Latin America. A few years ago, no one imagined that the phone was going to become a small office within reach of workers' pockets. Its main function was to be able to hold voice-only conversations, but its capabilities migrated to multiple uses to carry out day-to-day work responsibilities outside the office.
Answering emails, delivering reports, and reviewing our agenda, are some of the activities that we can already carry out from anywhere. That's why, when we think of BYOD today, we relate it to notebooks, smartphones and tablets. But what devices will workers use in the future with the advent of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality? The reality is that we don't know yet.
But we do know that if the company has the right strategy and technologies, it will not be important what type of device is more comfortable and functional for the staff; the key is and will be to ensure the security of the data and deliver it efficiently to those who need it on any device, place and network.
In Mexico, BYOD is growing. According to the study conducted by Citrix, "The digital worker: what do you look for and how do you work?", in the country 74% of respondents are allowed to use personal devices to access company information. However, 46% do not know if the company takes any security measures to separate personal and corporate information. This data confirms that until today, in some companies, specific policies have not been implemented so that BYOD can guarantee the security of information.
In order to achieve a successful BYOD implementation that allows companies to prepare for the technologies of the future, the best user experience must be combined with effective control, management and security for IT. Specifically, through mobile device management tools, employees gain secure access to all their web, SaaS and mobile applications with a single click through a unified app store, on any device, over any network, with a single sign-on.
But, in turn, IT acquires a single point of control, either to provide new resources or to eliminate access to data if - for example - an employee no longer works in the company, or also perform the selective deletion of possible lost devices. In addition, by virtualizing data, you can deliver the information employees need to work anytime, anywhere, on-device, and network securely. That is, business data always remains secure in the data center; this means that the data is never stored on the device.
In conclusion, companies are realizing that they can give employees the ability to choose the device they like best, that is most comfortable and functional for them. And this partly happens because "owning" the devices is not the only way to have control over the data. Technology allows companies to be in control and own what matters most to them: information. And to be able to protect and use them while giving more flexibility to employees. Undoubtedly, it will not matter in the future which device is the fashionable or the one chosen by users, the key is to have the right technologies that allow using BYOD in favor of the business.
Text written by Carlos Macías, Country Manager of Citrix Mexico.
