"BYOT, or Bring Your Own Technology, is more than code for 'my CEO bought an iPad.' BYOT refers to a strategy for letting employees choose and purchase the devices they want to use to do their jobs - everything from PCs and laptops, to smartphones and tablets. The machines belong to the employees, who take them along with them if they leave the company."
Kim Nash at CIO Magazine writes about the "BYOT Buzz": 9 Things IT Needs To Know. We've talked about this trend before, sometimes under the title "BYOD" or "Bring Your Own Device". It's all about adopting the mode of "consumerization of IT". Here's a quick wrap-up from the article:
- Don't balk for security's sake.
- Webify, virtualize and mobilize first.
- Get infrastructure in top shape.
- Decide who does what.
- Say no sometimes.
- Indoctrinate - politely, of course.
- Decide who pays and how much.
- Know that you may or may not save money...
- ...but you will change company culture.
You've seen these recommendations before. It comes to understanding the risks, communication, and setting expectations & boundaries. And when you look at it that way, those are the foundations of "managing change".
BYOT or BYOD is another change in how IT operates. We've been through these cycles before: from mainframes to minicomputers, to PCs, to networks, to laptops, ... and now, mobile devices and BYOT.
