Report illustrates benefits of BYOD

According to a Dell Quest Software report released this week, businesses that are slow to support BYOD (bring your own device) or are constrained by a device-centric approach may risk being left behind.

Its recent global BYOD study, which interviewed 1,485 senior IT decision makers across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, India, Spain, Italy, Australia, Singapore and Beijing, found that about 70% of companies said BYOD can improve their work processes and help them work better in the future.

The U.S., Beijing and Australia represented the top three countries that encourage BYOD, while France, Germany and the U.K. are the bottom three in providing the support.

The report also showed that 59% of respondents said to be at a competitive disadvantage without BYOD.

However, three quarters of those polled stated that BYOD can only deliver massive benefits if the specific needs and rights of each user are understood, while only 17% of organisations encourage BYOD and actively manage any device employees wish to use.

According to Roger Bjork, Mobility Solutions Director, Dell Software Group, there are dramatic changes in the way that users interact with technology on their personal devices and the critical role BYOD plays in transforming business and IT culture.

“This global survey confirms what we have long suspected – companies that embrace a user-focused approach to BYOD may reap the biggest rewards, face the fewest obstacles and deliver real and immediate value in terms of greater efficiency, productivity and competitive advantage,” he said.

The study also found that companies with mature BYOD programs are most likely to achieve the most benefits – Beijing was the most optimistic in reporting potential gains. The report said companies that who embraced BYOD programmes experienced improved employee productivity, faster customer response times and improved operational efficiencies.

Indeed, 56% of respondents said that BYOD has completely changed their IT culture and 54% said it changed their business culture within their organisations.