Before technology became the way of the world, enterprise IT had strict control over the network, devices, security measures, and software. However, many businesses are embracing the bring your own device (BYOD) trend and providing full support to employees who wish to use their own devices. The rise of BYOD culture means that the IT department needs to develop the following skills to provide optimal support.
Agility and Prioritization
Technology is constantly changing, and new devices are always coming on the market. The modern IT department must be able to adjust quickly and easily to new problems, no matter the device.
To facilitate this, the IT department should know how to prioritize support tickets. With many different devices running different apps, there is a much wider range of problems than there was with a more traditional IT-controlled network. Knowing the most important issues — and being able to prioritize them — is one of the most important skills the IT department can have.
App Development
Whether they’re at work or at home, most people now use apps for their technology needs. In order to keep up with modern skills, IT must to be able to develop and send out apps to the company’s employees.
Education
BYOD usually means less focus on training employees to use a device. But while employees may know what they’re doing, they don’t necessarily know why. The IT department’s responsibility then is to ensure that they continue to educate employees on proper security measures and company procedures. This will lessen the potential for security breaches and ensure that employees are able to solve minor issues themselves.
Flexibility
More devices means more ways of handling issues and more people who can bring their knowledge to bear on a problem. With a BYOD culture, IT must be able to show flexibility as well as the ability to handle a wide range of devices, issues, and solutions. In order to best serve the company, multiple approaches to a solution should be taken depending on the needs of different user groups.
Gatekeeping
While BYOD can lessen the IT department’s workload of minor problems, it can sometimes lead to the challenge of knowing when to say yes — and when to say no. The IT department is no longer completely in control, and needs to be able to decide between the benefits of allowing a user to work on an issue themselves and the need to put conditions and security measures in place to ensure data privacy.
Mobile Security
Because BYOD means that employees are using devices that may not have been subjected to strict security measures, the IT department must have a good handle on mobile security. IT should be aware of and kept up to date on all current security issues and potential problems. This will ensure that sensitive data is kept secure no matter what device an employee uses.
More and more regular users are becoming technology-savvy. While this means that the IT department is no longer overseeing the entire process, it also means that IT can turn its attention to more difficult challenges.