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BYOD Mixes Business With Pleasure, Saves Money

The days of professionals strapping on Batman-style belts to harness multiple cell phones are behind us. These days it's OK to mix business with pleasure — when it comes to the device you're using at least.

Bring It With You

Cell phones are transforming into personal computers in your pocket. In many cases you can do just about everything you would need to do on your computer, for a brief amount of time at least, on your phone. While this certainly doesn’t make the computer obsolete, it allows you to stay in touch more easily and, for some jobs, work more efficiently. This ability has led to a trend informally known as BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. According to ComputerWorld, 6 out of 10 companies have approved BYOD for their workplaces; this type of work mentality is growing more each year. Workers bring their AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile cell phones with them to work as their primary devices. The company can then save money on computer equipment and software for the employees and pay for a portion of their cell phone bill, as much of it would be work-related.

There Are Many Benefits...

Companies save money on computers and equipment in specific cases. Employees feel less tethered to their jobs because they are allowed to be on their smart phones, seamlessly mixing business and personal lives together. Employees also save a lot of money by having their phone bills partially paid for and often get the benefits of the latest and greatest smart phone technology. These all are the things that make BYOD a perfect way to do business in the new technological age.

But Some Drawbacks, Too.

BYOD does, however have a dark side. Privacy is often compromised for employees. When your employers are paying for your phone, you are expected to answer when they call. Business contacts are mixed with personal contacts and this can put employees in a compromising situation when they accidentally dial the wrong number, or mix up business details with personal ones. There is also a better chance of an employee losing all of their data on a smart phone in a BYOD scenario, hurting not just themselves but the company as a whole. If all of this information were simply stored on a work computer, the chances of this data loss would be much slimmer, as opposed to an employee leaving the phone in a cab or on a bar somewhere.