The AMI-Partners Blog

The topic of BYOD is trending among businesses. Why is it so popular and how does it impact the technology landscape for businesses?

First off, there are many advantages of BYOD to a business. BYOD often includes mobile devices, such as tablets and smart phones, which is beneficial for people on the go and increases the outreach of a business. It enables businesses to save on initial capital expenditure because employees are allowed to bring in their own device. I think that bringing in a device that users prefer would increase productivity, since it is a device that they prefer to work on. Additionally, the user of the device would probably take better care of it as well. The option of being mobile on various devices opens many opportunities and growth, especially for the SMB segment. For example, from AMI’s study on mobility, we have found that on average tablet using firms are generating 3 times more annual revenue than the non-tablet using firms.

However, the BYOD trend also raises some questions and concerns for the IT environment of a business. One question is that, with all of the mobile devices running on different platforms, would it be possible to seamlessly move between devices? Another possible concern is that with the variety of devices out there and each one having different operating systems, it may be complicated to manage or keep track of all of them. Additionally, depending on what kind of business activity is conducted on the mobile devices, the security needs for the business will differ among businesses. Even though there are some questions or concerns that arise with BYOD, the technology is constantly innovating and developing to address these issues. Although there is one question that might not be answered, which is the BYOD culture mixes business with personal usage of the devices. Is it okay to mix the two?

The idea of BYOD is quite popular among SMBs and continues to change the IT environment for businesses. In my opinion, the greater need for mobile devices seems to be driving the development of applications and security for them to meet various business needs. Additionally, many of the technology companies are working on launching devices that include features that are more relevant to the end user for business. All of these new innovations in the IT environment will not only improve the reach of SMBs, but it will also provide them with new business opportunities as well.

Overall, with the growth in mobility among businesses and the various mobile devices to choose from has brought on the trend of BYOD. At AMI, we have observed the mobility space among SMBs through tracking and surveys and our data shows that the tablet market for businesses is growing at rapid pace. So the topic of BYOD is probably not going to disappear anytime soon and it will be interesting how it shapes mobility for businesses.

-Kimberly Chau, Marketing Associate