De-mystify BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

How many of you have heard the term “Bring your own device” or “BYOD” thrown around but didn’t fully understand what it means? Well today, especially in the workplace, employers are beginning to allow individuals to bring and use their own technology at work. On the hand, this trend has resulted in an overall increase in employee satisfaction and creativity, but on the other, it has also created a sense of confusion.

BYOD policies are becoming increasingly popular in today’s business world.  A study by Unisys found that 44% of job hunters find employment at a business more attractive if it offers a BYOD policy.  Likely, most companies will accommodate this desire; a study by Gartner predicts that by 2017 half of employers will require their employees to bring their own devices.  But what about the compatibility problems that accompany switching to a BYOD policy?

If your employees are all bringing a different device, how will every device be able to work together with your current AV system?  After all, you want your employees to be able to plug in their devices for display during presentations and collaborate.

That’s where Audio-Video Group comes in –  We can help you update your AV system to make the transition smooth.  While switching to a BYOD policy may be inevitable, the problems that accompany it are not.  Here are two paths that your business will need to consider when implementing a BYOD policy.

Path one: Go HDMI!

teamwork-banner.135456The first solution to make a BYOD policy run smoothly in your workplace is to convert everyone to HDMI.  HDMI, which stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface, is simply a way of transferring compressed or uncompressed video enabling it to be displayed on different screens.  HDMI outputs are standard on many laptops, but not on tablets and smart phones.  Luckily, there are a plethora of HDMI adapters so that every device can be made HDMI compatible; everything from USB to VGA can be converted.

So the Team here at Audio-Video Group suggests that you require all of your employees to have an HDMI adapter, and your system will run as smoothly as ever, no matter what device your employees choose to bring.  So when your employee brings that new Samsung phone in, make sure they bring an HDMI adaptor with them!  Another great thing about HDMI is that it is forward compatible, so for the foreseeable future, you won’t need to switch to a different connector.

 

Path Two: Wireless

iStock_000021274290SmallInstalling a wireless system is another way to make a BYOD policy work from an AV standpoint.  Today more and more households are becoming familiar with AppleTV and Chromecast, but what if we told you can bring those features into the office with commercial products, Barco Clickshare and Creston Airmedia?

Using a product such as Creston Airmedia, allows your employees to use their mobile devices at meetings to present and share content wirelessly. In a matter of seconds an employee can walk into a room and wirelessly display a presentation or report from their laptop, smartphone or tablet. Creston developed this with you in mind, so it’s aesthetically pleasing and rather simple – no messing around with hardware inputs or determining which cord goes where.

A second useful product is Barco’s ClickShare also known as “The one click wonder.” Again, this commercial product was developed with you in mind and makes collaboration easy. The only glaring limitation and difference between Quickshare and Airmedia is that ClickShare requires that the displaying be attached to a USB powered button.

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If you have questions about making a BYOD policy run smoothly in your workplace, Audio-Video Group would love to help.  Call us at 301.668.4448 or visit our website, www.audiovideogroup.com today to find out how we can help you make your transition to BYOD as smooth as possible.

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