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The ‘bring your own device’ argument and company-owned devices has continued for much of the past two decades. Initially, there was almost no reason for a BYOD environment as corporate networks were heavily tied to an Active Directory environment. As time passed and we moved to a cloud-centric model, that argument started to change, however. So in 2021 does BYOD make sense, especially in an Apple-centric business? This week I want to explain why I think BYOD is a good strategy, and next week I will be looking at the benefits of becoming institutional property.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers has managed a corporate IT network since 2009. With his experience in the deployment and management of firewalls, switches, mobile device management system, Wi-Fi network, company, hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will highlight the ways Apple’s IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of the IT management and ways in which Apple could improve its products for IT services.
Benefits of BYOD
With such an increase in remote work opportunities, the reasons for a BYOD environment have changed. In some ways, the hardware has become somewhat irrelevant in the business. This doesn’t mean that people don’t care what hardware they have, but rather, it’s not as crucial for accessing specific business applications.
Before most of the key business applications were moved to a SaaS cloud model, it was almost necessary to have Windows. Today, almost all of your apps are easily accessible in a web browser, it doesn’t matter if you have Windows or Mac. In fact, the abandonment of native applications has been Well for Apple in the enterprise, because Macs can easily access applications that previously required a PC. Now, services like Okta and JumpCloud are as much the “OS” as macOS or Windows.
From a logistics standpoint, not being involved in ordering and shipping devices makes a lot of sense, especially for remote teams.
Employee choice
One of the main benefits of BYOD is that employees can choose their own devices. Suppose a business gives an allowance on how to spend it. With the release of the Apple M1 laptops, however, most employees can get by without needing to upgrade to a high-end Pro laptop model. Let’s say you give employees a stipend of $ 1,500; they can choose how to equip their computer with their upgrades and accessories. If an employee wants to get more storage beyond the limit, they can upgrade their pocket.
Almost all The computer sold today will be ideal for people who do not do development / design work. Obviously, for these positions, an additional allowance may be necessary.
Facilitates repairs
One thing I think strongly about is requiring AppleCare + if you go the BYOD route. One of the benefits of Apple’s end-to-end hardware and software model is that there’s only one place to go for help. If you have a problem that ends up being hardware-related, an IT department may send you to a local Apple Store for repairs. As long as the device is under AppleCare +, there should be no out-of-pocket charges except for accidental damage.
When organizations do not own the machines, they are not responsible for the repairs. Instead, it will be up to employees to make sure they have a working machine, just as it is their responsibility to make sure their home internet is working.
Easy MDM registration
Even for BYOD devices, Apple makes it easy to enroll those devices in a mobile device management solution so that organizations can enforce policies and install corporate apps. Again, Apple has done a great job on macOS preserving the Apple experience while organizations can still achieve compliance through MDM.
While macOS Monterey will allow Mac BYOD to be enrolled in Apple Business Manager, this likely won’t be the policy for remote teams as the process won’t work for employees using Apple Configurator on the iPhone.
Next week: Why BYOD is a bad idea
In the coming weeks, I’ll be looking at the benefits of an institution-owned strategy and why it might be wise for large organizations to consider them.
Photo by Anthony Choren on Unsplash
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