Blurring Lines with a Mobile Workforce

Bring Your Own Device, Face Your Own Discipline?

Ruwan Adikaram, , PhD, and Roger Reinsch, , JD, and Alan C. Roline, , JD

In the realm of information technology, “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) is the practice of allowing employees to use personal technology devices such as laptops and smartphones for work purposes. In one form of BYOD, employees use personal devices at work or off-site locations (client sites). In the other form of BYOD, organizations provide devices that employees use for personal purposes outside of work (Richard Oliver, “Why the BYOD Boom is Changing How we Think About Business IT,” Engineering Technology, vol. 7, no. 28, November 2012). The common theme in both forms is that these devices are used for both work and personal tasks, which blurs the lines between personal and official use. This dual-use means that these devices essentially share software, data, applications, cloud services, and connect to networks at home, work or anywhere else. Although BOYD offers many benefits, CPA firms should also be cognizant of BYOD risks. [See, for example, Steven M. Puiszis, “Can't Live With Them, Can't Live Without Them—The Ethical and Risk Management Issues For Law Firms That Adopt A “BYOD” Approach to Mobile Technology,” 2015, Journal of the Professional Lawyer, vol. 33, 2015.]