Bring Your Own Device or BYOD is a rising trend in almost every region of the world. In the workplace, BYOD may either take place ‘under the radar’, or it may be part of official corporate policies that everyone in the organisation must adhere to. With BYOD, employees can access their corporate email or other technology, join tele- or video-conferences from other locations and even stay in touch with work while they’re out of office.
- Companies that encourage and adopt BYOD enjoy several advantages:
- They can garner employee loyalty
- Boost productivity and efficiency (a direct result of allowing them to work with familiar devices)
- Cut costs (hardware devices and software solutions)
- Improve employee morale
On the flip side – although BYOD can be a workable solution for both employers and employees, it may involve a security risk, not only to the device itself (theft), but also to company’s data and applications (through data breaches, malware and cybercrime). Privacy protection is also a concern.
BYOD Trends in 2019
Reports and analyses have found that:
- The BYOD market was worth just $30 billion in 2014. It is likely to hit almost $367 billion by 2022 (BetaNews)
- BYOD at work saves employees 58 minutes per day and increases productivity by 34% (Frost & Sullivan)
- Companies supporting BYOD save $350 per employee per year (Cisco)
These numbers show that the number of people who use personal devices for professional use has steadily increased, blurring the lines between professional and private lives. This means that many companies will probably embrace BYOD, albeit as a complementary measure rather than a stand-alone one.
BYOD Trend in India – are Indian companies open to BYOD?
In general, the ‘largest’ BYOD market is North America, although the ‘fastest-growing’ market is Asia-Pacific. Thanks to a tech-savvy population and changing attitudes to ‘work-from-home’, many organisations in this region are adopting BYOD to save costs to company and motivate employees.
In 2014, 42% of Indian firms had a BYOD policy. However, a more recent survey by IBM India found that this number had increased, with about 57% of enterprises planning to invest in BYOD. Key BYOD vendors like Cisco report increased revenues from their BYOD business from India, which shows that there is a notable shift towards BYOD in Indian enterprises. In particular, BYOD is rapidly gaining popularity among India’s huge base of over 50 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Of course, not all industries in India (and companies within industries) uniformly implement BYOD. Among those that do, the IT/ITeS vertical leads the pack, followed by BFSI, telecom, media and entertainment.
Thanks to growing internet and smartphone penetration, surging data telecommuting needs and demand for increased workforce productivity, India’s BYOD market is projected to grow exponentially in future. However, concerns around privacy and data security may slow down BYOD adoption. Thus, although some Indian firms are embracing BYOD, its adoption may not be on the same scale as in other regions or countries.