The BYOD craze has taken off with flying colors, with individuals all over using their personal mobile technology for work purposes. This sounds pretty great; using your smartphones and tablets at work seems to provide a convenience and ease like never before. While this concept is great for users, don’t get too hyped to jump the BYOD bandwagon just yet.

All of this newfound freedom and autonomy in the office, of course, comes with a price tag – and you’d have to be living under a rock to not know that in this economy, it’s going to be a hefty one.

I know, I know – you’re probably thinking, “Why can’t I?” in that tone a child uses when they can’t get that chocolate chip cookie they’ve been eyeing before dinner. This is, after all, one of the greatest examples of the consumerization of business technology, especially as reflected by its overwhelming news coverage. Think about it, though, and you might start seeing the picture clearly. Here are five reasons why the BYOD surge is slipping:

1. BYOD Mixes it up a Bit too Much: While the idea of bringing your own device to work is extremely appealing, studies show that a number of customers have expressed higher levels of stress associated with BYOD in the workplace – particularly within their technical teams. Mixing it up every now and then is certainly a good thing, but not when it severely increases complexity at the edge of the Internet. Instead of optimizing for just a few devices, enterprises now must guarantee optimal performance and quality experiences across numerous devices (and don’t forget the applications that accompany them). You can see how this situation can quickly get sticky.
2. Companies are Losing Control: Similarly, BYOD could single-handedly swipe the control a company usually exercises by limiting end-point technology right out of its hands. Additionally, as mentioned above, its ability to easily provide quality end-user experience is no longer guaranteed, as BYOD instigates a large number of Web browsers that all perform differently depending on the mobile and desktop devices being utilized. Since the majority of applications are delivered traditionally via the Web, how can IT departments ensure the same application speed and availability which businesses demand for so many variations? You see where I’m going with this one.
3. BYOD Can Create a Loss of Performance Visibility: Tracking and managing performance levels is clearly a vital aspect of a successfully running business, yet with the introduction of BYOD, this task becomes exponentially more difficult with so many devices and applications at hand. As it was originally a problem faced mostly with consumer-facing companies, it has now expanded into a top concern for businesses of all kinds – including yours.
4. It isn’t Always that Secure: These last two are more-so applied to BYOD users themselves. Relying on a corporate network isn’t always as secure as one may think. Employees expecting to use their personal smartphones and mobile devices at work have made BYOD security a concern for IT teams. Although many corporations accommodate employees’ usage of personal devices at work by providing a BYOD security policy outlining the company’s governance and policy, some organizations have not made it so far, meaning those under the BYOD umbrella could be compromising their network security.
5. BYOD VoIP Subscription: Subscribers who have their own VoIP device, such as a SIP-capable device, are usually able to take advantage of a cheaper subscription plan when using BYOD. Sounds great – that is – until you find out that not all VoIP service providers offer special rate plans for subscribers using their own equipment. If the BYOD subscription is unavailable through a VoIP provider, you will have to settle in using the provider’s equipment instead of your own.

So do you see the big picture now?