The real cost of BYOD (infographic)


11 May 2012

The bring your own device (BYOD) IT trend has several benefits, such as making for a more mobile workforce, but it comes at a financial cost, too, a new infographic illustrates.

The infographic published by Xigo on Visual.ly looks into the consumerisation of IT trend that is BYOD and how it can affect an organisation’s telecom expense management unless BYOD is managed carefully.

BYOD – where popular consumer devices like iPads, ultrabooks, MacBook Airs and a bevy of smartphones are the new work tools of choice – is presenting something of a conundrum for businesses.

Some see the whole BYOD trend as an opportunity, while others view it as a descent into chaos in a world where hacking and IT security concerns have never been more rampant.

Another concern, as the infographic points out, is the potential cost that comes with allowing employees to connect their mobile devices to the business network.

According to the infographic, 75pc of companies said they were not managing their mobile expenses effectively, and by 2015 there will be 15bn network-connected devices.

The infographic also offers seven steps on how organisations can save money when it comes to BYOD, such as matching plans to acutal needs, weeding out abusers, and finding unused devices.

BYOD infographic