Cutting back operational costs is a focus for nearly every enterprise, but this can be difficult with new IT endeavours promising greater agility and market competitiveness.
IT projects that can reduce costs while simultaneously improving operations are therefore highly desirable, and that's where bring your own device (BYOD) comes into play.
Cost cutting with BYOD
A BYOD strategy involves substituting enterprise-provided devices for personal equipment brought in by staff. This removes a significant upfront cost for organisations.
In fact, enterprises can support almost three times as many users in a tablet BYOD program compared to a traditional environment where businesses provide the devices.
"IT leaders can spend half a million dollars to buy and support 1,000 enterprise-owned tablets, while they can support 2,745 user-owned tablets with that same budget," explained Federica Troni, a research director at Gartner.
"When organisations have several users who want a tablet as a device of convenience, offering a BYOD option is the best alternative to limit cost and broaden access."
An endeavour set to grow
BYOD isn't some fringe trend that's set to disappear overnight, either, and Gartner have explained that by 2017, 90 per cent of organisations will support a strategy in some capacity.
Given the substantial cost reductions, it should certainly become a primary consideration for enterprises.
Even though implementing a BYOD strategy isn't as difficult as certain other IT endeavours, it's still important to handle the transition effectively.
Enterprises should ensure a framework such as ITIL is used throughout both the initial planning stages and ongoing management of the strategy. ITIL can help organisations to use IT to realise transformation and growth – a key part of BYOD.
This can ensure there's little room for error with the continued uptake of personal devices, and enterprises can take advantage of a powerful new trend.
Speak to ALC Training today to find out more about ITIL and other comprehensive frameworks.