Companies that use e-learning for the continued education of their employees face a tough decision: Are employees allowed to use their own devices? To make this decision easier, we summarize in the article what opportunities and risks are behind “Bring Your Own Device.”

Today, over 2.5 billion people own a smartphone. And more and more companies are relying on mobile devices in the context of “Work 4.0.” Laptops, smartphones, and tablets promise maximum flexibility in the workplace – anytime and from anywhere via the internet.

In this context, not only is work being digitized, but consequently, so is ongoing education in companies. A study on mobile learning found that in about 70% of companies, mobile learning is either planned or already in use. Flexible learning in the workplace also brings new challenges for companies.

BYOD – The answer to the flexibilization of work?

One of the unresolved questions in the context of e-learning and mobile learning is: What devices should employees learn with? There are two possible answers to this question: The company provides mobile devices for training measures – or they rely on BYOD: Bring Your Own Device.

In practice, there is no consensus on the question of devices, as the following graphic shows: Almost half of the companies use BYOD for mobile learning, while the other half provides devices for this purpose.

Using employees' personal devices is appealing: No costs and little effort for the company! But as always, there are two sides to this as well. Below, we shed light on the opportunities and risks of BYOD for e-learning to help you make this decision for your company:

The Positive: Opportunities of BYOD for E-Learning

In an article by pulselearning, the three most important arguments are listed for why companies should use employees' devices for e-learning. We summarize them for you:

1. Employee satisfaction

Humans are creatures of habit! Adjusting to a new device, perhaps even with an entirely new operating system and an unfamiliar interface, is exhausting and provokes dissatisfaction. The result: Willingness to participate in e-learning decreases even before the actual learning begins. BYOD directly increases the motivation of your employees – and their satisfaction.

2. Flexibility

Spatial and temporal flexibility are two of the main arguments for implementing e-learning or mobile learning in companies. Offering company-owned devices that can only be used at the workplace contradicts these arguments. BYOD, on the other hand, supports the very idea of flexible learning: Most employees carry their own smartphones with them all day, both at home and at work.

3. Cost savings

This argument is very close, as already mentioned: The devices that employees already own (and have paid for themselves) incur no costs for the company. Maintenance, repairs, or new purchases are also taken care of by your employees themselves. After all, they need their smartphone or tablet in their daily lives as well.

Using personal mobile devices for e-learning increases motivation, enables mobile learning, and saves costs. Source: blink.it

The Negative: Risks of BYOD for E-Learning

Using employees' devices for e-learning in companies also carries some risks, especially regarding functionality and security. The following three risk factors must be weighed against the advantages of BYOD:

1. Adaptability of the learning tool

If employees are allowed to use their own mobile devices, it means an unmanageable variety of devices. The questions you need to direct to the selected learning tool include: Does e-learning work on all devices? And are the learning materials displayed correctly on all devices?

Tip: The development of proprietary software for e-learning becomes extremely time-consuming and expensive quickly due to these questions. It is easier to rely on specialized providers. A responsive design is particularly important, allowing learning content to automatically adapt to all types of devices and display sizes.

2. Loss and theft of devices

If the smartphone is left in the office or on company premises, it is less flexible, but much safer. However, having devices present all the time and everywhere carries the risk of losing them or having them stolen. Especially smartphones are a popular target for thieves: In Germany, over 600 smartphones are stolen every day! Along with the mobile device, potentially sensitive information can also fall into the wrong hands, such as company data or access credentials for e-learning or other internal systems. Furthermore, the affected employee (for the time being) no longer has access to the learning content.

3. Security of data on devices

Even without the direct loss of the smartphone, tablet, or laptop, sensitive data of your company can fall into the wrong hands. Due to constant internet access, smartphones are particularly at risk. Unsecured Wi-Fi networks also increase the risk of data theft. Moreover, malicious software (so-called malware) increasingly infects smartphones. If malware gains access to the corporate network through an affected mobile device, unpredictable damage can occur.

Reading tip: You can read about these and other security risks for mobile devices in the report from TrendLabs: "Bring your own device: Trend or threat?"

Conclusion: Should my company use BYOD for e-learning?

The opportunities for using personal devices for e-learning in companies primarily lie on the side of employees: Flexible learning on familiar devices is possible quickly and smoothly, regardless of the workplace.

The risks, on the other hand, primarily concern the security of the company: Through loss, theft, or malware, internal company data can quickly fall into the wrong hands.

A clear recommendation is not possible in this case. Every company must weigh these opportunities and risks for itself. It is especially important for BYOD to have a precise agreement with your company's IT department regarding possibilities and efforts related to data security. If the decision is made to use personal devices, it is advisable to develop a “Plan B” for emergencies: What happens in the case of loss, theft, or defects of personal devices?

One idea would be to start a test run with a few personal mobile devices when introducing mobile learning. If e-learning has established itself within your company and among the employees, investing in company-owned devices for large-scale deployment may eventually pay off in the long term.

We look forward to your opinion: Is “Bring Your Own Device” a valuable opportunity or a great risk for digital education? Please feel free to share your assessment or experience in the comments.