Businesses relying more on mobile technology: Survey

Even split between CYOD, BYOD

More than one-half of Canadian employees (57 per cent) are relying on mobile technology — such as a smart phone or tablet — to do their job effectively, according to a BMO Bank of Montreal survey of more than 500 business owners.

And employers are personally becoming more reliant on mobile technology, with two-thirds (64 per cent) reporting they use it to run their organization and 30 per cent of business decision-makers saying they could not do their job without their mobile device.

"Organizations across Canada are experiencing a transformational shift in the way business is conducted, which includes the adoption of — and increased reliance on — mobile devices," said Steve Murphy, head of Canadian commercial banking at BMO Bank of Montreal.

The survey found a near-even split on whether companies provide mobile devices to employees ("choose your own device" or CYOD) or encourage employees to bring their own device ("bring your own device" or BYOD): 39 per cent of business owners provide employees with all or most of their mobile devices and 38 per cent report employees use personal devices at work.

Companies weigh the considerations of upfront investment in equipment, security concerns and compatibility issues before deciding whether employees should be provided a company device or whether they should bring their own, said BMO.

Regional differences

Total

Atlantic

QC

ON

Prairies

AB

B.C.

Business owners rely on mobile devices to run business

64%

62%

62%

69%

54%

59%

68%

Employees rely on mobile devices to do their job

57%

57%

61%

59%

52%

51%

52%

Company provides all devices

39%

39%

50%

38%

33%

39%

29%

Employees use personal devices

38%

35%

32%

40%

47%

36%

44%

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