When technology trends first appear over the horizon, they’re often touted as revolutionary game-changers that are set to disrupt the world as we know it. But the revolutionary flair often dies down when the immense change expected only occurs at a handful of companies.

That’s where the bring your own device (BYOD) movement stands today. It was once thought that the emergence of low-cost cloud-based systems would make BYOD an attractive option for many companies. However, the BYOD trend hasn’t been as far-reaching as previously believed.

Facts and Figures

A recent report from CompTIA found that instead of embracing BYOD as their primary device policy, companies are actually shying away from it. In 2013, 34% of companies surveyed said that they didn’t use BYOD. That number jumped to 53% in 2015. According to the report, the biggest utilizers of BYOD turned out to be small companies.

Legal and Financial Roadblocks

It’s no secret that many companies dove head-first into the BYOD trend. However, many did so without understanding the implications it would have in terms of policy. BYOD often blurs the line between personal and work use of a device, making it more difficult for employers to determine whether they should reimburse employees for work that’s done on the phone.

BYOD can also muddy the waters when it comes to distinguishing between work and non-work periods, making it more difficult to determine when employees should be compensated. Issues also may arise among nonexempt employees who use their devices for work outside of work hours.

Further, certain BYOD policies can clash with employee privacy concerns. Many companies reserve the right to monitor and inspect devices, but those rights could encroach on an employee’s privacy if that employee owns the device in question.

BYOD can also conflict with electronically stored information (ESI) regulations. Identifying and gathering personal devices that are also being used for business purposes could prove to be a nightmare for companies undergoing discovery.

Is CYOD the Answer?

Instead of putting employees in complete control of their device choices, many companies are opting for a different approach while pursuing some of the original BYOD goals. This approach, known as choose your own device (CYOD), allows employees to choose the devices they’ll use while allowing employers to retain ownership of the actual devices.

CYOD alleviates many of the ownership issues that have caused headaches for companies in the past. Leaving device choice intact helps CYOD maintain the initial appeal that once made BYOD an attractive option for employees.

Despite BYOD not being the tech revolution that many thought it would be, it has still spurred many welcome changes that continue to reverberate throughout numerous industries. Contact eXemplify today to schedule a no-obligation CYOD strategy session.