BYOD, COPE or CYOD, What Is The Best Choice Of Business Mobility?

The great debate of the devices and how they work in business is a topical issue. There are different types of business mobility programs in the workplace such as BYOD (“Bring Your Own Device”), COPE (“Corporate Owned, Personally Enabled”), or CYOD (“Choose Your Own Device”).

Each of these approaches has inherent advantages and difficulties; however, there is no right or wrong answer. The choice is based on the needs, objectives and unique capabilities of the individual user groups within each company.

BYOD: Bring Your Own Device

BYOD is possibly the most popular and known approach. In the BYOD model, employees have full responsibility to choose and buy the devices they use, since the smartphone, tablet or other device is theirs.

While BYOD can offer important benefits for businesses, such as greater employee satisfaction and productivity, however, there may be a risk that confidential data will be stored on a non-corporate phone.

If BYOD is chosen, mobile device management software (MDM) is recommended to create a level of security around the use, access to information and the policies for using the device. This can be exhausting for internal IT teams, as it takes a lot of time and energy to internally manage BYOD programs.

Among the advantages of BYOD include:

• Lower hardware and service costs.
• Greater commitment and convenience of the user.
• Improved productivity and rating.
• Few or no management requirements of the wireless operator.
• Faster deployment time.

COPE: Corporate Owned, Personally Enabled

After BYOD, COPE has been talked about as a way to preserve the productivity benefits of BYOD while reducing costs and risks.

COPE is a popular approach in larger companies because it maximizes control over mobility in several ways. Employees receive smartphones that are paid for by the company, which means that the company retains ownership of the devices.

COPE allows management teams and IT leaders greater control over what devices are compatible and what controls are in place on the device, while allowing employees the ability to customize their phone or tablet.

Among the advantages of COPE include:

• Balance work / personal life in a single device.
• Personal applications.
• All the advantages of CYOD.
• Greater control and authority over the devices.
• Fewer safety concerns than BYOD and CYOD.

As in a totally personal device, employees can send personal emails, access social networks and download photos. However, the integration of the application controls can prevent corporate data from being available on the phone outside the established perimeters. This also means that the IT department has more control over the device; as the ability to clean the device in case it gets lost.

CYOD: Choose Your Own Device

And, last but not least, companies that give employees a list of approved devices that will meet the needs of the employee and the company characterize CYOD. The devices can be preconfigured with all the applications necessary for employee productivity and the protection of confidential data that may be present or accessible by a mobile device.

Among the advantages of CYOD include:

• It can reduce hardware costs compared to COPE.
• End users are still in control of their own technology.
• Acquisition standards are stricter than those of BYOD.
• Support standards are simplified given a more homogeneous set of options.
• Users only have to carry a smartphone or a tablet.

In the coming years, companies will continue investing in mobility (so that their employees can work remotely), but before distributing new devices to all team members, we must consider which form of mobility best suits the needs of the organization, be it BYOD, COPE or CYOD.

So, what is the right program to choose? The answer is that there is no perfect answer. Many companies may need a combination of the three to more efficiently manage their mobile environments. The cost, security needs and functionalities of work can vary drastically depending on the role of the end user within a company, and mobility is not a unique environment for everyone. Maintaining the flexibility to meet the needs of employees, providing support for a robust mobility environment, and having an idea of usage and billing is often difficult to achieve for companies without the expertise of an MMS provider.

The application of a method that continues to strive for optimal use, utilization based on the work function and overall cost is the goal. Through intentional monitoring and visibility, the companies themselves can create an effective program that allows true mobile lifestyle management for the mobility environment, even as it evolves and grows.