The world of work as we grew up to know it was always in the physical- a room full of people or a building where people resumed in with specific goal(s) and several operational rules guiding the achievement of the goal(s). The goal has remained as every business is built to achieve one or several. However, rules have been modified and several innovative ways have been incorporated to aid attainment of organisational goal(s). One of the modifications seen especially in Nigeria following the COVID-19 Pandemic is remote work.
The mandatory physical room or building has been replaced with virtual rooms. Along with this modification came the innovation to aid achievement of organisational goal(s). One of such innovations is BYOD.
What is BYOD?
BYOD is an acronym for Bring Your Own Device. The word “BYOD” was formulated by a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) operator, BroadVoice, in the year 2004, allowing customers to use their own internet and devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet, PC/laptop) to access its voice services. Thereafter, the BYOD revolution has been felt across the globe in various industrial sectors.
BOYD is an evolving trend where an employee or an attendee is allowed to bring his/her personal devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, PC/laptops and so on) to work for learning, or completing a task or a business/conference meeting for content sharing.
Before the emergence of BYOD, businesses used to provide each employee or meeting attendee with a tailored and appropriate device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, PC/laptop). For the first time since the emergence of BYOD, employees or attendees were able to use their own devices at work or a business meeting. Many establishments have eagerly embraced this idea, using it as an opportunity to reduce their investment in IT resources and infrastructure.
Benefits of BYOD
Productivity Growth:
One of the major benefits of Bring Your Own Device is that employees tend to use familiar devices during a task or meeting, thereby saving time and effort which would have been otherwise spent on getting familiar with a new device. In adopting BYOD, employees can walk into a conference room and simply set up their device via a single USB connection without compromising productivity.
Collaboration Opportunities:
The Bring Your Own Device revolution is now paving ways for organisations to develop and evolve. More organisations are now getting rid of physical network infrastructure and are opting toward the idea of sharing data via cloud services. Cloud based services allow all your data to be stored in one place, allowing it to be easily accessed, shared, edited and viewed by employees throughout the organisation.
Reduced Cost:
Organisations that effectively implement the Bring Your Own Device policy tend to save up on hardware acquisition and installation process, thereby diverting and focusing the funds on other things. Most employees would prefer their own device rather than being given a specific one from the organisation.
Participation and Engagement:
The versatile availability of UC (Unified Communication) apps and softwares for both tablets, smartphones and PCs have provided employees and meeting participants many ways to boost meeting engagement and participation. BYOD running UC apps or softwares allow meeting hosts to tailor their presentation to better meet the needs of the meeting room thus, helping keep their audience focused on the screen.
Heightened Attention:
Employees get less distracted and are more likely to participate and engage if their devices are connected to the meeting room conference system.
Up-to-Date Upgrade:
Tech-savvy employees keep all the necessary hardware and software updated, allowing less work for IT personnel. The newest OS features and contemporary software packages can be an advantage to the organisation.
Challenges of BYOD
Every technological invention comes with its own disadvantages, and BYOD is not an exception, as there are a few security challenges for the IT admin when adopting a BYOD strategy. There is more risk of business data leakage when employees are permitted to use workplace applications on their personal devices. Even after disconnecting from the organisation network, personal devices may sometimes still contain enormous amounts of important data/information that the organisation has limited control over, which could be deliberately or mistakenly leaked, thus, leading to business complications.
Organisations that lack the necessary infrastructure for data movement monitoring are now dependent on third-party solutions, such as enterprise mobility management (EMM) to safeguard their information on BYOD.
The consistent rise in the usage of personal devices encourages most companies to implement BYOD policies. These policies are preferably done during the registration process for the BYOD or during an employee’s IT onboarding.
For the successful implementation of BYOD strategy, the IT admin must consider the following parameters;
- Clarify and outline the necessary details an employee should be aware of.
- Have a written and signed policy
- Deploy security tools to ensure organisation’s data are protected
- Detail the acceptable use of BYOD devices and what is not
- State clear penalties if an employee violates the policy
- Train employees on usage of BYOD during onboarding
- Have processes on addressing lost, stolen and security incidents
Some Conference Devices with BYOD Compatibility
Below are some of the conferencing devices that support BYOD:
- Barco ClickShare CX-30: This is a BYOD wireless presentation system for small to medium-sized meeting rooms. This wireless presentation device makes your presentation stand out by allowing you to share your ideas with just a click of a button. Barco ClickShare CX-30 can be deployed easily without any software installation, giving you the ability to start your meeting in no time. Simply plug and play the Barco ClickShare CX-30 to your device and start to collaborate. No cables and setup required. It is ideal for enterprises, boardrooms, classrooms, conference rooms and other meeting venues.
- Barco ClickShare CSE-200: The Barco ClickShare CSE-200 offers full BYOD experience to your meeting either in a small meeting room or a medium-sized meeting room. The Barco ClickShare CSE-200 allows smart and effortless meetings where walk-in participants can plug their device directly to the conference room device and share their screen content. With ClickShare Apps, participants can share content from their smartphones or tablets.
- Logitech Rally Bar: Enhance your workspace collaboration and productivity with Logitech All-in-One video bar for medium to large rooms. The Logitech Rally Bar features a dual camera system and RightSight 2 auto-framing technology that captures every detail of your meeting space. Logitech Rally Bar offers a 4k crystal clear resolution with advanced audio engineering that delivers powerful and room-filling sound, ensuring that every participant is heard clearly.
- Logitech Rally Bar Mini: The Rally Bar Mini is a small-to-medium sized room video conference solution that enhances workplace collaboration and productivity. Its dual camera system and RightSight 2 auto-framing technology allow the Rally Bar Mini to capture every detail of your meeting. Rally Bar Mini offers similar video and audio quality as the Rally Bar.
- Meeting Owl Pro: It was traditional for conference rooms to be equipped with a single camera system where all participants sat and faced the direction of the camera. With the Meeting Owl Pro, you can now capture every participant’s face and voice in a 360-degree view, regardless of where they sit in the meeting room. The Meeting Owl Pro from Owl Labs is a premium 360-degree panoramic camera that combines microphone and speaker into one easy-to-use device. The Meeting Owl Pro displays at 1080p, which gives a clear image experience. It also features an eight microphone array that allows participants to be heard within an 18’ radius. Deploy the Meeting Owl Pro by simply plugging in the USB cable, connect to Wi-Fi, and you’re ready to go in seconds.
- Logitech Swytch: This is a conferencing device that allows you to initiate meetings across several conferencing platforms and cloud services. The Logitech Swytch makes it easy for you to switch between cloud services by plugging in your own device. Logitech Swytch offers workspace flexibility and boosts productivity when used with face-to-face collaboration. It works with USB conference room cameras such as Logitech Rally and Meetup. It also provides 60-watt of power supply to ensure you never run out of power when hosting a meeting.
- Logitech Meetup: Designed specifically for small meeting rooms, the Logitech Meetup is an all-in-one video bar that packs big features into a compact form factor. The Logitech Meetup features a 4K (Ultra HD) display resolution with a 5X HD Zoom for image clarity. A 120 to 170 degree wide field of view ensures everyone is within the camera’s view. The Meetup integrates Logitech’s advanced conference technology; Rightsense, RightSound and RightLight.
The era of BYOD is here to stay. For a secure BYOD workplace, IT admin and security staff must work together to implement advanced security measures, and employees also have an important role to play. Businesses can minimise the hazards of BYOD while fully utilising its advantages by putting in place a solid and security-focused BYOD strategy.
Looking for other BYOD devices with specific requirements? Reach us on www.paykobo.com we are ready to provide you with all the information you need to make the right choice.
