Some 84 per cent of organisations questioned globally think that adopting a bring your own device (BYOD) policy gives a company a competitive advantage, according to a survey commissioned by BT and Cisco.
The research looked at attitudes towards workers’ use of their own smart devices, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones, in 13 regions around the world.
BT said that universal Wi-Fi access over a better network is key to the development of BYOD, but that it emerged that 45 per cent of employees are yet to have access to their corporate networks.
68 per cent of workers who are currently without Wi-Fi access claimed it would have a positive impact on their work, making them more efficient and productive, helping them work more flexibly and enabling them to stay in-touch.
Results also showed that trust in employees plays a significant role in whether companies permit BYOD, with only 26 per cent of IT managers saying they do think their workers understand the policy’s access requirements and permissions.
The figure, however, is up from 2012’s 19 per cent, which BT said shows an increase in confidence.
Cisco, which implemented a BYOD model, starting with mobile phones, in 2009 said it has lowered costs per employee by 25 per cent, and has since added 82 per cent more devices to its base, with 28 per cent more users.
The company’s director, enterprise networks, EMEAR, Gordon Thomson, said: “Organisations looking to deploy a BYOD programme should look at a comprehensive BYOD plan and think beyond just the device and operating system, but about the services delivered to that device, user experience and productivity gains.”
“Behind every great device you need a great performing network,” added Neil Sutton, VP global portfolio, BT Global Services.
