Elements of a successful BYOD program

Bring your own device programs are becoming increasingly popular. Workers benefit from added flexibility and the convenience of having a single device for work and personal use. Employers save money on hardware deployment and gain the competitive advantage of a more mobile workforce.

A recent Citrix survey provided some hard numbers that showed how enterprise mobility is catching on. According to the survey, about one-third of the worldwide workforce is currently using a personal mobile device for work purposes, and this number is expected to reach 35 percent by mid-2013. Companies in emerging economies have embraced BYOD in especially large numbers, with 34 percent of workers in India already using combined personal-business mobile devices. This statistic might spur more U.S. companies to embrace the trend, to remain competitive with their overseas rivals. Currently, the United States is just off the worldwide pace of BYOD adoption, with the survey showing 34 percent of domestic companies are expected to have a bring your own device program instituted by the middle of 2013.

Companies that have not yet gotten on the BYOD bandwagon may be eager to do so, though they might be unsure about the best method for making the transition. A recent Network World article written by Eric Vanderburg, a mobile IT expert, laid out some key principles in successful BYOD programs.

According to Vanderburg, standardization of service and intelligent access control are hallmarks of good BYOD programs.

"Standardization is necessary to implement a consistent set of security controls across different platforms while providing the same level of service," Vanderburg said. "Lack of compatibility with security controls can deny legitimate users access to information services and hurt productivity. Solving this issue by adding more access methods can result in weaker security and make the environment more difficult to manage."

A good mobile device management solution will enable businesses to strike the balance between accessibility and security that Vanderburg described.

The source also suggested that companies should obtain data containment solutions.  Without data containment, sensitive company information on a worker's mobile device can be more easily compromised. Data containment strategies include device encryption, remote wiping of business content and digital rights management measures that limit how data can be manipulated.

While there are important logistical considerations when moving into BYOD, the return on investment is potentially huge. According to Techworld, Citrix saved 20 percent by switching to a BYOD plan. After the program launched successfully in the U.K., Citrix has taken steps to implement it for all employees worldwide.