring Your Own Device"

Considerations

http://www.corporatetechdecisions.com/article/7_byod_considerations_for_your_enterprise

http://www.avbend.com/

Mobile DevisesEmployees are simply more comfortable using a personal device than something issued by the company. Individuals are more likely to upgrade phones consistently than companies are, so often the company benefits by getting the latest technology to work for them. In addition, employees that are using their personal devices for personal reasons during non-work hours are more likely to be drawn into completing work tasks while technically off-duty – whether that be proofreading a document, responding to e-mails or working on a future presentation or project in their spare time. The greatest benefit is to employee satisfaction, though. Any individual is going to be happier with a device that they chose and have grown comfortable using daily than something that is assigned to them in which they had no say. The biggest drawback is in procuring technology that connects to a number of device types, whether Android, Windows or iOS operated.

Audio Visual Bend - WWW.AVBEND.COM

PresentationAllowing employees to connect their own

devices to presentation technology is a

good way to streamline a presentation.

When an employee can connect through

wireless distribution their device to a

screen or projector, they are automatically

familiar with the technology they are using

to present. Consider also customer,

clients or potential business partners that

come in to present – they may not be

accustomed to your technology but they

are well in tune with their personal device.

This might mean a dynamic system in

which a device connects to a display in

order to drive content. This content can be

manipulated on-screen, annotated, saved

and shared. On the other hand, it could

be as simple as screen-sharing

technology that displays the same images

on the device on a screen, where the

presenter is scrolling through content on

their own device and driving the

presentation.

~Jonathan Blackwood, with Corporate Tech

Decisions,



CollaborationThis takes things a step further in how

companies can allow employee

devices to interact with enterprise

technology. Where presentations

allow employees to show what’s on

their screen, collaboration technology

can allow employees to connect their

personal devices to interactive

technology. Usually accompanied by a

downloadable app, collaboration tech

can screen share content over a

display and several devices, and then

allow that content to be manipulated

and annotated to be reflected across

all devices. Several employees can

run a presentation together, taking

and passing control of the screen as

they go.


Decisions,



Audio Conferencing

Employees are more on the go than

ever, and often must call in during

meetings. Obviously dialing in from a

cell phone is not a problem, but there

is technology that will securely save

the information for dial-ins so that

employees can connect easily while

on the go. Once they reach the office

they can switch to their office phone,

and then again switch back to their

mobile device if they need to be

pulled away. This increases

efficiency and punctuality, and

ensures that dial-in info isn’t lost to

the point where employees can’t

enter an audio conferencing session.


Decisions,



Video Conferencing

There are obviously a number of basic

video conferencing apps that are available

for mobile devices, but there is the added

possibility of roping in personal devices to

your enterprise video conferencing system.

Remote employees can join and participate

or view video conferencing sessions

straight from their mobile devices, on the

go. This means remote employees don’t

need expensive equipment to stay in

touch, and they can stay on the road even

during large, important video conferencing

sessions. Video capture technology can

also serve to save these sessions for later

viewing across personal employee

devices.


Decisions,



Network Management

In order to support a growing number of mobile

devices on your company’s network, you have

to ensure that your network has the bandwidth

to support all of these devices. Consider that for

every laptop wirelessly or otherwise connected

to your system, there is likely a personal smart

phone that is also connected, as well as the

potential for a personal tablet to connect as

well. So there is the potential for 3 connected

devices for every employee in the building. You

can see how network concerns can become a

problem, especially for companies that do a

significant amount of business online. Private

clouds can be a solution, but they are

expensive to create and even more so to

maintain. Public clouds are great also, but

security can become an issue. A hybrid solution

is often the best bet for companies


Decisions,



Network Security

With all of these new devices on your

network there is more of a threat than ever to

the network’s security. Between viruses,

malware and tainted applications that any

given employee may carry on their phone,

it’s very possible for an intruder to infiltrate a

personal device and hide away until that

device is connected to the network. The

easiest and most necessary thing to do is to

educate and inform your employees on the

dangers of these threats and the ways these

threats invade phones. Regular updates are

a must, and employees should never give

away password or username information

through e-mail. In addition to this, powerful

network security software is available from a

number of trustworthy providers. Weigh your

options and choose which works best for

your company.


Decisions,



seven "bring your own device" considerations

Technology