XL Group's BYOT program focuses on smartphones and Web access to the company's e-mail system from any device today, but Brandmaier expects to include PCs in the XL network by 2011. "By offering BYOT for mobile devices, in theory 100% of XL employees can have mobile access to e-mail and eventually business applications. Today that number is just 33%."
Preparation for incorporating employees' technology included extending current security policies, augmenting intellectual property and purchasing additional outsourced support services.
XL Group is no stranger to regulatory compliance. Brandmaier says, "It's a matter of trusting your employees to do the right thing in unison with good technology and policies."
Will an organization supporting BYOT have a competitive edge as the economy turns around? Maybe. Will a high-value potential employee really refuse a job offer based on what type of tablet they'll use? Probably not. Keep BYOT in perspective, and then decide if it's worth the risk.
Kristen Lamoreaux is an executive recruiter with the Jarvis Walker Group and founder of SIM Women, a North American networking organization for female CIOs and their direct reports.
Read more about consumer in CIO's Consumer Drilldown.
