Join the party! BYOD in UC

I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather carry one device over two. Juggling a work phone and personal phone during the work day is about as fun as standing in line at the post office. If you aren’t already, it’s likely that your organization will get on the BYOD band wagon.

BYOD: Defined

BYOD is an acronym for “Bring Your Own Device”, which refers to the method of allowing employees to use their own personal communication device (like laptops, tablets and Smartphones) to perform work-related business. Corporate policies are being developed to enforce certain guidelines to protect both the company and the employee – particularly when it comes to device management and security of data.

Companies are quickly catching on to the fact that enabling an employee’s personal device to operate like a company device is not as daunting a task as one might have thought. Although there are definitely very careful steps that need to be taken in terms of security and network access, the positives can far outweigh the negatives.

BYOD and Unified Communications

The number of personal devices used in the workplace has nearly doubled over the last 2 years, and it has been estimated that by 2017, half of employers will require employees to supply their own device for work purposes with the typical organization spending over $300 per year per employee on mobile applications, security, management and support.

Along those lines, the pace at which UC (unified communications) has grown is largely due to the mobile worker and use of personal devices. The convenience of Smartphones and tablets, (along with other mobile computing devices) has given them a greater range of flexibility, and virtually improved the way communications are carried out internal and external to the business. Because these devices have the ability to connect, communicate and function just as desktop devices do, they have integrated easily into today’s work environment and improved the user’s ability to do their job.

How is BYOD used in the workplace?

The ideal scenario is to enable workers to use their personal device to perform many of the applications they currently use on a desk phone and computer. This includes:

• Voice Communication
• Email
• Voicemail
• Instant Messaging
• Video Conferencing
• Text Messaging

For mobile workers, this is life-changing. Accessing their company network to check email, customer account status or download network documents save huge amounts of time. Checking voicemail at the touch of a button, participating in a video conference or even communicating with headquarters via IM (instant message) improves productivity by leaps and bounds.

Granting workers the flexibility to utilize these applications remotely improves response time and satisfies customer needs without compromising the workload and effectiveness of their job.

How does BYOD impact the organization?

• Improves employee satisfaction
• Reduces internal IT workload
• Improves worker productivity
• Increases employee responsiveness

Simply put, BYOD can drive innovation. This is due to the increasing number of mobile workers in the workplace, and the ability for personal devices to offer the features and functions present in on-premise phone systems and desktop computers.

The Big Picture

Benefits can be realized instantly. The personal and business identity of your employees remains separate – the business line follows the user from the desk to the field, never having to reveal the personal number of the device. Of course the most important aspect of BYOD is the ability to seamlessly collaborate and communicate with colleagues and customers regardless of their location. This keeps productivity high and costs low. Learn more in this ShoreTel Mobility Solutions Brief.

Interested in discussing your organization’s requirements or have questions about BYOD? Call us today at 800-776-4967 or request a free consultation!

Tags: UC, unified communications, personal devices, BYOD, bring your own device, Smartphone, tablet, iPad, iPhone, ShoreTel, phone systems, VoIP, voice communication, modern phone system