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According to the Cisco study, the average number of connected devices per “knowledge worker” is expected to reach 3.3 by 2014, up from an average of 2.8 this year, and that IT managers are balancing security and support concerns “with the very real potential to reap significant cost and productivity benefits from the BYOD trend.”
Senior vice president and chief technology officer at Cisco, Padmasree Warrior, said that as the number of devices being brought into work increases, “organisations need a comprehensive mobility strategy,” and he added, “by leveraging the intelligent network, organisations can now provide their employees with the benefits of working anywhere, anytime: in other words, 'work your way.'"
According to Warrior, the survey found that BYOD was just the gateway to greater business benefits, and the findings supported Cisco's assertion that “mobility needs to extend well beyond BYOD to include the integration of service provider mobility, enterprise mobility, security, collaboration and desktop virtualization solutions.”
The survey revealed that over three-fourths (76%) of IT leaders surveyed categorised BYOD as somewhat or extremely positive for their companies, while seeing significant challenges for IT. “These findings underscore that BYOD is here to stay, and managers are now acknowledging the need for a more holistic approach -- one that is scalable and addresses mobility, security, virtualisation and network policy management, in order to keep management costs in line while simultaneously providing optimal experiences where savings can be realised,” Warrior said.
Key findings of the Cisco Survey were:
Ninety-five (95%) of organisations allow employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the workplace.
• Eight-four percent (84%) of respondents not only allow employee-owned devices, but also provide some level of support.
• Thirty-six percent (36%) of surveyed enterprises provide full support for employee-owned devices. In other words, they will provide support for any device (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) the employee brings to the workplace.
Mobility and device use are on the rise
• Seventy-eight (78%) of US white-collar employees use a mobile device for work purposes, and 65% of white-collar workers require mobile connectivity to do their jobs. By 2014, the average number of connected devices per knowledge worker will reach 3.3, up from an average of 2.8 in 2012.
• On average, mobility initiatives will consume 20% of IT budgets in 2014, compared to 17% in 2012.
Most IT leaders (76%) consider consumerisation "somewhat" or "extremely" positive for their companies.
• Among respondents, the top two perceived benefits of BYOD were improved employee productivity (more opportunities to collaborate) and greater job satisfaction.
Employees want to work their way: Employees are turning to BYOD because they want more control of their work experience
• Forty percent (40%) of respondents cited "device choice" as employees' top BYOD priority (the ability to use their favourite device anywhere).
• Employees' second BYOD priority is the desire to perform personal activities at work, and work activities during personal time.
• Employees also want to bring their own applications to work: 69% of respondents said that unapproved applications -- especially social networks, cloud-based email, and instant messaging -- are somewhat to much more prevalent today than two years ago.
• Employees are willing to invest to improve their work experience. According to Cisco IBSG, Cisco employees pay an average of $600 out-of-pocket for devices that will give them more control over their work experience.
Benefits of BYOD add up
• The benefits of BYOD vary based on an employee's role and work requirements. Cisco IBSG estimates that the annual benefits from BYOD range from $300 to $1,300 per employee, depending on the employee's job role.
BYOD Does Bring Complexity: Security and IT Support
• Security and IT support are the top BYOD challenges: Respondents cited security/privacy and IT support for multiple mobile platforms as the top challenges of BYOD.
Device proliferation requires new policy, approach to control cost
• According to Cisco IBSG analysis, only 14% of BYOD costs are hardware-related, highlighting the importance of choosing the right governance and support models to control these costs.
Desktop Virtualisation on the Rise
• Companies recognise the value in desktop virtualisation: 98% of people surveyed were aware of desktop virtualisation. 68% of respondents agreed that a majority of knowledge worker roles are suitable for desktop virtualisation and 50% noted that their organisation is in the process of implementing a desktop virtualisation strategy.
• Desktop virtualisation benefits, three key areas: (1) business continuity so that workers can access applications through multiple locations and devices even if, for example, a server goes down, (2) employee productivity, and (3) IT costs.
• Data protection is the number one concern: Ensuring that only the right people have access to sensitive company and customer data is a top priority.
