Bring your own device (BYOD) is the hottest new trend in business, as employers realise the benefits of letting employees take their work with them on the go.
Businesses are embracing the BYOD phenomenon, which allows workers to bring their own tablets, laptops, and smartphones to the office, as business IT becomes increasingly consumerised and the popularity of cloud technology continues to rise.
The trend helps increase both employee satisfaction and effectiveness, with employees able to bring their own devices already equipped with applications on a platform they are comfortable using; the key to the success of BYOD is BYOA, or Bring Your Own App.
BYOD means employees are able to collaborate faster with colleagues, clients, and other key stakeholders outside the business by being constantly within reaching distance of their devices, while business travel is also made easier.
However, the rise of BYOD has brought with it a range of new challenges that businesses must tackle, with efficient management processes key to maximum effectiveness.
While the trend allows for greater freedom and flexibility by allowing employees to work on their favourite platform, it has also placed a strain on technical support teams, who must now be able to work across a suite of different devices and platforms.
For small businesses that may not have a dedicated IT specialist, let alone an entire team, BYOD presents a problem.
However, the solution can be as simple as businesses implementing and enforcing clear IT policies that will make sure to keep company data safe.
Issues to look at include clarifying who is in charge of data backup, what to do in the case of data loss or a lost or stolen device, and what to do when an employee moves on.
The Intel® Ultrabook™ is the ideal BYOD solution – a PC when you need it, tablet when you want it, it runs on Windows 8 (with touch option) and is equipped with a processor that lets you enjoy movies, photos, and games in your down time while running all your business programs at work.
The Ultrabook also features built in security that works hard to make sure your company data stays safe by letting users disable the device if it is lost or stolen.
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