Just as many IT departments are starting to embrace the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend, the views on the practice has shifted. At least that is the opinion of Nick McQuire, the head of IDC's Enterprise Mobile Strategy group.
In a recent interview with CITEWorld, McQuire notes that there has been significant change in how enterprises are looking at mobile technology in 2013. IT departments are moving away from controlling the devices, defensive posturing and risk management and focusing on enabling business users to do more.
In the beginning of BYOD, according to McQuire, 20 to 30 percent of the workforce was affected by mobile devices like iPhones and iPads. It was an "executive jewelry phenomenon." IT departments had to add managing these devices into an already busy workflow. Now, that "20 to 30 percent" is a distant memory.
"This is the entire organization, whether they like or not," said McGuire. "And given the diversity in the consumer market, they recognize that the enterprise has to remain agnostic and it has to be supportive of technology in a more fluid way. It's not about supporting specific hardware, it's how do I get a coherent policy in place – and how do I iterate that policy, because it will change."
He added that it has moved beyond BYOD and has become "bring-your-own-tools." IT departments will find themselves with less responsibility when it comes to managing devices and but greater pressure to increase efficiency for the business.
Not only is BYOD now a business standard, it is already evolving. Business that have yet to embrace the trend should partner with an IT consulting that can handle mobile device implementation like an iPad deployment.
