The “bring your own device to work” revolution is here and in a big way. You only have to read the latest tech news sites to see just how popular it has become and in truth it’s not hard to see why. Most of us love gadgets and of course have our own way of using these. Because of this and their portability it makes absolute sense for us to bring these to work. In essence these allow us to do all the same things that a tablet, computer or phones supplied by our companies do but offer the flexibility we need. But what’s driving this revolution?

Well… in truth two things. The first is us and our desire to achieve more efficient and more enjoyable ways of working and secondly advances in technology. We have all seen the explosion in tablet sales and uptake of smart phones. These in themselves are not revolutionary but when combined with a new approach to computing called “cloud computing” then you have a very powerful concept.

The cloud is also not particularly new but it has taken off in a big way in recent years. The big four tech giants are all pushing their own cloud solutions and integrating it into almost all of their offerings. Why you might ask. Well, it’s simple. The cloud offers so much flexibility and in a way never seen before. It’s changed our perception of the way in which we should use computers. We no longer need to save everything to our hard drives but rather have a central point where we can access our data from any device of our choosing. This fundamental concept was a game changer and presents a great opportunity for businesses across the globe.

The latest research shows that record numbers are moving to more flexible working hours as people try to strike a balance between their work and social life. Technology has made this cultural desire possible. Businesses no longer have to be rigid because they can give their employees access to all the data and packages they need via the cloud. Previously businesses could support employees wanting this approach with VPNs. This was often complicated and in turn why the prospect of the cloud is so attractive.

Of course such change is not without risk. Businesses have to consider how much access they provide and whether the devices people are bringing in are secure enough, another IT policy headache for large corporations. The change also means that the line between work and home life becomes much more blurred. In some cases people will end up working longer hours. You only have to look at the early days of the Blackberry for a clear example of this.

It looks like the BYOD concept is here to stay and over the next few years we are undoubtedly going to see some big failures and big successes. I think largely it depends on the organisation itself whether this works or not. Some organisations won’t be suited to it but the cloud will continue to evolve and play a big part in this change. What do you think? Leave us your comments.