As enterprise "bring your own device" (BYOD) programmes continue to become more commonplace, 38 per cent of companies expect to stop providing devices to workers by 2016, according to a global survey of CIOs by research firm Gartner. By 2017, Gartner predicts that half of employers will require employees to supply their own device for work purposes. "BYOD strategies are the most radical change to the economics and the culture of client computing in business in decades," said Gartner analyst David Willis. "The benefits of BYOD include creating new mobile workforce opportunities, increasing employee satisfaction, and reducing or avoiding costs." However, Willis warns that the business case for BYOD needs to be better evaluated. "Most leaders do not understand the benefits, and only 22 per cent believe they have made a strong business case," he added. Attitudes to BYOD also vary across the globe. Gartner says companies in the United States are twice as likely to allow BYOD as those in Europe, where BYOD has the lowest adoption of all the regions. In contrast, employees in India, China and Brazil are most likely to be using a personal device, typically a standard mobile phone, at work. Release
