As technology advances, smart phones and tablets have become more affordable and common for individuals to own. Many people would rather use the same device for both business and personal reasons instead of carrying multiple devices, and BYOD (bring your own device) policies have made this possible. These policies also have the potential to save businesses money in addition to making life easier for their employees. However, there can be some cost risks associated with carrier contracts if a company chooses to allow BYOD, as well as provide devices to some employees.
It is possible to take advantage of all the cost benefits of BYOD, even if your business takes a hybrid approach to employee devices. You just need to have a good understanding of your carrier agreement and how BYOD cost savings might be negatively impacted by this approach. Consider the following to help avoid these cost risks:
1. Don't give up your volume discounts
The number of users under your contract doesn't need to decrease if individual responsible users (IRUs) sign up their personal devices on your corporate rate plan. Most will allow you to give employees a corporate referral code to use so that you get credit for all of their devices as well. This option lets you keep your volume discounts and maybe even increase them, depending on how many IRU's sign up.
2. The effects of termination fees can be minimized
Carriers don't want you to remove users from your corporate plan or switch carriers. To deter companies from doing so, they include early termination fees in your contract that can be very expensive. The best weapon against these fees is timing. Know how your contract's termination fees will affect your cost savings and plan ahead to choose the best time to move users.
3. You can save on security costs
Making the move from corporate owned devices to BYOD leaves organizations open to a higher level of security risks because personal devices are much more vulnerable. To make sure company information is safe, detailed security and and governance policies must be put onto place. The costs for these solutions are high, but extremely crucial. Understanding and anticipating how security impacts your bottom line is key to managing them effectively.
It is possible to take advantage of all the cost benefits of BYOD, even if your business takes a hybrid approach to employee devices. You just need to have a good understanding of your carrier agreement and how BYOD cost savings might be negatively impacted by this approach. Consider the following to help avoid these cost risks:
1. Don't give up your volume discounts
The number of users under your contract doesn't need to decrease if individual responsible users (IRUs) sign up their personal devices on your corporate rate plan. Most will allow you to give employees a corporate referral code to use so that you get credit for all of their devices as well. This option lets you keep your volume discounts and maybe even increase them, depending on how many IRU's sign up.
2. The effects of termination fees can be minimized
Carriers don't want you to remove users from your corporate plan or switch carriers. To deter companies from doing so, they include early termination fees in your contract that can be very expensive. The best weapon against these fees is timing. Know how your contract's termination fees will affect your cost savings and plan ahead to choose the best time to move users.
3. You can save on security costs
Making the move from corporate owned devices to BYOD leaves organizations open to a higher level of security risks because personal devices are much more vulnerable. To make sure company information is safe, detailed security and and governance policies must be put onto place. The costs for these solutions are high, but extremely crucial. Understanding and anticipating how security impacts your bottom line is key to managing them effectively.
About the Author:
Joseph B. Kappernick specializes in helping Fortune 500 companies save money. He recommends that you visit NPI Financial to learn more about telecom cost reduction service
The Communication Blog
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