BYOD vs CYOD - What’s the Difference?
In previous posts from our Mobile Working series, we’ve talked a lot about how mobile devices from Laptops & Softphones to Smartphones, Tablets and Phablets have changed not only the way we communicate in the business world, but also the fundamental way in which we do business. The modern workplace has changed as have the dynamics of the the modern workforce. In order to keep pace with today’s mobile world whilst simultaneously incorporating the needs of both organisations and employees, two trends have taken hold within the business communications industry - BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and CYOD (Choose Your Own Device).
On the surface, both solutions appear to be fairly similar, but there are some fundamental and crucial differences. Both solutions were born out of the need to mobilise employees through harnessing the flexibility to work from anywhere that mobile devices provide. As both solutions are designed to enable mobile working, what’s the difference between the two solutions?
BYOD
Every user has a device preference, whether it be Android vs iOS or Mac vs Windows and therefore will work more efficiently on their preferred platform as opposed to a platform that is alien to them. A true Bring Your Own Device solution recognises this and therefore permits employees to choose their preferred device with which to perform their daily tasks. BYOD also delivers another great benefit by helping companies significantly reduce hardware expenditure as users purchase, maintain and manage their own devices.
However, BYOD poses a few significant obstacles to IT departments. The first major headache is that keeping a BYOD fleet secure is a thankless task. A study conducted by Osterman Research showed that nearly 15 % of employees felt “none to minimal” responsibility when it came to keeping company data stored on their personal devices secure. This problem has as much to do with user psychology as with best practice policy training.
Secondly, there are issues relating to experience consistency and integration compatibility across a large range of devices. With such a large range of devices being used, ensuring that corporate applications and systems are compatible with the mobile devices can prove tricky. One such example is with voice communication. With BYOD, it is more than likely that a company will have deployed some form of Mobile VoIP strategy, but what happens when the system is no longer compatible with the mobile device either because it is too new or too old?
CYOD
Choose your own device takes the basic principles of BYOD in that it enables users to use mobile devices for the purposes of work. The main difference being that the company owns and maintains the devices, meaning that employees can then choose the devices they use from a “pre-approved” list.
The major benefit CYOD has over BYOD is that IT departments can regain elements of control over the mobile devices as all the devices can be tested, pre approved and configured. In turn, CYOD reduces administrative hassle in terms of data security, consistent user experience and device compatibility with existing systems and applications. CYOD also has the advantage of reducing policy admin workloads in the future, as employees will only receive new devices once integrated and extensively tested as opposed to when a user get’s a new personal device.
However, CYOD comes with its own set of drawbacks. First and foremost, through implementing CYOD solutions, numerous BYOD benefits are effectively negated. Such benefits include removing the users’ freedom to choose the devices they are most comfortable with whilst simultaneously taking away the companies ability to reduce hardware expenditure. Moreover, despite the fact that CYOD policies allow IT departments greater control over security issues, keeping mobile device data secure is an ongoing task that relies heavily on active employee participation.
Summary
Both BYOD and CYOD strategies have their pro’s and con’s and one thing is for sure, they both have their place within today’s business world. As always, the right solution for you will far more likely depend on your business requirements. However, no matter which strategy proves right for your business, in order to implement a successful mobility policy, the solution implemented must integrate fully into your company networks, systems and applications if it is to be successful.
If you would like more information regarding how our pascom VoIP Software PBX can help you implement a telecommuting strategy, then get in touch with us either via our website or give us a call on +44 (0)203 1379 964 9r +49 (0)991 29691 200.