Ensuring the security of personal mobile devices in the workplace, a.k.a. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), is a persistent concern for end users and IT staff. But managing and making the most of mobility in the workplace “presents a much broader set of challenges,” according to employees who use their own mobile devices for work purposes and IT staff surveyed as part of CDW’s “Mobility at Work Report.”
Surveying 1,200 employees who use smartphones and tablets at work and 1,200 IT professionals in eight industries CDW found that both groups believe there’s a “support gap” when it comes to managing and making the most of mobility in their organizations. Just 41% of BYODers graded their organization’s IT policies and technical support an A or B. While 64% of IT professionals did so, only 18% gave them an A.
Both groups expect that ongoing growth in BYOD will have major impacts on their organizations. Thirty-nine percent said their organization’s network performance has already suffered. Anticipated impacts include:
- Increased bandwidth requirements (63 percent)
- Increased network latency (39 percent)
- Increased server requirements (44 percent) and storage requirements (37 percent)
“Mobility has edged its way into the workplace, increasing and complicating IT’s workload, and often leading to frustration on all fronts. Securing devices, along with the data and networks they use, will always be a significant concern, but protecting users and employers is only one of five key aspects of mobility management at work,” CDW senior director and general manager for mobility solutions Andrea Bradshaw commented.
“The network impacts confirm that IT needs a systems strategy to accommodate mobility. Our research also shows that users and IT alike see room for improvement in the level and quality of support that IT provides for mobility today.”
In addition to security, key aspects of mobility management include strategic planning, efficient enactment of strategic plans, support for users and IT staff, and empowering users, Bradshaw noted.
While mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) solutions are readily available, CDW found that only 37% of organizations are making use of or deploying MDM. Only 36% have deployed or are deploying MAM solutions.
“Some of our research findings are remarkable, but they align with what we see and hear from our customers every day,” Bradshaw continued. “The reason organizations are not moving faster into mobility management solutions is that IT itself is working hard just to keep up with demand for more and more services with limited budgets, and mobility is a complex, multifaceted challenge; it’s hard to know what to solve first. What IT needs itself is the support of a holistic, end-to-end approach that simplifies mobility management and reduces its cost in time and budget.”
