Communicate Blog

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BYOD stands for “Bring your own device,” and it is a growing trend, as more and more corporations allow employees to connect their personal smartphones and tablet devices to the business network.

A recent announcement saw IBM adopting the growing trend of BYOD to work.  100,000 IBM employees will be able to connect handheld devices of their choosing to IBM's internal networks, which have recently been fortified to provide enhanced mobile security, CTO for Mobility Bill Bodin said in an interview with Computerworld.

It's one of the hottest challenges IT security organizations face as a growing number of employees use their own BlackBerrys, iPhones, iPads and Droids to access their employers' IT systems. In instances where such practices are banned, employees are demanding that the prohibition be lifted. However, most organizations remain uncomfortable in letting their employees use their own mobile devices to access their IT systems.

While businesses can save thousands of rands on equipment purchases, and employees enjoy working on the devices they prefer, the transition can create a migraine-sized headache for IT departments. It requires that IT teams will become more sophisticated at protecting the network and have better security allowing to remotely locate, lock or wipe a lost or stolen device, as well as update software to protect against spyware and viruses.

The IT department is certainly going to have to change as a result of BYOD because it's going to need to support a much broader range of devices and services than in years past. How exactly it does that is for each company and organisation to debate and decide.

So while BYOD may mean almost anything goes for users, it's going to require IT departments to put their thinking caps on to work out the best way to support this brave new user-first world order.

Are your company thinking of adopting a BYOD strategy? Do you have the right IT staff to ensure you navigate the next challenges in the IT industry? Communicate Personnel is a specialist IT recruitment agency that can help you find IT staffing to ensure you are able to fully embrace the future of IT.