A Gartner survey of CIOs predicts that by 2017, half of all employers will not only allow, but require employees to buy their own devices for work. The BYOD market has already seen a 200% jump in the last six years. This is no longer a passing trend.

BYOD increases employee mobility

The 2014 BYOD and Mobile Security Report shows that the number one drive of BYOD is keeping employees mobile. This isn’t too surprising. If you take security concerns out of the equation, there are a number of great reasons to allow for a mobile workforce:

• Increased productivity
• Real-time access to important data
• Increased visibility and streamlined workflow
• Convenience for employees

Increased productivity alone is probably enough to drive BYOD adoption for most organizations, so security professionals need to make sure executives making these policies also understand and support security measures.

BYOD increases employee satisfaction

Satisfied employees keep working for their employers. Keeping talent is an important part of keeping a competitive advantage. Creating an inviting work culture will also help organizations attract better talent. More satisfaction and less turnover also reduces risks of insider threats plus some of the following benefits:

• Happy employees create a great work atmosphere.
• Happy employees lead to happy customers.
• Happy employees are more engaged and statistically great for business.

The top two motivators driving BYOD, increased mobility and satisfaction, are such strong selling points when it comes to company culture that it’s no wonder BYOD is gaining momentum in the workplace. With the many advantages, come security concerns. Before BYOD gets any bigger, as security professionals, it’s your job to make sure company culture has a place for strong security practices as well.