Glossary

Bring Your Own Device

As more employees are working from home, they are more likely to use their personal cell phone, tablet, or other mobile device for work-related purposes. When business is conducted on a personal device, it poses a challenge for companies that are required to monitor and capture communications with clients. For this reason, companies have to implement a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policy. 

What is a BYOD Policy?

A BYOD policy is a company’s written rules and guidelines for how employees can use their own mobile devices for work. The policy should cover topics including:

  • Which devices are allowed
  • Clear rules as to who has ownership of the data created by work-related activities (i.e. text messages, emails, third-party messaging apps, etc.)
  • A detailed description of what types of data is captured and stored
  • Information on what type of IT support the company will provide to personal devices

Why is a BYOD Policy Important to Have?

There is almost no way to prevent employees from using their own smartphones and other devices for work. Even if there are policies in place that are meant to deter this behavior, it’s almost impossible to enforce. By putting a BYOD policy in place, companies are explicitly giving employees permission to use their own devices, and are taking responsibility for ensuring that regulations are followed.

Without a policy in place, companies are leaving themselves at risk, as they are still liable for any activity that takes place on an employee’s device. For example, JP Morgan was fined $125 million for failing to capture communications that took place using personal devices. 

The Pros and Cons of Bring Your Own Device 

Among the advantages of a BYOD policy are the following:

  • Happy employees are productive employees, and having the freedom and convenience to use just one device for both personal and work-related communication is something that many employees appreciate.
  • Significant cost-savings can arise from not having to invest in new hardware and devices for employees.
  • The added level of flexibility for employees to work from anywhere increases productivity. 

 

Of course, a BYOD policy is not without risks, which include:

  • Potential data breaches, especially if a phone gets lost or an employee leaves the company.
  • Increased IT expenses from providing support to different employees with different devices and operating systems. 
  • Privacy concerns, especially when it comes to capturing and archiving data from a personal device. 

How LeapXpert Can Help

LeapXpert makes it easy to capture and archive business-related communications from both company-owned and employee-owned devices. Companies can implement a BYOD policy and rest assured that however employees communicate with clients – and whatever platform they use – they will be in full compliance with all relevant regulations. 

 

For more information, book your demo now.