Managing BYOD: Cost and Security vs. Monitoring the Network Impact (Part 1)

When I talk about BYOD with other IT pros, I get flashbacks of 2009 when the ‘cloud’ first became a hot topic. Security and costs are the top concerns, but few people understand the importance of monitoring and measuring the impact on the network, and why it matters.

The bottom line: a network crash kills productivity, and outweighs the projected cost savings of whatever mobile device strategy your company may have in place.

Here is a quick checklist to gauge if your company is paying enough attention to the effects BYOD can have on network performance:

• We can see which personal devices are on the network, who owns them, and how much bandwidth they are using.
• Our IT department has had honest conversation with all departments about the impact of personal devices on corporate resources, and has set appropriate policies.
• Through our NMS, we are able to historically track who has accessed our network, when and where they were connected.
• Employees – when traveling or working remotely – understand the safest way to access and share corporate files and information.

Couple BYOD with the consumerization of IT and the rise of telecommuting, and one thing is clear:  times are changing and your systems must keep up. Is your technology keeping up with your users’ needs?  Are you embracing BYOD, ignoring it, or do you fall somewhere in the middle?