62M BYOD-bound Smartphones Sold in Q1: Strategy Analytics

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The bring your own device (BYOD) trend is living up to its name, according to new data from Boston-based market intelligence firm Strategy Analytics.

The group found that when it comes to business mobility, workers are increasingly putting their own money on the line. “The number of BYOD smartphones entering enterprises through the outlay of employees aiming to boost their own productivity was more than double the volume purchased as corporate assets by enterprises in Q1 2013,” informed Strategy Analytics in a company statement.

All told, employers and business users bought 62 million smartphones worldwide during the first quarter. In terms of global sales, that means that nearly 30 percent of those Apple iPhones, Samsung Galaxies and assorted other smartphones are being tapped for work duty.

And the trend is accelerating, says Kevin Burden, director of Mobility at Strategy Analytics. “Globally, the BYOD trend entered 2013 with more momentum than it ever had in 2012, which was a tremendous year for the movement, with close to 100 percent growth,” he stated in company remarks.

Moreover, organizations appear to be brushing aside BYOD’s potential pitfalls. “A nearly 40 percent increase in the first quarter shows that enterprises continue to embrace BYOD, and downsides such as increasing internal support costs or losing operator support services from abandoning corporate-liable contracts has had little impact on the growing trend,” added Burden.

A recent survey from iPass, a Wi-Fi network services provider, suggests that when organizations institute BYOD programs, employees demand soon follows.

Among companies that sanction mobile device use, 70 percent of mobile workers adopt their BYOD policies. Seventy percent of respondents also reported that they were allowed to use their personal mobile devices for work.

Asia Pacific beat out North America in BYOD volume. During the first quarter the two regions experienced increases of 77 percent and 18 percent, respectively. A deeper examination of overall smartphone sales reveals, however, that over “44 percent of North America’s smartphone sales in Q1 are used in BYOD, compared to less than 19 percent in Asia Pacific,” stated the company.

Western Europe has even less of an appetite for BYOD.

Roaming charges, rigid data and calling plans and IT security concerns are causing the region to backslide on BYOD. “It saw a 15 percent year-over-year reduction in Q1 BYOD devices, and a 43 percent increase in corporate liable smartphone sales,” said Strategy Analytics.

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Datamation and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.