Bring your own device (BYOD) remains a contentious issue in many workplaces. If part of your job is working out what sort of BYOD policy is required, this chart can help sort out the options.
Picture by Life@Micrsoft
The diagram is based on a series used by Microsoft technical evangelist David Tesar in a presentation at TechEd 2012 yesterday. “Devices are out there in the wild,” Tesar said. “Consumerisation has already happened. The question is what are you going to do about it?”
As Tesar pointed out, BYOD policies essentially fall into four categories: allowing any device but not connecting it to work applications (on your own), being allowed to connect devices to specific services (bring your own), allowing choice from a limited range (choose your own) and being given no choice at all (here’s your own). Each of those policies has specific implications in terms of how support is offered, what access rules apply and whether staff will be paid for the cost of equipment.
| On your own | Bring your own | Choose your own | Here’s your own | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remibursed? | No | Yes/partial | Company pays | Company pays |
| Supported? | No | Best effort | Yes | Yes |
| Access public resources? | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Access proxied resources? | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Compliance? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Strict compliance? | No | No | No | Yes |
Visit Gizmodo’s TechEd 2012 Newsroom for all the news from the show.
Disclosure: Angus Kidman is attending TechEd 2012 as a guest of Microsoft.