The rapid proliferation of mobile devices entering the workplace feels like divine intervention to many IT leaders. It's as if a voice boomed down from the mountain ordering all of the employees you support to procure as many devices as possible and connect them to corporate services en masse. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) was born and employees followed with fervor.
Like any other IT project, policy must precede technology—yes, even in the cloud. To effectively leverage mobile device management (MDM) technology for employee owned devices, you still need to decide on policies. These policies affect more than just IT; they have implications for HR, legal, and security—any part of the business that uses mobile devices in the name of productivity.
Since all lines of business are affected by BYOD policy, it can't be created in an IT vacuum. With the diverse needs of users, IT must ensure they are all part of policy creation.
Imagine this. You start using an MDM solution under the assumption your company is supporting 100 or so devices. You've kept a meticulous spreadsheet of device types and users—there shouldn't be any surprises. But when you first go to view reporting, over 200 devices appear. This scenario is fact, not fiction. It occurs far more often than you would think.
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