In Here are some key points to keep in mind before pressing the start button
1. Policy, policy, policy! Get your BYOD policy in place by thinking holistically and methodically about what would be the best fit for your organisation. Do not take a keep up with the Joneses approach to BYOD.
2. Security is paramount, so do a thorough risk analysis before giving in to the temptation of seeing your employees walk in with lots of good-looking iPads or Galaxies. One often-recommended approach is to enable completely device-independent computing through desktop virtualization, accessed through an SSL VPN to protect the enterprise network and supplemented by secure file sync and sharing service.
3. Think people and not necessarily devices. In many cases, IT can think about their BYOD initiatives in how to manage and provide secure access to data and applications in terms of people, not the devices they use. However, organizations should make clear who in the organization is allowed to use personal devices, whether on an ad hoc basis to supplement a corporate endpoint, as a permanent replacement for a corporate device or anything in between.
4. Contractors are generally ideal candidates for BYOD. Many organizations already expect contractors to bring their own devices, and requiring them to do so aids independent contractor compliance.
5. Get buy-in from top management. One of the key criteria for the success of a BYOD initiative is the senior managements commitment and support. This is especially helpful in enforcing the clauses laid out in the BYOD policy (there can often be some heartburn on privileges or plaintive voices like, But thats not fair! If people see the top bosses involvement, things become smoother.)
6. Watch your back(end)! It is very important to make sure that the backend infrastructure is ready to take on devices that are running on newer platforms.
7. The more, the merrier. While some organisations may choose to standardise on just one or two mobile platforms, the wisest thing to do (especially in these transparent and high employee expectation times) would be to embrace as many platforms as possible. Check with the solution providers about current and future compatibility status.
8. Participants should be encouraged to buy their personal devices through normal consumer channels rather than the organizations purchasing department. This helps maintain clear lines of ownership as well as ensures that participants have a direct relationship with their hardware vendor. You may want to make employee discounts available to them, if covered under your corporate vendor relationships.
9. Get a handle on costs. Contrary to popular perception and in many cases, BYOD may increase an organisations costs by requiring the IT team to support a wider range of devices than they would under a corporate devices-only policy. In addition, software licensing costs may increase as more devices are used to access company systems. Try and build cost scenarios based on different combinations of devices and employees covered under the BYOD policy.
10. BYOD doesnt have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. You should think about the specific services you want to make available on BYO devices and whether this will differ for specific work groups, user types, device types and network utilized.
(The above best practices have been compiled from multiple sources and are only indicative in nature. IT leaders should use them to formulate their own detailed BYOD policies that best meet their respective needs.)
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