UK workers are spending more than double on IT devices than they are on tea and coffee each year, saving money for the IT department.
With 83% of organisations permitting Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) schemes and 39% of employees purchasing their own device for work purposes, BYOD is helping to save the average company £150,265 over five years, according to IT solutions company Landesk.
As BYOD schemes increase in popularity, over a third of workers have purchased a device for work, and almost a third of these have spent at least £500 over the last five years on their devices.
"Compared to the average yearly spend of £97.12 on tea and coffee, having technology for work and play is as essential to many as food and drink is," said Nigel Seddon, area director, Landesk.
"This clearly saves IT departments a great deal. However, they need to ensure that they have visibility of these devices and can support them cost-effectively without compromising security, but there are clear financial benefits to be considered."
The research also highlighted that organisations are still the main point of responsibility for ensuring the licensing and compliance of these devices, with only 27% of workers admitting personal responsibility, compared to 63% who saw the organisation as responsible.
However, the research also revealed that IT security is not being neglected, with only 5% of workers admitting that their device lacked a password, biometric login or visual security pattern.
Adam Thilthorpe, director of professionalism at The Chartered Institute for IT added: "BYOD brings with it the challenge of striking a balance between getting the best return out of mobile devices, without compromising the organisation’s security standards. Key to this is having policies in place which maximise the advantages and minimise risks associated with BYOD."
