The tech industry seems to have a new trend each week with smartphones leading the way, followed by tablet computers, 4G and super-thin, lightweight devices proving popular – it all depends what the ‘cool’ people are using! In the business world it’s slightly different with companies bringing in the latest ‘must have’ innovations to help them gain an advantage over their rivals.
It’s been suggested that the average person now owns between one and two electronic devices, such as a mobile phone or smartphone like a [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]BlackBerry[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]BlackBerry[/tp], laptop or tablet, desktop PC, portable music player like an iPod and so on, and they have grown accustomed to using them and the particular features. However, when they reach their place of work they often have to leave these devices in their locker or desk drawer in favour of a completely different device given to them by their employers which is often out of date, and difficult to use.
Equipping employees with all the materials they need to perform their tasks effectively and efficiently is essential to business success, but there’s a fine line between letting people have everything they want, and giving them what they genuinely need. For instance, you might have 50% of staff members who want the company to purchase the latest desktop PC from a certain brand, while the remaining 50% are happy with what’s already in place and the time it would take to install the latest machines would require a significant period of downtime while employees learn the new platform and operating systems.
Standard procedure throughout the years has been to give employees working in an office a desktop computer and perhaps a mobile phone of some kind so they can stay in touch with clients and colleagues, with the company paying for both. However, funds are becoming tighter throughout many businesses and rather than investing in all new devices each time a new staff member starts, they’re incorporating BYOD (bring your own device) platforms into their daily processes with employees able to use whatever they like and the company only having to pay for the implementation of various security measures to prevent data risks and meeting the cost of IT administrators who are able to oversee everything that happens from email encryption to safe downloads.
This has resulted in much happier, significantly more productive employees because they’re able to use whatever device they are familiar with. Some people prefer BlackBerry technology and platforms, while others prefer the Apple or Microsoft alternatives. Rather than affecting everyone differently by bringing in a structured approach, staff can use the systems they know and love which will help them to produce their best work, which in turn, benefits the company. Everyone’s a winner!