Bring your own device programs have been growing in popularity in recent years, as employees seek the flexibility advantages of using their own smartphones, tablets and laptops and employers embrace the cost savings of not needing to provide workers with technology. So far, it has remained an optional perk at most businesses, but it could bemandatory at many companies by 2017, according to a recent Gartner report. As organizations look to enable BYOD policies by supporting a wide range of user devices, cloud tools such as hosted collaboration solutions will likely be essential.

The Gartner study found that 38 percent of companies expect to stop providing workplace devices to employees by 2016. As this trend continues, companies will need to adopt a BYOD strategy oriented toward enabling efficiency benefits while overcoming security and interoperability concerns, the firm noted.

One of the tools that can be most beneficial for addressing these needs is cloud computing technology. With cloud-based data storage and security controls, companies can ensure sensitive data is kept off the device and block access to information in the event the device is lost or stolen. Additionally, cloud-based unified communication tools can allow users to access the same communication functions as with their desktop setup while supporting a wide range of devices, since the applications are web-based rather than platform-specific, ZDNet’s Zack Whittaker noted.

“Not all devices speak to each other,” he explained. “Outsourced cloud services often work well because they generally cut down on IT costs, but because they are cloud-based they are available to work on any device, regardless of platform.”

Working with a managed services provider such as FlexITy, organizations can implement a hosted collaboration system that enables comprehensive BYOD support. As BYOD becomes an increasingly prevalent part of corporate IT strategies, having the technology in place to ensure smooth and secure operation will be essential.

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