BYOD And VoIP Marching On

The growth of the bring your own device (BYOD) trend is bringing with it the increased usage of VoIP solutions, as firms all over the world realise the importance of allowing staff to work using their own devices.

That certainly was the sentiment from the Insider Media Investing in Technology Breakfast that recently took place in Bristol.

Panelists at the event discussed BYOD and new technologies that are streamlining the process of working away from the traditional office.

The executives and technology experts at the event indicated that moving to the cloud, new technologies, access to superfast broadband and data security are all major issues for firms at the moment.

Andy Farmer, chief executive of app development company MyOxygen told the attendees at the breakfast: "Quite a few organisations still use two devices – a work device and a personal device – but organisations need to think about how they manage and control this."

As the BYOD trend continues to grow, and it currently shows little sign of abating, the requirement for staff to keep in touch with their employer and colleagues is growing. A failure to implement VoIP solutions could lead to a breakdown in communications and the loss of any productivity and efficiency gains developed through the use of personal mobile devices.

This can be quite significant as the ability to use a device they are familiar with and understand means that employees can be freed of technology headaches and can instead focus all of their efforts onto the work they need to produce on a daily basis.

A recent Robert Half survey indicated that the most popular BYOD options are currently laptops (65 per cent), smartphones (56 per cent), USBs/memory sticks (51 per cent) and tablets (38 per cent).

Each of the solutions can help mobilise employees, boosting their productivity away from the main workplace.

Aside from USBs/memory sticks these devices can also utilise VoIP so employees can make cheap calls over the internet to colleagues and offices all over the world.