Employers don’t want ‘one-size-fits all’ mobile device for employees

One mobile for work, one mobile for home is set to be the norm for UK employees in the years to come with less than half of the 5,000 businesses asked said they expect employees to use their personal devices at work in the future - down from 63 per cent last year.

The 21 per cent swing follows increased anxiety from employers about security. Over a third said security is the main reason for concerns about employees using personal devices for work purposes. Despite this, 42 per cent of staff currently use their own gadgets at work.

Apple has been the first of the hardware manufacturers to announce sales figures in 2012, revealing 37 million iPhone and 15.4 million iPad units were sold in the final quarter of 2011.

The 111per cent rise from the previous twelve months demonstrates the increasing consumer demand for dual purpose devices as sales peaked over the Christmas period.

Tony Grace, Chief Operating Officer of Virgin Media Business, who commissioned the research said: “The line between consumer and business technology is now virtually non-existent. Employers are clearly uneasy about this, but technology that hasn’t been approved by the company is still flooding through the doors.

“Innovative businesses have been looking at this and working with their staff. One method gaining popularity is ‘buy-your-own device’ schemes. This is a cost-saving tactic which allows employees to choose their own work devices which the company will put up the cash for. Our survey found that nearly one in five companies already offer this, with a further 20 per cent looking to roll-out similar schemes in the future.

“The fact is that not everyone works in exactly the same way and the same is true for interacting with technology. By working with their employees and their service provider, businesses can ensure the personal devices they see as potential security threats are no longer a risk in the workplace.”