21 June 2012: UK business caught off guard by influx of personal devices
Personally owned devices are often faster and more efficient than the IT equipment businesses can afford to provide. Recent advances in smartphones and tablets have revolutionised the way we work and blurred the distinction between social and office usage. As a result, the popularity of personally owned devices has been rapid and inevitable. We’ve found that 29 per cent of businesses have actually saved money from their IT budget by implementing BYOD policies. A structured BYOD scheme, integrated by IT solutions experts, is vital for modern businesses as it standardises the equipment used in the workplace, keeps employees happy and harnesses the array of technological innovations found in smartphones and tablets for the business.
Phil Birbeck, Managing Director of DSGi Business.
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Three quarters of employees are already using their own devices in the workplace
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Only one in seven businesses has a BYOD policy
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of employees in the UK are already using personally owned devices in the workplace, despite the majority of businesses having no Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scheme in place to manage this influx, according to research revealed today by Equanet, provider of IT solutions to business.
A survey of over 1,000 IT managers and directors across the UK has shown that the benefit of personally owned devices seems to have already been felt, with 76 per cent saying that personal devices increase productivity in the workplace.
The survey consistently uncovered the disparity between the quality of personally owned devices and company hardware. One in four (24 per cent) UK businesses have been forced to update their own IT equipment because of the difference in performance compared to personally owned devices, showing that employees are now leading the way when it comes to technology innovation.
However, only one in seven (14 per cent) businesses has an established BYOD scheme despite their popularity amongst employees. Clearly it is not high on the agenda for HR and employee benefits packages as, of those asked, 62 per cent said their business did not have a BYOD policy in place and 24 per cent were not even sure.
Over half (54 per cent) of business don’t encourage employees to use their own devices. Two thirds (66 per cent) don’t currently contribute towards the purchase of personally owned devices and 43 per cent have no intention of ever doing so. Three in ten (28 per cent) of businesses intend to contribute to the purchase of personally owned devices but haven’t yet formalised a BYOD policy.
The most popular personal devices in the workplace were iPhones (81 per cent), followed by iPads (71 per cent), laptops (34 per cent) and Blackberries (19 per cent).
ENDS---
The research was conducted on behalf of Equanet in April and May 2012 amongst 1,004 IT managers of large to medium companies across the UK.
