Forget BYOD... Ready for WYOD - Wear Your Own Device?

Not much a past incident, organizations worldwide witnessed a trend called BYOD – Bring your own device. The trend refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned mobile devices (laptops, tablets, and smart phones) to their workplace, and to use those devices to access privileged company information and applications. The aforesaid trend was embraced on a fast pace and now BYOD is as common as bringing water bottle or tiffin box to the workplace. Some companies also felt worried with the trend as they viewed it as a threat to security. But the worry couldn’t stop the epidemic like spread of the trend and the IT companies were forced to adopt the same.

And here comes again, a trend that is rapidly rising – WYOD, that is, Wear Your Own Device. We already encountered the invention of wearable technology like Google Glass, wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format that can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands. Well that’s old news, you would say. Then here is the new -  people have started to don wearable devices such as Samsung Galaxy Gear smart-watches that can be used to take calls when driving, capture video images, and listen to music when paired with an external Bluetooth speaker. 

Wearable devices can be more risky than the former byod brigade, as they are not very visible having more security implications. Though there are many productive use for businesses if emplyoees wear their devices to the workplace. Joe McKendrick - co-author of the SOA Manifesto – gives some examples of the usages, “a surgeon viewing critical health stats without looking away, or an airplane mechanic having access to every manual and procedure while working. Then there are the more conventional uses, like business messages and photo and videos of whiteboard sessions and more.” On the cons side, WYOD can bring greater threats to the businesses, many unseen.

Companies need to re-formulate their BYOD policies ensuring about corporate data protection and also that if the wearable device picks up some malware then corporate devices can detect them eradicating any risks to company’s data. It would be good if the organizations carve out a strategy for WYOD beforehand to avoid the panic they had during the advent of BYOD. A proactive approach can protect any future threats. Also, firms should look at the trend as opportunity rather threat as they can’t escape the trend which is having some brighter sides too for the corporates.

So let me have your views, what do you think about WYOD – a threat or an opportunity? How will you use it as a blessing for your firm? Have you started formulating policies and strategies to cope up with uprising trend?

Think upon and act on questions like these to stay ahead of your competitors.