Is there a place in the office for your own mobile device?

For years, employees have had to carry two mobile devices. Their own and the work phone, which is usually a lot older, lacking in features and passed through several other team members. Employment policy would also often forbid the use of an employee’s own device for business due to data protection and management of company sensitive information. Many companies were also unable to allow employees to use their own device as they simply could not sync personal devices to their business network.

However, in the current technological age where a Blackberry, IPhone or a tablet such as an IPad is often more common place than a diary, employees are using their own devices to connect their work and home lives. To constantly update to the latest software or mobile device would cost small companies substantially. But, to an employee on contract, the cost is nominal.

Does this mean the death of the work device is nigh? Could we argue the use of a personal device not only means employees are more likely to conduct their work more productively due to their existing knowledge of their own technology, but also work more effectively with only one device to manage? We believe so. But at what cost to data protection and management? With most mobile devices linked in some way to a social network channel and with spam, viruses and malwall a daily battle, could employees run the risk of losing critical business data to opportunist hackers? And if so, how do businesses manage this risk?

With initial software investment to protect employees personal mobile devices, which can be monitored via the company IT department, personal devices can play a role in corporate culture. After the initial investment in the software, which can work out considerably lower than that of several new mobile devices, companies can be sure that their employees are not only more effective but also protected.

The current mobile devices also come with inbuilt security, password protection and the opportunity to back up date to an online portal accessed anywhere. They can also lock, unlock and transfer data without having the mobile device with them, critical if the device has been stolen. And how can we forget, documents are often left in train carriages, memory sticks are found and company information shared over glasses of wine or social networking chats. Is there really much more of a risk of data being put in the wrong hands because it is on a personal device? No, not at all.

Companies are constantly looking to streamline their business, cut costs and ensure employee productivity is at its highest. Could utilising the employee’s own technology be one of the easiest ways to do this? With the right management and policy in place, yes.

And not forgetting, is the use of a personal mobile device which could be monitored and tracked by your company, in other words big brother, be an infringement on your personal life? Or would you rather have just one device linking both your home and work existence?  After all, so much of your work life seeps into your home life is the use of a device for both really going to change much?