A many as half of companies may be taking the BYOD trend to the next level by 2017 by requiring employees to provide their own computers in the workplace, according to a Gartner study.
Thirty-eight percent of employers are expected to require employee-owned computers by 2016, rising to 50 percent in 2017, according to the Gartner study, which surveyed 2,000 CIOs.
The trend seems to be fed by employees themselves, said the study. Sixty percent of employees already use a personal device for work purposes at least once a day.
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However, not all solution providers are buying into the idea.
Dave Monk, CEO of ArcSource Consulting, Berkeley, Calif., said that he sees 30 percent of his customers allowing BYOD in the workplace regarding mobile devices but he does not know a single company that requires it. Monk only saw 20 percent of his customers following the same trend with PCs.
"As a solution provider, I tell you I do see an increase in the need among clients asking for that from us, and for us to accommodate it in most situations," Monk said. "As a business owner, I think on principle they should be ready at least to provide hardware and to do the work of their job. Some people hate the idea of carrying two laptops, some people love it."
He said the growth in BYOD acceptance he has seen is being driven by evolving cloud technologies, improving security capabilities, an increase in the amount of virtual workers and a general preference for using personal devices that employees are more comfortable with. However, he said that a company should still be responsible for providing the equipment necessary if the employee can't supply adequate equipment to do the job.
"My opinion is if you have employees that sit in your office and work all day long, the company should provide the device without a doubt. I do believe cloud technologies is what makes it possible for this trend to move forward, to be increasing," Monk said.
PUBLISHED AUG. 30, 2013
