BYOD perhaps not as widespread as previously thought

Much has been made of the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) era of enterprise mobility, in which employers allow workers to bring personally owned laptops, tablet computers and smartphones into the office. However, new research from Robert Half Technology suggests that such practices remain the exception and not the rule.

Asked if they allow employees to connect to the enterprise network through personal devices, 67 percent out of 1,400 technology executives polled say they don't.

Of the one-third of respondents who do allow connectivity for personal mobile devices, 66 percent say technical support is limited. Just 28 percent say they lend full support, while 6 percent do not support personal smartphones, tablets or laptops in any way.

"Companies are balancing the desire to provide flexibility to employees with potential security risks, as well as logistical issues such as providing support for non-standard devices," Robert Half senior executive director John Reed notes.

Given the proliferation of mobile devices in the workplace, along with companies' desire to promote productivity, it had been thought that BYOD would soon be the norm. But Robert Half's findings may put a damper on such notions.