In the past, businesses have given employees the opportunity to make the most of the developing mobile workplace by providing them with a range of personal devices. However, professionals are starting to make the most of their own chosen device to work from with all sorts of preferred operating systems available on phones, tablets and even portable all-in-one desktops.
This new-found freedom has given employees the chance to get work done outside of the office, creating a more enthusiastic and versatile attitude towards work. Being away from the business area itself has its pros and cons but it is generally seen as the future of corporate organisations. Businesses are keen to allow their employees to choose their own devices to work with as they can feel confident within their chosen technology and potentially benefit the business as a whole.
On the other hand, organisations are wary of the fact that random devices may not share the same security benefits as others. This puts valuable information or corporate data at risk and ultimately damages the security platform put in place in an office environment. Controlling and securing personal devices would have to be addressed at some stage in the future, although the vast majority of organisations have stressed that providing employees with a comfortable working environment is the main goal.
There are a number of ways that organisations could customise their approach to the introduction of employee technology preferences in the office. Businesses could introduce a selection of devices that have been approved by employees in order to come up with the best device management strategy in the future. Having an element of control over what is used outside the office can boost the chances of maintaining a sturdy security platform.
Another thing to consider is that companies with a large number of employees may see a variation in the price and potential of each individual device. This could cause problems if work needs to be shared amongst various employees at once, especially if someone’s device is not compatible. To combat this, organisations can rely on providers to find the best models of each device to suit the requirements of the office, subsequently optimising practicality.
Due to the fact that so many multinational enterprises are already making the most of new mobility capabilities in their particular industries, all sorts of businesses can adopt a tried and tested mobile strategy themselves. This gives them the opportunity to empower their employees with their own technological preferences.
Mike James is a freelance writer and tech geek from Sussex, UK. In his spare time he combines his interests to write for Technology Means Business, TMB, an IT support provider with offices in Hampshire, Essex and Kent.