In these times of flexible working models and mobile business processes, employees execute a growing portion of their work on devices such as mobile phones and tablets. As much as these devices are a boon for productivity and an enabler for digital transformation, they introduce a host of cost, security and IT administration challenges into the enterprise.

For that reason, every company needs a coherent mobile device management (MDM) strategy, underpinned by cutting edge tools, smarter policies, and efficient processes. One of the most fundamental elements of this MDM strategy lies in choosing the right mobile device ownership model for the business.

Knowledgeable finance and IT teams will ask questions such as the following to determine which approach will work best for their business:

• Who should own the device and be responsible for the voice and data contract?
• Who will be responsible for maintaining the device?
• Who does the number belong to?
• How will enterprise applications and data be safeguarded?
• How will the company control and secure data on end-users’ mobile devices?

Here is our guide to choosing the right mobile device ownership strategy based on the answers to those questions:

Bring your own device (BYOD)

BYOD has become one of the most commonplace ownership models for mobile devices in businesses. With BYOD, employees can use personally owned devices—such as smartphones, tablets, and sometimes even notebooks—for work purposes. The end-user might be able to claim voice, data or other expenses from the company, or the company might pay them a monthly allowance.

Pros

• Lets employees work on the device models and operating system they are most comfortable with.
• Saves the company money on purchasing devices.
• Reduces the need for corporate liable contracts.

Cons

• IT may have limited control over end-users’ devices, which can lead to security concerns.
• There may be hidden IT support and administration costs.

Corporate owned, personally enabled (COPE)

In the COPE model, a business provides employees with company-owned devices that can also be used for personal purposes. The company will have complete control over the device and will retain ownership for the device and the associated SIM as well as responsibility for the voice and data contract.

Pros

• Company will have complete control over the device and the data stored on it.
• Standardising on a preferred make, model and operating system may simplify management, training and software development.

Cons

• Employees might not be happy using a different device to the platform they would choose themselves.
• They might also be concerned about the privacy of their personal information.
• The company will need to spend money on buying devices as well as accept corporate liability for voice and data costs on contract.

Choose your own device (CYOD)

CYOD gives employees a selection of approved devices to choose from that are pre-configured for work use. The IT department might, for example, decide that it only supports Samsung Android and Apple iOS smartphones, and allow users to choose the device they want from a limited menu of models. It’s essentially a variant of the COPE model.

Pros

• Enables IT department to simplify administration.
• Can help to reduce training and support complexity.
• Offers more end-user choice than pure COPE or COBO models.

Cons

• Will usually entail corporate ownership of devices and contract liability.
• End-users might not be able to select the device they prefer.
• Users might have privacy concerns.

Corporate owned, business only (COBO)

COBO restricts the use of company-owned devices to work-related activities only. This approach is the polar opposite of BYOD and is rare outside the most regulated roles and industries dealing with the most sensitive data.

Pros

• Enables IT department to simplify administration.
• Offers the highest level of security.
• Is cost-efficient for single-function use cases such as mobile POS terminals or electronic proof of delivery signatures.

Cons

• Employees will need to carry different devices for work and personal use.
• Will usually entail corporate ownership of device and contract liability.

One size will not fit all

Many larger enterprises will find that they need to operate a mix of two or more of these models to cover the security, end-user and operational needs of different teams and business functions. Today’s cutting edge mobile expense management and MDM solutions can help them simplify operations and manage multiple mobile ownership models.

MDM can help organisations to implement and enforce granular security policies that balance ease of administration and corporate security against end-user privacy and experience. Smarter mobile expense management practices, meanwhile, allow them to monitor and control data and voice costs in real time.

Cutting edge expense management tools and practices can enable your company to simplify and automate the management of your telecom and cloud environment in this time of digital transformation. Our knowledgeable team can help you cut wastage, implement FinOps practices, and find a smarter way to increase efficiencies. Get in touch with us to learn about smarter cost management in your business.