The Future Of BYOD Is CYOD

The ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) trend has really taken off, in large part because business leaders know that it is something that employees increasingly want. IT departments may not always be interested in BYOD, since their managers must closely monitor employee devices to ensure the business remains protected, but they know they have to plan it. Moving from BYOD to CYOD (‘Choose Your Own Device’) can be a good option for companies to minimize risks.

BYOD Is Popular And Affects The Workspace

BYOD can be difficult for some organizations to accommodate. Employees are now less concerned with the technology that their companies could provide, as they bring and use their own devices.

In fact, according to a Forrester Research report, up to 53% of employees brought their own devices to work in 2012. In 2018, those numbers increased to 65%. This trend, as well as other requirements of the digital age, means that companies must invest an important part of their income in IT and in the technological infrastructure. In this sense, a Deloitte study indicates that 57% of companies’ IT budgets are spent on commercial operations, including employee technology.

Is The BYOD Policy Really Safe?

This may sound like something obvious, but a good number of organizations fail here. Many of the daily tasks performed by employees are inherently insecure.

If a BYOD security program only covers a specific operating system (for example, Windows), many devices (including the popular iPhone®) are automatically out of reach. Or if companies have Mac® computers on the premises and are not managed, you can leave them defenseless against Meltdown and Specter (the two biggest vulnerabilities in the history of computing known so far).

Why Is CYOD A Smart Move In 2019 And Will It Be In 2020?

BYOD poses new problems that companies must mitigate. It is difficult to manage devices owned by workers, so organizations cannot take into account things like software updates, malware protection and other protection strategies that can protect confidential business information. Employees are also more likely to use their personal devices on unsecured wireless networks, allow other people to use them, or leave company information on the device when they finally dispose of it.

For these reasons, CYOD is a step forward from a traditional BYOD policy. With CYOD, IT departments define a line of computers and mobile devices that workers can obtain from their employer. Because they are technically company-owned devices, this reduces the risks associated with BYOD. Employees can also get the type of device they like. People tend to have specific tastes and desires when it comes to their technology. Some employees are “Apple® people,” while others will always prefer a Lenovo device.

What Is CYOD?

CYOD (‘Choose Your Own Device’) is a business mobility model in which an organization allows people to select the mobile devices they want, usually among a limited number of options.

CYOD is an alternative to the BYOD (‘Bring Your Own Device’) model, which involves employees who use their personal mobile devices in the workplace. The model is usually an example of the COPE approach (‘Corporate Owned, Personally Enabled’): devices such as laptops, tablets or smartphones are purchased by the company and delivered to employees, so they can use them on and off the job. Typically, workers do not have administrative privileges: they can customize the devices but have to submit requests to the IT department for any significant changes or software installation.

The CYOD model can ease the burden of mobile device management (MDM) and mobile applications (MAM) and by limiting options for device types and maintaining administrative control over changes of the same. CYOD also facilitates the protection of the organization’s data from external and internal threats.