Why Employees Use Multiple Devices

Right now, the average person owns 3.64 devices - smartphones, laptops, tablets, wearables or consoles - with estimates that we’ll hit 4.3 devices per person by 2020. We’re already seeing a shift toward a mobile-first society. Although not all of these devices are work devices, the average employee in the US uses at least 3 devices per day for work activities. To date, organizations have struggled to manage such a vast number and variety of devices, many of which are employee-owned (whether sanctioned or not). There’s a reason that Shadow IT has been on the rise.

We’re already seeing a shift toward a #mobile-first society. https://t.co/VrsWtOF0Ac

— Absolute (@absolutecorp) May 19, 2016

Some organizations have attempted to curb the endpoint risk by restricting employees to fewer devices. Restrictive policies typically fail because they clamp down on the productivity these devices offer. The number of devices is not redundant, but rather an extension of how people work. Donald Farmer discusses why employees use multiple devices for ITPro, including:

• Switching between devices to start and complete work. Given our mobile-first shift in technology use, a lot more work is done on a phone, but it’s not always completed there. Work started on a smartphone typically transfers to a laptop.
• People often prefer a specific device for a specific activity, such as messaging from a phone
• The ability to multi-task: work on a laptop, talk on a phone, schedule via the tablet can all be done at the same time
• The need to feel connected. Knowing you can “leave” your office, but still respond to emails via your phone, helps people push projects forward or better respond to customers
• Faster reaction times. The ability to work across multiple devices allows employees to multi-task without interrupting the flow of work on a primary device.

The good news is, it’s no longer a headache to manage the myriad of devices that employees now want to use. Worrying about the Insider Threat doesn't need to cause panic. With the new Absolute Endpoint Data Discovery (EDD), which comes as part of Absolute DDS, you can pre-define and track sensitive and proprietary data across all endpoints, with the ability to take preemptive or remedial action if data is at risk. Finally, a way to know where your data is and the ability to remotely protect it. Get started with your free evaluation version of Absolute DDS today.