Tuesday 8 September 2015

CYOD - an opportunity for procurement

It comes as little surprise to me that one of the key strands of Digital Procurement Strategy, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), has seen a loss in popularity and a shift to CYOD (Choose Your Own Device).

At a personal level, I never quite understood why anyone would expect me to buy my own device for work, and along with the loss of storage amongst others drawbacks, also find myself open to intrusions while on holiday, etc..  Of course on the plus side it meant reduced hardware having to be carried with me and avoiding some of the clunking kit which cost-focused employers seem to prefer.

CYOD appears to offer a reasonable compromise as it means employers will offer a range of options and employees will choose their preference.

Tip #3 of Lee Naik's CYOD post on LinkedIn however does give me cause for concern though:
Assemble the right team. Mobile projects should include members from IT, legal, HR, security operations and the business. 
No prizes for guessing why Tip #3 raises a 'red light' for me. What's going on that Naik's Mobile Projects Team excludes Procurement?  

To me there needs to be a policy encompassing CYOD and that needs to include constraints on the range of options, who is eligible, and approach to exception and alternatives. There needs to be a sourcing strategy. There needs to be a clear definition of the need. There needs to be a framework arrangement linked to a robust procurement process including the thorough commercial evaluation of the various offers. There needs to be a compliance and contract management approach supported by appropriate T&Cs. There also needs to be an exit strategy.

So it is disappointing that Naik didn't immediately think Procurement should have a 'seat at the table'. My suggestion is that if your organisation is developing a Mobile or Digital strategy, make sure your potential to add value is recognised at Day 1 otherwise it could be another opportunity missed.

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