The confluence of powerful hand held devices, and a broadband network at home has created the desire for employees to expect the same level of connectedness in the enterprise space/workplace. Businesses are feeling the pressure to develop a hybrid support approach that also includes Gen Y and Gen Z workers, who are technology savvy and would like to use these devices in the workplace. What is un-clear is how some of the programs aimed at integrating users own devices will work with the existing IT/framework and this paper attempts to provide a balanced approach to analyze the problem and propose a solution. By: Masaf Dawood

1. Viability of
Bring -Your–Own- June 22
2011
Computer (BYOC)
Programs
The confluence of powerful hand held devices, and a broadband network at
home has created the desire for employees to expect the same level of
connectedness in the enterprise space/workplace. Businesses are feeling the
pressure to develop a hybrid support approach that also includes Gen Y and Gen
Z workers, who are technology savvy and would like to use these devices in the By: Masaf Dawood
workplace. What is un-clear is how some of the programs aimed at integrating
users own devices will work with the existing IT/framework and this paper
attempts to provide a balanced approach to analyze the problem and propose a
solution.

2. Executive Summary According to J.P. Morgan analyst Mark
Markowitz tablet revenues will rise
The wide spread consumerization of IT has created a demand to$24.9 billion in 2011 (up from $10.2
billion this year) and that they’ll hit
for personal devices to be connected to the corporate networks $34.1 billion in 2012. The iPad, which
and used in the workplace. This is on the heels of new will make up for 89.4 percent of tablet
generation of workers who have grown up with the social media revenues this year, will still account
for a significant portion of total tablet
and are savvy with the usage of such tools/devices. Enterprises revenues in the next few years. In
recognize this trend and, Bring-your-own-computer to the 2011, he predicts the iPad will account
for 71.6 percent of tablet revenue,
workplace “BYOC”, programs are being piloted to assess the and by 2012 it will still lead with 61.4
viability of the concept and address any issues as a result. This percent.
introduces management challenges in terms of divergent
requirements of corporate vs. employee owned devices. The
program requires a careful analysis and review of the target
environment and user demographics to tailor a specific program
to meet the business needs.
A carefully blended approach is needed, that manages the
changing demographics in the workplace with the plethora of
new computing devices availability to address the data integrity
and security needs. This research note addresses the issues,
facing corporate IT departments in the process of implementing
BYOC programs, and outlines an approach that could assess the
viability of such programs.
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3. An IDC study forecasts annual mobile
app downloads to increase from 10.9
What is Bring-Your-Own-Computer “BYOC” ? billion in 2010 to nearly 76.9 billion in
2014 as developers create apps for
virtually every aspect of a mobile
The term Bring-Your-Own-Computer to work (BYOC) refers to the
user's personal and business lives. In
employee owned computers connecting to the corporate addition to booming adoption of
networks. The devices are employee owned (purchased and smart phones around the world, new
provisioned) and employee is responsible for the device connected device categories including
media tablets, eReaders, portable
subscription and associated services. The connectivity to the media players, consumer electronics,
corporate network enables the employee to access application TVs, automobiles, and eventually
and infrastructure resources on-demand, with the convenience even PCs will all contribute to the
enormous growth of mobile apps.
of a familiar and preferred user interface. The key differentiator
in usage of corporate vs. employee owned device is the user "Mobile app developers will 'appify'
preference for the employee owned device. The employee just about every interaction you can
affinity for the device is driven in part by device interface and the think of in your physical and digital
worlds. The extension of mobile apps
built-in eco systems of apps and services.
to every aspect of our personal and
business lives will be one of the
hallmarks of the new decade with
Desktops Laptops enormous opportunities for virtually
every business sector.”
BYOD
Scott Ellison IDC - VP, Mobile and
Devices Connected Consumer Platforms
Tablets SmartPhones
While the desktops, and laptops has been around for over a
quarter century the tablets and smart phones are relatively new
arrivals, but they are growing steadily and swiftly. Laptop
shipments eclipsed desktop shipments and now the mobile
devices are taking the enterprise and consumer world by a
storm. See the mobile devices growth chart below from RBC capital
markets.
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4. Demand Driver # 1 : The Appification of Board room and Family room
The rapid rise of mobile computing power with the widespread and persistent availability of wireless
networks has influenced the computing habits of current and future employees alike. The “C” level
executives usually are technology agnostic, but have flocked to the ipad and other tablet devices for
applications such as email, mobile web /news, social networking and updating their corporate blogs
amongst other things. The convenience, user-friendliness, and the penchant for the ever updating news
feeds, social interactions etc that we like fits with the information age lifestyle and the mobile devices
provide the medium with little or no effort/expense. The usage of the mobile computing devices at
home and for leisure far exceeds the business usage – however the business uses and applications are
catching up. The connected consumer at home is fully conversant with the tools and technologies and
constantly is evaluating the tools, offerings and new services. The velocity of downloads has taken the
most optimists by storm and apple apps store has crossed 5B downloads last year. This demonstrates
the enormous demand and an unsatisfying appetite for consuming more of these apps. The key driver
for productivity in the personal spaces and spilling over to the corporate space is the appification and or
proliferation of mobile apps running on employee owned devices.
Demand Driver # 2: Workplace or Workspace – what the heck is it…
The acceptance of the remote worker or tele-worker in the workplace is a credentialed activity and
routinely people work remotely to provide same services as they would do if they were on-site.
Companies have resorted to shared cubicles, in this age of cost cutting to trim necessary overheads
including expensive downtown real estate. The benefits to employee are zero or no travel costs and
more productive time with the flexibility of their own schedule. Essentially workplace has changed to
workspace in terms of the ability to connect and perform the same productivity tasks as if on-site. This is
also enabled in part by the mobile devices and or laptops using traditional secured connection protocols.
Benefits to the enterprise
The benefits to an enterprise are a combination of “Soft” (motivational) and “Hard” ($ value) savings
that will evolve over time as the implementation matures and scope increases to cover the entire set of
employees (vs. subset). The immediate value realization may be in terms of employee satisfaction and
empowerment that could lead to higher productivity in the workspace and foster innovation. Some of
the potential IT service benefits are listed in the table below:
Reduced Cost of IT Reduced IT support Flexibility Less Field Services
equipment requirements(less tickets)
Reduced Software Single/Consolidated Enterprise refresh Less On-site support
License Costs Image set program savings
Heterogeneous Innovation Reduced Depot services Employee Empowerment
environment
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5. What about IT folks…?
The IT folks are concerned, nervous and unsure of the potential and the associated risk BYOC programs
can bring in the enterprise. After all, the devices are owned by the employees and when the employee
connects the device to corporate networks – is against the conventional IT wisdom and policies and
procedures. The employee may run the risk of data theft, corruption, loss and or other security policy
violations. It is turning upside down the traditional view of a corporate device. In the face of these
concerns and un-resolved problems, the technology is being brokered downstream to IT with its
sponsors in the boardroom and supporters in the cubicles. With the current devices we have today that
have USB and CDrom’s and are connected to the internet, the potential of downloads/uploads and
possibility of corruption/data loss exists. The biggest fear is around three areas - “lack of control”
“service assurance”, as well “data privacy and security”. We manage and improve continuously to
provide a better, safer and robust IT environment. Historically connectivity is based on managing the risk
associated with these interactions using the standardization of the devices, operating systems, and tools
that has led us to evolve to this level of collaboration. Now it seems we may be on cusp of the next
generation of productivity in the enterprise and employee owned/mobile devices may be acting as a
catalyst to ignite this. The perceived and real risks needs to be managed by crafting a program to pilot
the BYOC program and stress testing the proposed approach as well learning from the pilot outcomes in
terms of key areas of concerns. However before the pilot is considered – we need to make sure there is
a game plan for management of employee owned mobile devices.
Do you have an MDM Strategy….
The enterprise needs to have a Mobile Device Management Strategy that provides provisioning,
configuration, security, policy management, and software distribution, for smart phones, tablets and
other mobile devices. The underlying architecture should take into account the specific and unique
needs of the business in terms of regulatory, security and data privacy requirements. Some of the other
core capabilities that are required are remote wipe, device tracking, voice and data usage, support and
troubleshooting functions. The landscape of vendors is growing with some of the core capabilities
maturing in this space while the additional capabilities are being developed. The capabilities should
include management layer for managing multiple mobile device operating systems to include ios,
Windows, and Android.
A risk managed approach
In order to test the viability and feasibility of BYOC program in an enterprise – a careful approach is
needed that manages the value against the potential deployment risk. Based on the demand at the
enterprise level – the implementation team may develop a “Proof of Concept” strategy to stress test the
viability of such a program. The selected employees should be voluntarily participating in the program
and would generally be technology savvy and motivated to see this thru and live thru the growing pains.
The focus should be on developing the required policies and procedures that facilitate the adoption of
BYOC devices into the workspace while providing the necessary checks and balances IT needs to manage
the risk associated with the introduction of these devices. The service delivery model of such devices
should also be tested and options evaluated during the course of the pilot program.
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6. The following points highlight the key steps in implementing the proposed program:
a) Identify the appropriate worker/employee to participate
o Not all employees would be suitable or open to participation.
o Identify the employee based on the request/need and profile
b) Define the overall roadmap of BYOC program
o Lay out the timeline for initial POC “Proof of concept”
o Identify the pilot duration and business unit’s participation
o Draft an enterprise wide program availability (subject to poc, pilot findings)
c) Implement the MDM strategy
o Security management
o Policy management
o Inventory management
o Software distribution and service management
d) Define device requirements
o 3 year support contract/24 hours loaner in case of breakdown
o Antivirus (AV)update enabled
o Partitioning Ability
o Software distribution and service management capability
d) Define service management model
o Define the support model
o Define the SLA’s
o Solution for Self-Serve (shift left)
o Define the roles and responsibilities (RACI)
e) Findings
o Update the processes and procedures based on the findings
o Document lessons learned
o Execute the next steps
Conclusion
The viability of BYOC devices to work is a viable solution that holds the promise of greater collaboration
and more enterprise productivity in the workspace. The continued proliferation of handheld devices will
drive the demand for integration with the corporate networks. Enterprises need to be ready for such
employee requests and can get a head start if they pilot a program with specific objectives and criteria
in mind.
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