The rapid and recent proliferation of smartphones, tablets, and other powerful handheld and/or portable devices is bringing about a sea change in the way that employees are conducting company business and accessing company information. Increasingly, both formally and informally, company work is being conducted on employees' personal devices. "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) policies are becoming increasingly common as employers seek to address this reality in order to realize its benefits and contain potential liabilities. Notably, different countries have very different approaches to BYOD policies, and some countries have no real law in this area at all. This article provides an overview of considerations for employers in rolling out BYOD policies and includes a comparison of the issues that can arise in several key jurisdictions around the globe with respect to such policies.
BYOD policies have the potential to benefit both employers and employees. For employees, these types of policies are desirable because they cut back on the number of devices that employees must carry and check and also allow employees to choose which device and/or operating system is most comfortable for them and most conducive to their work. Such policies also can result in cost savings for the employee if the employer provides a technology allowance or covers a portion of the service costs that an employee would have incurred anyway in procuring and maintaining a personal device.
