Should you care whether your software is being deployed to clients with BYOD policies? Our experts say, yes!
Over the past few years, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs have been a subject of excitement for many businesses, but that could be changing. New security risks raise several concerns, and we expect these issues to shift the way companies approach business technology. Companies are now seeing that it can be difficult to manage their employees’ personal devices. When it comes to corporate security, this is one of the bigger gambles a company can take.
Though BYOD policies appear to be on the decline, many companies still use these policies. What does this mean for software developers? It may appear that your clients’ device policies aren’t totally your concern. We say it’s worth taking a closer look.
Challenges of Deploying Software to BYOD
BYOD can be risky. These policies can be met with backlash and it’s not just clients who can suffer. Many software companies see significant setbacks when their products are linked to a personal device that’s connected to a client’s network. For perspective, here’s a list of some issues you might run into:
1. Deploying to the Masses
Deploying specific applications on non-company-provided devices can be challenging. There are potential frustrations deploying en-masse to end-users. Some customers don’t have an internal IT department. Who will employees contact when issues arise during deployment? Managing this scale of deployment is complicated, and can result in security issues. If you’re working with a client that has a BYOD policy and doesn’t offer in-house IT services, you may be lured into a more complicated mission.
2. Relying on Others
Clients with BYOD policies sometimes struggle to manage their end-user’s devices. They often have to rely on their employees to manage important updates. However, that can be risky as the average person ends up ghosting their device’s updates. Corporate-provided devices can be more easily managed for things like application versioning, security patches, and software updates. BYOD policies have different rules around how much management an IT team can require from their employees. What does this mean for your software? It’s likely that the software is not being kept up to date. When your client’s employees aren’t updating their software, there will be bugs to fix, leading to more complicated issues down the road.
3. Different Devices and Operating Systems
When working with BYOD clients, it’s quite likely users will have all sorts of different devices, operating systems, and mobile networks. For instance, over 47 million people are still operating on outdated 3G technology. When using software on an outdated device, system or network, it may not function properly and you can expect more support and operations-related issues.
These types of issues may cause an unanticipated financial impact, as well as frustration around what would otherwise be a perfectly functioning software solution. With the sun setting on all 2G and 3G technology, companies will inevitably be forced to upgrade - but to what? You may have to deploy software to a variety of new devices in the near future if your client has a BYOD policy.
Take a Proactive Approach Now
When clients operate with a BYOD policy, it adds potential failure points for software companies that needs monitoring. It also increases the chance for more work and frustration. It may not be long until BYOD policies are a trend of the past, but what can you do until then?
eSquared can help eliminate the challenges some BYOD policies can offer. We help our software partners deploy to end-users with unique policies and configurations. By partnering with all major carriers and manufacturers, we’re geared to help you and your client overcome the obstacles.
As your partner, we can help make rollouts safe, easy and affordable. We'll make sure each user has the resources they need, right out of the box. Deploying software can get complicated, so why not have a partner you can trust make life a little smoother?
