BYOD Market Set to Skyrocket in Tandem with Mobility Uptake and Business Acceptance
January 06, 2016
By Laura Stotler
TMCnet Contributing Editor
The bring your own device (BYOD) market has been growing exponentially over the past few years as workers and organizations drive the use of an increasing variety of gadgets and applications for conducting business. But the absolute explosion of mobility and all its related applications and services has only fueled even more growth in the BYOD space, with the market set to break records over the next few years.
Research and Markets forecasts the global market for BYOD and enterprise mobility will top $360 billion by 2020, representing a booming 27.6 percent CAGR. Transparency Market Research estimates there were two billion mobile devices in use at the end of 2015, and Gartner (News - Alert) claims nearly 353 million smartphones were sold globally in just the third quarter of 2015.
This proliferation of devices and the associated conveniences of an astounding number of applications and services are really pushing BYOD into the mainstream, a phenomenon that is set to transform the business world. Users aren’t the only ones embracing BYOD, and companies of all sizes are beginning to discover its benefits after overcoming initial concerns about security and access. When properly managed and safeguarded, the practice of letting workers use their own computers, phones and tablets for business offers tremendous cost savings on both hardware and software expenditures. Simultaneously, the ability to use a personal device for work purposes increases employee productivity since workers can collaborate and accomplish tasks on the go, throughout the day, from wherever they may be.
Productivity increases are actually tangible, according to a survey recently conducted by Cisco (News - Alert). The company’s Internet Business Solutions Group found that an average worker using BYOD saves 37 minutes per week, with some users saving as much as 81 minutes. Additional research shows BYOD workers log an extra two hours of business time per day, sending up to 20 more emails per day than non-BYOD using workers.
An additional benefit of permitting workers to use their own devices is that smartphones and tablets are typically upgraded more regularly than legacy business PCs and systems. And employees often foot the bill for the latest and greatest apps, enabling the use of software that would be expensive to deploy and maintain on a broad, on-premises basis.
Kroll Ontrack, a company specializing in data recovery, information management and eDiscovery, recently outlined some steps organizations can take to ensure safe and effective implementation of BYOD. Rolling out a policy governing the use and security of personal devices is a good starting point for any company, ensuring that the proper users and devices gain the appropriate access to sensitive company data. Similarly, staff must be made aware of BYOD policies and practices and given encouragement and incentives to use their own devices for business purposes.
Another prudent step when implementing BYOD is to have a contingency plan in place, particularly when it comes to data storage. The cloud can play an important role here, offering a central repository for all types of data as well as a means to implement backup and disaster recovery plans.
Mobile device management (MDM) solutions are also on the rise in tandem with the uptake of BYOD. MDM software and tools offer IT administrators a way to keep track of a variety of disparate devices and access policies while still facilitating freedom of choice and movement for workers. As more MDM solutions come to market in 2016 and are proven effective for securing and managing remote users and devices, BYOD can be expected to become an even bigger part of mainstream business practices.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi