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Bring Your Own Device B.Y.O.D by Emilce Sirkin

 Bring Your Own Device B.Y.O.D
By Emilce Sirkin 


According to Lexico dictionary by Oxford, the Bring Your Own Device B.Y.O.D concept refers to the “practice of allowing employees of an organization to use their own computers, smart phones or other devices for work purposes.”  This concept started to materialize in the late 2000s when employees began to favor working on their owned high-tech devices instead of the ones provided by their organizations.  Eventually, this concept also migrated to schools and libraries.  It seems that many organizations and educational institutions have welcomed this trend by allowing workers, students, and patrons to use their personal devices while they are within their buildings or working remotely.  I personally did not know there was a label for this action -BYOD.  A couple of times, when I was working on research papers, I brought my laptop to the library only because I had already started an archive with information about the research papers. Otherwise, I am not a big fan of carrying my laptop everywhere.  I rather use the libraries resources and save my progress on my email, an USB drive, or even in the databases I use to do the research.  Likewise, I have had teachers that encouraged us students to use our personal devices; for example, we used our smart phones in class to do tests on Kahoot/Quizlet or to search a subject on Google.

Shreya Biswas Ley, in her article Bring Your Own Device: The New Bring Your Own Beverage? reminds us that “These days we get so attached and comfortable with our own devices, and most people are creatures of habit.” Therefore, it is understandable that employees, students, and patrons feel more comfortable using their own hardware since they are accustomed to them.  I recognize that I feel unfamiliar when I have to work on computers, tablets, or smartphones that are not mine.  In addition, the author highlights three main concerns associated with BYOD at workplaces: security, knowledge transfer, and privacy.  First, security is not guaranteed; currently “hacking and identity theft seems more inevitable than preventable” (Ley). Knowledge transfer is the second concern, which addresses workers who work on sales and marketing and use their own devices like personal phones and social media accounts to foster relationships with customers.  It becomes challenging for employers to transfer ownership of that intellectual property to their companies if those employees are no longer on those positions.  The last concern is privacy, in which employees might be concerned about the access employers can or cannot execute on their personal email, personal photos, and personal documents. As we can see, bringing our own devices to work or public places like public or academic libraries might not be entirely safe, but it is convenient.  Finally, it is up to you if you want to use your own devices or use the corporate-owned ones.

References

“BYOD: Definition of BYOD by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com Also Meaning of BYOD.” Lexico Dictionaries | English, Lexico Dictionaries, www.lexico.com/definition/BYOD.  Accessed 29 March 2021.

Ley, Shreya Biswas. “Bring Your Own Device: The New Bring Your Own Beverage?” GPSolo, vol. 36, no. 5, Sept. 2019, pp. 43–46. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=141653188&site=ehost-live&scope=site.  Accessed 29 March 2021.



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