Vodafone has released an interactive whitepaper detailing their predictions on BYOD in the near future, and how it will impact our lives.  As you are all probably aware, “Bring Your Own Device” is a highly discussed topic among IT and Enterprise personnel, and is bound to make a large impact on our businesses, whether you work for a SMB or a large company.  With arguments on both sides of the BYOD fence only one thing is for certain, change is coming.  The whitepaper forecasts some of those changes, take a look and read below.

Mobile OS Market

Although Apple seems to have a popularity spike at the moment, Android has many more devices available with their OS, therefore they have it in the hands of more users globally.  However Vodafone predicts that both Android and Apple will lose a share of the mobile OS market in the next four years, and that Windows phone will be picking up a much greater share.  Currently the Windows Mobile OS only has about 5% of the market, but by 2016 they see that as high as 19%.  This is based off of planned use of mobile endpoints by enterprises in the next four years.  Enterprises report a possible 30% increase of use with Windows Mobile phones by 2016.

What’s the Risk?

The biggest argument over BYOD is security and network control.  What are you risking when you allow someone to connect their personal device to a corporate network?  The whitepaper states that 54% of workers use their personal iPads for work purposes.  Is there any harm in that?  Let’s look at the statistics.

  • Laptops – Not too risky

87% of them run Anti-Virus Software

55% have Data Encryption on the Device

43% can be Remotely Locked or Erased

 

  • Smartphones – Risky

 

55% of them run Anti-Virus Software

49% have Data Encryption of the Device

42% can be Remotely Locked of Erased

 

  • Tablets – High Risk

 

35% Run Anti-Virus Software

29% have Data Encryption on Device

29% can be Remotely Locked or Erased

 

This should be a concern because a lapse in security can be costly.  A single lost or stolen device can potentially cause up to 180,000 dollars in damages to the company.  This is assuming there are important or confidential documents that are on the device that cause multiple compliance issues.  Don’t fret though, these numbers may seem frightening, but don’t have to be.  IT departments that are prepared for BYOD environments can help prevent catastrophes like these.  Many require you to accept remote wipe and lock (and even require a constant password) before you are even able to setup company email on the device.  This gives them the ability to prevent information leaks if the phone is lost or stolen, provided the user informs them.  There are also security manager programs available to help unify security across all of the devices to help manage and enable mobile technology.  Security Managers focus on protecting information, authentication to the network, and setting and maintaining security policies.

BYOD is a hot button issue, and it will be for years to come.  It will change how we work, whether we embrace it or fight it.  People love their devices, and IT has a job to do; finding the balance is going to be critical.