Quick answer: no. No, it hasn’t. But it is definitely is causing a shift in the main focus of the IT department. Before BYOD, the IT department was able to handle the choice and distribution of technology for an office. Everything was standardized, allowing for employee transitions and more importantly data security to be more easily handled.
BYOA
Now the BYOD shift is causing another acronym based tech shift to emerge, and that’s BYOA, the “A” standing for apps. With the ability to bring your own devices, that also allows the user to be more in control of what software and applications they put on them. This graph from a survey taken by Edge Strategies really shows how large this shift really is:
This is really the bigger issue that IT departments should be focused on. It isn’t an issue of usability, but one of mobility strategy and security. The best analogy I’ve heard related to this shift came from Allison Mnookin when she described it as going from horse-drawn buggies to cars. She said, “Cars were faster, more unknown, and less safe. But with safety add-on features such as seat belts, airbags and driver’s licenses, the true value of modern transportation was able to be realized while mitigating the risk.”
That is where the IT department comes back into play. They now have to act as these ‘safety devices’ as users determine what devices and business apps work best for them. Also, hidden among this shift is an underlying opportunity for technology leadership to once again establish IT as a core business function. By approaching the development selection of outside partners and rolling out new technology in a programmatic fashion, all while consulting with lines of businesses and mobile end-users, IT has the ability to shape the future of their company. IT can tie technology solutions to business problems and strike the perfect balance between building the solution internally or partnering with a provider that understands how to enhance the existing infrastructure.
Buy vs. Build
The door is now wide open for IT to partner with mobile application providers that offer enterprise grade solutions. Having mobile business apps that meet many of the productivity needs of the intended end-users will aid in creating a more productive and secure environment.
Challenges here will be centered on rolling out an app that is platform agnostic, cost effective and one that continues to innovate. So no need to fret IT, your job isn’t gone—it’s just changing. And it’s changing in a really good way.
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