Cisco Axes Tablet Due to BYOD (Bring Your Own Device to Work) Trend


Highlighting today’s news roundup is the announcement that Cisco plans to discontinue its Cius business tablet.  Reason:   employees are bringing more personal consumer electronics to work in place of devices provided by employers. The BYOD or bring-your-own-device movement, also called the bring-your-own-technology movement because it can include hardware and software used on personal devices, is seen as a blessing and a curse for employers.

Personal technology may make employees more productive and save on business costs, but can lead to security issues. This news roundup looks at the trend, best practices for managing security, and some of the latest crop of electronics and software your employees are using.

The Trend

BYOD claims latest casualty. Discontinuation of Cisco’s Cius tablet, launched in 2010, is the latest example of a trend of enterprise devices getting edged out by more popular consumer devices. Cisco sited a study that showed that “95% of organizations surveyed allow employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the office, and 36% of surveyed enterprises provide full support for employee-owned devices.”   Cisco Blog

IBM already coping with employee devices.  In 2010 IBM adopted a “bring your own device” policy, but its chief information office points out the security issues involved. It has banned apps such as Dropbox, fearing the loss of confidential company information, and has even gone as far as to disable Siri, the iPhone’s voice-activated assistant, as a security measure. Technology Review

It’s really nothing new.  Worriers in the business community may treat a desire by employees to use their own devices as a dangerous new threat to company security, but the movement is part of a long tradition, says blogger Paul Robichaux, that requires compromise on both sides. WindowsITPro

The Concerns

A recent report details the risks. A 2012 State of Mobile Security report suggests some of the problems businesses may face with the growing trend toward employees using personal devices at work. The possibility of breaches in home and Wi-Fi networks is one concern for companies that wish to keep their data secure. Network Computing

Companies see benefits outweighing problems. A recent  survey found 95 percent of companies now allow personal devices, even when accessing a company network. The reasons seem simple. Allowing employees to use their own mobile devices at work improves morale and productivity by increasing their sense of freedom in the workplace. Betanews

Best practices for managing employee technology. The benefits of the BYOD movement for most businesses are obvious: lower costs and increased productivity. Here are some best practices and a management guide for business environments where employee devices are the norm. Forbes

What Tech Will They Bring?

Tablets will remain the device of choice. A recent report indicates that tablets, more than smartphones or ultrathin notebooks, will likely be the choice of millions for mobile computing well into the future. No matter what the brand of choice or operating system, their long battery life, portability, and other features guarantee popularity. Forrester Research 

RIM reorganizes, prepares for BlackBerry 10. The company that first introduced the iconic Blackberry is reorganizing and shedding expense, while planning for the introduction of the BlackBerry 10 to challenge the Apple iPhone and Android devices. The Globe and Mail

Facebook enters the smartphone fray…again. The online social networking giant is making its latest stab at creating a smartphone. The attempt would compete with the iPhone and with Android devices, would supply an additional revenue stream for Facebook, and add to the many consumer choices out there. Bits

Microsoft products will remain. No matter how many different types of mobile apps or platforms are out there, it’s likely some version of Windows will remain the standard for most PCs. New York Times

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