Today’s mobile professionals are demanding a variety of tools to support their business communications requirements. Many are even travelling and working with up to 5 different mobile devices!   They also could be spending up to $135 per month on mobile data, not including device costs and in-plane Wi-Fi charges for the frequent flyer.  What does this mean to the CIO? Telecommunications expenses are increasing at an incredibly rapid rate so executives must address their telecom budgets as well as their network security with the addition of tablets, smartphones, and other wireless devices.

Corporations have begun adopting a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy in recent years in an effort to shift more of the mobile cost burden back to the employees. This also allows more freedom for employees to choose their own device. In 2010, 66% of smartphones were issued by companies to their employees. Last year, this number dropped to 58%*. However, a BYOD policy is not one to take on without much consideration and planning. With this type of mobile solution come concerns around security and management of data. As more devices are connected to your network, how do you keep your data secure?

A BYOD policy can be an extremely effective mechanism to reduce cost and increase flexibility as long as precautions are taken to tighten mobile use policies, deploy new tools to manage the new fleet of mobile devices, and secure important company and client confidential information. In early adopters, we have found that strong and clear communications internally is critical to win mindshare before implementing a BYOD policy – and to ensure its success.

* Source: iPass Mobile Workforce Project, November 2011