When Benjamin Franklin coined the famous phrase, "time is money," I am sure the advances of mobile technology were not on his mind. However, the adage is more relevant now than ever before as organizations evaluate their mobility and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)strategies.

BYOD is Here to Stay

Earlier this year we announced the results of the Cisco IBSG BYOD Financial Impact study. The global research revealed interesting statistics about the financial impact of BYOD including:

• Mobile users are willing to invest in BYOD.Mobile employees who BYOD ("BYOD-ers") spend on average$965 on their devices, and use 1.7 personal devices for work. They spend an additional$734 per year on voice and data plans for their BYOD devices.
• BYOD is delivering productivity gains around the world.Even with a broad mix of BYOD implementation levels, the typical company is, on average, saving money and its employees are more productive.
• Comprehensive BYOD pays for itself in hard cost savings.Apart from productivity gains, the major cost savings are in three areas: hardware, support and telecommunications costs.

Most companies have reacted to demand from employees by providing fragmentary capabilities and policies that fail to capitalize on the potential benefits of BYOD. However, when organizations deploy comprehensive mobile strategy, it can make a significant financial impact -according to our research, companies can gain an additional$1,300 annually per mobile user with comprehensive BYOD.

Moving with Mobility in Mind

The widespread adoption of BYOD is a reflection of the growing pervasiveness of mobility. How organizations and partners respond and get in front of the future of mobility will be crucial for success.

Workers are connecting multiple mobile devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablet computers, and expecting a seamless experience. According to a recent Cisco survey, on average, IT leaders expect to support nearly three devices per employee by 2014.

As the numbers and types of devices rise, there is an opportunity for increased experience through mobile apps and applications. Partners can use these trends and the data from our survey to begin a dialogue with customers and help them understand the value of properly planning and implementing a BYOD strategy.

Cisco has created a custom assessment tool that you can use with your customers to show them cost savings, time savings and productivity gains available through a comprehensive mobile strategy. I invite you to check out Cisco's BYOD Assessment Tool and discover the value of BYOD, it's time.

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