With the number of people around the world permanently working from home expected to double in 2021, it’s more important than ever to make the best choices to support remote work.
Businesses need to find the right balance between remote accessibility for employees and their security management processes. While the Bring Your Own Device model is popular, employees seem to prefer alternative strategies.
The best work device deployment strategy might be different for individual companies, so you’ll need to weigh up the pros and cons to come to a final decision.
Pros and cons of BYOD
Pro: Why juggle two phones when you can make things simple and do everything with one? Working on the go is easier when you don’t have to switch between devices.
Pro: Employees paying for their own devices and data plans reduces short-term business costs (the downside being that they might prioritise choosing hardware that’s better for their personal use).
Pro: BYOD reduces delays due to issuing devices or training, because people purchase their own devices and will already be familiar with how to use them.
Con: Not everyone will have the same kind of device with the same capabilities, which can disrupt workflows and cause issues between employees.
Con: Businesses often end up spending more on IT to try and manage a range of personal devices, and miss out on potential savings from corporate discounts on bulk device orders.
Con: BYOD opens you up to a ton of device management and compliance problems. How will you enforce company policies, control the software employees use, and keep company data secure?
Pros and cons of business phones
Pro: Business phones can be offered as an employee perk, making roles more attractive. Employees get to keep their personal numbers private and don’t have to blur the boundaries between their work and personal lives.
Pro: Issuing business phones gives you ultimate control over their customisation and security, making it more efficient to configure devices for your business network.
Pro: Initially, business phones might seem like an expensive investment, but you’ll save money in the long run. Not only will you have access to business contract discounts, but updates and general maintenance are easier and cheaper to manage.
Con: Being assigned a business phone might make employees feel like they don’t get any say in choosing a device that suits them, and they might not want to carry two phones around.
Con: Issuing specific company-configured devices can result in a longer learning curve while you train employees how to use them properly.
Con: Managing a fleet of business phones means ultimate responsibility for everything about each device – but while this is more work, it also creates the benefit of increased security and easier expense management.
Why you should choose business phones over BYOD
Both BYOD and business phones have their benefits and drawbacks, but business phones have an edge over BYOD because of the level of security they offer.
Security is one of the most major concerns for companies who want to comply with data protection laws and keep their business information out of the wrong hands. It’s much easier to apply enterprise mobility management systems to control devices and enforce security measures when they’re company-issued business phones.
Though Company Owned Business Only devices are the most secure, there are still opportunities for flexibility with Choose Your Own Device and Company Owned Personally Enabled mobility models.
Issuing business phones can offer more scalability for your communication infrastructure. There’ll be better tech support behind them, too, so you can quickly resolve any problems that might pop up.
