What is the ROI of BYOD for business?

How much does BYOD cost?

Well, it all depends.

All organizations, of course, save on the up-front costs of phones and data plans.

For BYOD, ensuring management and security is the ‘investment’ part of the equation. When you take into account management costs per employee per year for an employer-provided device, that adds up to even more savings.

The advantage of BYOD for the employer

There is absolutely no doubt that BYOD benefits employers, which is why Zippia has recently reported that nearly 70% of IT decision-makers in the U.S. approve of BYOD programs.

According to a Cybersecurity Insider study report by bitglass, it’s easy to see why:

• Employee productivity increases overall by 68% when organizations build new BYOD programs
• The average employee using a BYOD program to work from their own devices works an average of two extra hours per day
• Employees working on familiar devices need less time to train
• Staff using a BYOD program are available to supervisors more often

That adds up to some serious advantages and cost savings for companies!

How BYOD changes TCO

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) flips on its head when it comes to BYOD programs: employees bear the cost of ownership. Organizations are free from the cost of replacing deprecated mobile devices.

However, there are costs to organizations:

• Security costs
• Management costs
• Cell plan stipend costs, if your organization offers them

Does BYOD save companies money?

Yes, they do. But, depending on how you manage your company's BYOD plan, they can save you a little— or a lot.

“BYOD schemes can save company cash,” says Jonny Evans of Computerworld, “but the real benefit is seen in the productivity, loyalty, and commitment benefits unlocked when employees gain this kind of autonomy.”

Many of the costs and gains involve understanding risk.

Perhaps BYOD appears to have less of an impact on a company's bottom line if you consider the cost of management and security, for instance.

But have you considered what the costs of not managing and securing employee-owned devices can be?

Costs of a breach

“Obtaining access to potentially sensitive data without correct protective measures poses a significant risk to companies simply due to a lack of control over how their data can be accessed,” says Craig Hale of techradar.

According to Morgan Lewis and IBM, the average cost of a data breach globally has reached an all-time high of $4.35 million. In the U.S. it's even higher: $9.44 million.

The statistics are fairly clear that bad actors are getting in, as well: a Stanford study commissioned by Tessian shows that employee mistakes account for 88% of all data breaches.

While companies need to focus on keeping everyone‘s access secure and managed, many organizations are not protecting themselves adequately.

Who protects company data?

According to the Zippa analysis, only 32% of companies require device registration with IT. The lack of any security or management control over BYO devices leaves most companies wide open to attacks from unknowing staff who fall for a phishing email or lose their phone.

On top of this alarming fact, more than 17% of employees use their personal mobile devices for work without ever telling IT. Even when organizations believe they are controlling devices, a recent Jamf study revealed that in 2022, 21% of employees were using devices that were misconfigured, exposing them and the organizations to risk.

These facts combined mean that, if an organization isn’t paying enough attention, BYOD could wind up being very expensive indeed.

How to ensure BYOD produces a high ROI for your company

It’s safe to say that organizations have the power to decide whether their BYOD programs will bring in revenue or be disastrously expensive. Here’s how to improve the odds for the former and protect against the latter.

• Require that all devices used for work are supervised under management with an MDM. You can make this a more appealing choice for privacy-minded workers with Apple and Jamf.
• Partition BYOD devices with Apple, which keeps company and private data completely separated. This keeps corporate data protected, while preventing IT from remotely wiping devices, accessing their locations or monitoring personal information or apps.
• Ensure all devices that can access company data are trusted and all access is verified — no matter where workers are or who owns the device they use. Trusted Access means that no company networks or data can be accessed by an unsecured device or to a non-verified user.
• Make using employee-owned devices seamless — while Apple keeps iPhones strictly partitioned, the user should see all apps they want to use on the same interface, regardless of whether they are personal or work-related. Staff can enjoy the superior user experience of Apple apps while getting their work done.

Ensuring the security of all devices and verifying the identity of everyone who accesses your network— along with making BYOD private, streamlined, and useful will keep you on the path to a higher BYOD ROI.