BYOD Requires Integration with IT Infrastructure

Wireless service providers are aware of the growing trend of bring your own device (BYOD) programs among businesses, according to a survey sponsored by customer services provider Amdocs, but results indicate the need for converged business and operational support systems (B/OSS) to provide an end-to-end view of the customer. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of respondents said they expect to see a 10-25 percent increase in BYOD device requests from business customers in the coming year.

Cost reduction and increased productivity, along with employee satisfaction, were cited as the top drivers of growth for BYOD programs– almost half of service provider respondents said BYOD would decrease costs and increase productivity by 10-25. Business want service providers to offer them unique features tailored to the BYOD environment, the survey found, with 52 percent asking for spilt billing for personal and business use the same percentage said they would also like the ability to curtail business email and messaging services when the employee switches the device back to personal use.

"BYOD has been gaining momentum as consumers want to bring their favorite smartphones and tablets to work, and with enterprises anticipating benefits such as increased productivity and employee satisfaction, we surely expect this trend continue to grow," Ari Banerjee, a senior analyst at Heavy Reading, said in a prepared statment. "But BYOD creates new complexities for both the enterprise and the service provider who must support features such as device care, bill split, security, shared loyalty and data plans and differentiated quality of service. If service providers can overcome the technological challenges of providing these features, the enhanced customer experience will lead to huge gains in customer satisfaction and loyalty."

As one might expect from a program that encourages employees to use a wide range of operating systems, devices, and platforms, system integration was a key demand from service providers. The lack of converged business and operational support systems (B/OSS) was cited by 53 percent of respondents as a main implementation inhibitor, despite 77 percent believing integration is needed for a successful BYOD program.

"The business segment represents huge revenue potential for service providers, and to capitalize on this market they will need to offer tailored and competitive offerings, including BYOD," Rebecca Prudhomme, vice president of product and solutions marketing for Amdocs said in a prepared statement. "By converging BSS and OSS, service providers gain a unified customer view required to support BYOD requests, such as creating hybrid plans and offering device support, ultimately simplifying the customer experience."

The survey was conducted by Heavy Reading in April 2012 and included 35 wireless, wireline and cable service providers across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Central and Latin America, and is the latest in a recent spate of reports concerning BYOD adoption. A May study by communications giant BT found that more than 80 percent of IT managers think enterprises can gain a competitive advantage by implementing a BYOD program. The survey also suggests BYOD is here to stay with four out of five companies having implemented a program or planning to within the next two years.

To read the original eWeek article, click here: BYOD Requires Integration with IT Infrastructure