{"id":2621,"date":"2016-08-15T14:04:42","date_gmt":"2016-08-15T14:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comparehris.com\/blog\/?p=2621"},"modified":"2016-08-17T15:30:53","modified_gmt":"2016-08-17T15:30:53","slug":"iphone-6s-straight-dry-samsung-galaxy-byod-means-department","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comparehris.com\/blog\/iphone-6s-straight-dry-samsung-galaxy-byod-means-department\/","title":{"rendered":"BYOD: Friend or Foe of HR?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BYOD<\/a>BYOB, or \u201cbring your own booze,\u201d began as a marketing ploy for small restaurants in the 1970s. These establishments were piggybacking on the hip, new trend of drinking wine with supper and were allowing patrons to bring their own bottles to get around paying the exorbitant fee for a liquor license. So we have the baby boomers to thank for college\u2019s favorite acronym.\u00a0Today, a similar philosophy of self-sufficiency is sweeping through America\u2019s workplaces: \u201cbring your own device,\u201d or BYOD.<\/p>\n

Advantages and Challenges of Open Technology Policies<\/h2>\n

BYOD is less of a trend than a new modus operandi, as 75 percent of companies<\/a> already embrace the concept. Employers and employees alike report increased efficiency<\/a>, streamlined work-life balance<\/a>, and higher levels of overall satisfaction<\/a>. Onboarding costs are also lower for new employees, as is the required budget for hardware expenses for remote workers. And God only knows how much money will be saved avoiding some major training costs.<\/p>\n

Yet, although BYOD will surely bring about less hassle long-term, some companies are still working to overcome temporary, short-term hurdles. One of the major BYOD challenges current-ly facing HRIS, for example, is managing security concerns.<\/p>\n

Creating a melting pot of different devices and operating systems initially complicates the job of an IT department. But aside from compatibility issues, personal devices also require the imple-mentation of new security protocols.<\/p>\n

For example, password requirements for sensitive information can be harder to enforce. It is also difficult to regulate who sees and uses an employee\u2019s personal device, especially if employees are able to take data off the device to be used on other, nonsecure devices like their cell phones or a cloud-based service like Dropbox. Additionally, use of personal devices over open WiFi networks makes them susceptible to hackers, and it is easier to target an individual computer than a company-wide network. That is why measures like encryptions and firewalls are so important.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tempting to make a reference to the vulnerability of emails as another example, but we\u2019ll leave politics out of this.<\/p>\n

Questions for Your HRIS Provider and IT Manager<\/h2>\n

Some other questions HRIS providers may need to address include:<\/p>\n