Tapping the Benefits
While some have joked that BYOD really means “Bring Your Own Disaster,” the trend toward BYOD and mobile apps does not appear to be a passing fad. According to Dodson, “Lotpath foresees a future where most produce companies have employees carrying various types of devices from various vendors.” And, there are plenty of BYOD success stories.
For Toms, the pros outweigh the cons at HMC Farms: “The majority of our sales, accounting, and operations employees have access to our ERP system, email, and other strategic information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This allows our company to constantly react to the variable nature of fresh produce. Our employees enjoy the freedom of not being tied to a desk.”
Before simply opening up corporate content and networks to employees, however, employers need to carefully evaluate the risks and proactively implement sound technology and procedural solutions.
