Citrix Systems is extending its Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy after achieving 20% cost savings over a three-year period.
The programme, which offered workers the opportunity to buy and maintain their own devices for work, was launched towards the end of 2008 for a small number of workers. Citrix now wants to expand it out and tailor the programme to different geographies. The virtualisation company also aims to make BYOD the default for all employees.
"Implementing a BYO programme was a logical step for Citrix given our technology allows users to securely access their desktop on any device," said Martin Kelly, vice president of information technology, Citrix.
"The financial dividends we have seen from the programme have demonstrated significant return on investment," he added. "Whilst the total number of Citrix employees has increased by 2,000, we have made significant savings on IT. As we continue to expand the scheme and put plans in place for the next few years, we hope to see these savings continue to grow as well as help our customers obtain similar results."
Citrix says it has seen a drop in desktop support requests and incident reports as workers are now maintaining their own devices. Once a worker has chosen and purchased their device they have to install and maintain antivirus software and also purchase a three-year support programme.
While many companies are realising productivity and cost benefits of running a BYOD initiative, some are less positive about its impact. A recent survey by managed data service provider Six Degrees Group found widely differing attitudes between businesses and their employees towards it.
Ian Foddering, CTO of Cisco UK&I recently wrote for CBR about his company’s experience of BYOD, while Etienne Greeff of SecureData Europe offered guidance about the best way to ensure your business remains secure.
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