43+ Stunning BYOD Stats and Facts to Know in 2023

Hello, world.

Want to take a journey back in history? Two decades ago – in 1999, Putin became the president of Russia, the euro became a reality, Star Wars: Episode I was released, and we had mobile phones with antennas.

Some things didn’t change in 20 years, but at least we don’t have antennas sticking out of our pockets anymore.

Today we’ll talk about how our antenna-less, smart, touchscreen, AI-powered devices influence our work lives.

Do we prefer to use our own tech for work, or not?

We’ll look into some BYOD stats to find out.

What?

BYOD stands for Bring-Your-Own Device. As the name suggests, it’s the trend that has allowed employees to do work on their private PCs and smartphones.

Here’s a sample of what lies ahead:

The Most Eye-Catching BYOD Stats for 2023

• 67% of employees use personal devices at work.
• BYOD generates $350 of value each year per employee.
• A BYOD-carrying employee works an extra two hours.
• 87% of businesses are dependent on their employee’s ability to access mobile business apps from their smartphone.
• 69% of IT decision-makers in the U.S. say BYOD is a good thing.
• BYOD market size is expected to reach $366.95 billion by 2022.
• 59% of organizations adopt BYOD.

The BYOD acronym signifies a trend that changed workplace culture forever. The ability to use your own devices to perform your work duties turned out to have dramatic effects.

For one, you’re already familiar with your device. You don’t have to adjust to another (probably older) technology, possibly another OS, and so on.

On top of that, it’s easier – you don’t have to walk around with several devices. You can balance your personal and professional life more easily that way.

If you don’t yet see the benefits of BYOD, you may be skeptical right now. We’ll see if you have any grounds for that later on.

It’s not the best option for everyone, and it inevitably inspires a polarized debate. But is it good for you? Or your business?

We’ll take a look at some numbers in a minute to see how BYOD affects businesses and employees worldwide. We’ll also check out the economic dimensions of BYOD.

Now, let’s dive into the ocean of numbers, carefully refined by yours truly.

Unbelievable "Bring Your Own Device" Statistics

Did you know that:

1. Companies gain an extra 240 hours of work per year from employees due to mobile working.

(Source: Salesforce)

This is the equivalent of $5114 extra work per employee. Or about six additional working weeks.

BYOD seems like a good deal for enterprises.

2. 61% of organizations expect employees to be available remotely, even if they don’t provide a company phone.

(Source: Samsung)

In these cases, you have no other choice, but to use your personal device for work purposes. Thankfully, if the company is using employee monitoring software you can add the billable hours easily. 

3. 95% of organizations permitted the use of personal devices in their workplaces before the pandemic.

(Source: Finances Online)

According to BYOD trends, the practice has been there since 2010, with millennials being the biggest participators.

4. 36% of the companies have at least half of their employees using their personal smartphones for work purposes.

(Source: Syntonic)

29% of the companies have between a quarter and a half of their employees using their smartphones for work. Wonder if any have all their staff using their own smartphones? Yes, they do. They represent 4% of interviewees in the study.

5. 67% of people use their own devices at work.

(Source: CBS News)

According to Microsoft, regardless of the office’s official "bring your own device" policy, two out of three employees use their devices at work. Even if it’s forbidden, some people utilize their devices anyway, in one way or another.

6. 500 million people will have phones supporting 5G by the end of 2022.

(Source: Cass Information Systems Inc.)

People working in BYOD environments will use smart devices over 5G networks at home or the office. The advantage is that they’ll offer faster speeds, intelligent assistants, wearables, etc. 

Organizations will manage these alongside existing apps and tools, which will call for the development of policies to cater to this technology. 

7. The BYOD market will reach $366.95 billion in 2022.

(Source: Global Market Insights)

BYOD statistics show its market share in 2014 was at $94.15 billion. According to this and other stats, BYOD is continuously on the rise. Even Chuck Norris can’t stop it.

8. The smartphone is the preferred device of BYOD employees.

(Source: Cisco)

Duh. Yeah, this was already obvious. What you probably don’t know is that BYOD employees own an average of 1.7 devices for work and spend around $965 out of their pocket.

These stats tell us something simple. BYOD is BIG. And obviously, it’s here to stay.

Now, let’s check out what happens with BYOD today.

BYOD Stats for 2023 That Actually Matter

Here are more interesting BYOD facts that deserve your attention. 

9. BYOD occurred in 45% of UK businesses back.

(Source: Statista)

In the United Kingdom, among the total number of enterprises, BYOD occurred in 60% of finance or insurance companies.

10. 69% of IT decision-makers in the US believe BYOD is a good thing.

(Source: Cisco)

This percentage rises to 88 in some countries. IT leaders consider BYOD is a positive move for their organization.

11. 95% of organizations allow personal devices in some way in the workplace.

(Source: Cisco)

The other 5% are probably high-security oriented. (or just a-holes)

Although not all companies are using BYOD, still:

12. 87% of companies depend to some extent on their employee’s ability to access mobile business apps from their personal smartphones.

(Source: Syntonic)

The company size doesn’t impact the organization’s dependency on mobile business apps.

44% of businesses with over 1,000 employees are highly dependent, while in companies with less than 1,000 workers, the number is at 41%. And how many apps do you think their employees use?

13. Employees access an average of 5.2 mobile business apps daily.

(Source: Syntonic)

More than one-third (32%) of the interviewees used at least six mobile apps daily and 11% use more than 10. Picture this – more than half a smartphone’s screen filled with apps, related to your work.

BYOD stats show not only employees use these apps:

14. More than half (51%) organizations provide apps to at least one other party.

(Source: Apperian)

The extended enterprise also includes hourly workers, contracted employees, dealer networks, or business partners.

15. Email, calendar, and contact management are the most popular types of mobile apps enabled on BYOD – 84%.

(Source: Crowd Research)

Almost every employee who uses their device for work checks their email, appointments, and contacts. 45% of employees use it for document access/editing, and 43% - to access SharePoint/intranet.

Almost all companies that allow you to bring your own device to work do agree on one thing:

16. 96% of companies with BYOD say the number of personal devices, connecting to corporate networks is growing.

(Source: Dimensional Research)

Well, the reason for this is quite simple. First off, employees start using their smartphones for work-related tasks. Then, for some of the tasks, they decide to use tablets or laptops. As time goes on, you prefer to get more and more done with your own devices if allowed.

Now that we have some basic understanding of the situation, let’s dig a bit deeper. More precisely - let’s look at the psychological effect of BYOD on employees and if it improves their productivity and happiness.

17. Under 47 million sites in the United States have SSL. 

(Source: Thinscale)

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is vital when it comes to securing browser-server transactions. In a country with about 1.8 billion websites, less than 47 million have SSL, which puts a significant risk on their data. Therefore, companies need to step up their game on this front for security purposes. 

BYOD at Work – Does It Help Employers and Employees?

It sure looks like it, and the next few stats have the numbers to prove it.

But before we see how, let’s make it clear why these stats matter:

18. Only 17% of all enterprises provide mobile devices to employees.

(Source: Samsung)

That leaves a whopping 83% of all companies, where BYOD is a viable option. In some places, amongst startup businesses especially, BYOD is a must.

Now that you know this, and we already know what is the "bring your own device" policy we can see its benefits for employees and companies alike:

19. Smartphones increase productivity by 34%.

(Source: Samsung Insights)

The productivity increase is most visible among mid-size organizations. Let’s face it – 34% is a lot. It increases employees’ confidence. Also makes CEOs happier. A classic win-win situation.  

20. A BYOD employee works an extra two hours every day.

(Source: ITProPortal)

These employees also send 20 more emails per day. About 30% of employees check their work email before the official start of the workday – between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. One of the pros of the BYOD program is there is no time lost to “get to know” the device.

21. 61% of employers say improved mobility is the top driver for BYOD.

(Source: Crowd Research)

The greater employee satisfaction is second with 56%, followed by increased productivity at 55%. Although we may think all the companies are interested in making/saving money, the top three reasons for BYOD implementation are employee-related benefits. Only 47% consider reduced costs the most important advantage of the program.

By working on your own device, you don’t have to be stuck in the office all day, which improves the overall satisfaction of the employees. This is another example of how BYOD increases productivity.

22. 83% of people say working from home increases their productivity.

(Source: Intuition)

According to BYOD stats, 83% of remote workers say their productivity goes up when not in the office. 

One would think that would be the opposite, bearing in mind the various distractions - TV, kids, friends popping by, name it.

However, those working from home take their jobs seriously since they still have to pay their bills. Besides, there are numerous time management apps that can help them stay focused and measure their productivity.

23. Employees who work remotely 60% to 80% of the time make more progress in their workday.

(Source: Gallup)

37% of the workforce would change their job if the same position was available with the ability to work where they want at least part of the time.

We already know the percentage of companies that give devices to their employees. Therefore it’s obvious these employees are most likely in the BYOD movement. Both employers and employees appreciate the ability to work from your device outside of the office.

24. 53% of enterprises say mobility improves business processes and productivity.

(Source: Apperian)

And these are just the primary benefits. Businesses use custom apps to save time and make employees’ work more comfortable. The research shows custom apps save 7.5 hours per employee per week.

It’s obvious from these stats that companies and employees generally agree on BYOD as a good thing. But how many of them have policies about it? Or it happens unregulated? We are about to find out.

25. Over 80% of businesses are encouraging the BYOD trend.

(Source: Mordor Intelligence)

COVID-19 catapulted BYOD into a regular work mode in most firms in 2021. With search giants like Google starting to bring their employees back to the office, it makes more sense to embrace the trend.

Each staff member can carry their own machine as opposed to sharing to minimize infections around the workplace. 

The good news is that over ¾  of organizations around the globe are already on board, according to BOYD stats for 2022.

Do You Have a "Bring Your Own Device" Policy?

Regulation is important to prevent security risks arising from use of personal devices at the workplace.

But how many organizations have the right policies in place? 

We'll, check this out:

26. 39% of companies have a formal BYOD policy.

(Source: Trustlook)

Okay, so 61% of the enterprises don’t precisely regulate BYOD. The lack of policy imposes a security risk to companies.

27. The IT department is responsible for BYOD policy in 69% of organizations.

(Source: Crowd Research)

While it is debatable of who should create BYOD policy in a company the IT department leads as a significant factor. The security team is the second most preferred to handle those issues among all companies.

It’s interesting to note that almost half of all employees use their devices at their own discretion.

28. More than 50% of employees haven’t received any instructions for BYOD in the workplace.

(Source: Trustlook)

Relying on peoples’ technical literacy is a double-edged sword. Despite improved productivity and other positives, using a personal device for a work-related task without instructions can pose a security risk.

Such a policy is a good thing. So is the employees’ happiness. But there’s one more reason to adopt BYOD.

BYOD – Bring Your Own Dollars

Did you know that by checking work email on your smartphone you become a part of a whole new industry? I guess you didn’t. I don’t think about that either. But some people care, and they give us these fantastic "bring your own device" statistics:

29. Experts predict that the BYOD and enterprise mobility market will hit $157.3 billion by 2026.

(Source: Help Net Security)

The BYOD and enterprise mobility market will grow by a CAGR of 16.7% between 2022 and 2026. Devices’ value alone will increase by a rate of 15.4% to reach around $82.4 billion during the prediction period. The software facet will also grow by about 16.9%.

30. BYOD generates an average of $350 of value each year per mobile employee.

(Source: Cisco)

BYOD helps companies accumulate an estimated benefit of $300-$1300 per year from the average employee. No doubt more and more of them will try to implement it in some way. This way, companies have a happier workforce and they earn more money. Sounds like a win-win.

Of course, not all employees pay for everything when it comes to the use of personal devices for work.

31. 69% of companies reimburse their workers for the work-related use of their smartphones.

(Source: Syntonic)

As you may imagine, smaller companies pay less than big businesses. The average monthly reimbursement for companies with less than 500 employees is $55.45. Meanwhile, big enterprises with over 10,000 workers pay out an average of $80.20.

But how do you manage all these devices?

Let’s say a few words about MDM in the BYOD world.

What is MDM?

MDM stands for Mobile-Device-Management. It is a combination of apps, corporate policies (If any), and certificates. It makes managing end-user devices simple and effective. An enterprise usually has so many devices that it needs MDM to manage the incoming data.

Companies with a BYOD policy especially benefit from an effective MDM solution.

32. The MDM market will reach $7.96 billion by 2023.

(Source: Businesswire)

Along with BYOD, the Master Data Management market is expected to grow at nearly the same pace. Its CAGR is predicted to be around 23%.

Alright, so we looked at the BYOD reimbursement and its market. There’s one more question that remains unanswered. Namely, how much money would companies save if they chose the BYOD path, instead of EPD (Employer-provided device)?

33. Companies can save up to 11% from switching from EPD to BYOD.

(Source: Samsung Insights)

According to Samsung, EPD companies spend $1,415 per employee every two years. This covers a phone, connectivity costs, software, and management. BYOD companies, on the other hand, pay $1,266 in reimbursement fees (stipends), software, and management. The difference is almost 11%.

BYOD stats also reveal that more and more companies are intrigued by the switch and the benefits it can bring:

34. 59% of organizations use BYOD.

(Source: Tech Pro Research)

And there are 13% more who plan to implement it. It’s not all about the money, of course. Still, saving around $1,000 per employee is something to consider.

Care to know how much money we spend on our BYOD devices?

35. The BYOD market will have a compound annual growth of 15% between 2021 to 2025.

(Source: Mordor Intelligence)

Between the forecast period of 2021-2026, the BYOD CARG will grow by 15%. Implementing 4G and 5G networks by economies worldwide will be the key driver towards the development. Another main contributor will be the increasing demand for smartphones.   

36. The average BYOD worker spends $965 on their device.

(Source: Cisco)

This is the amount we pay for our BYOD technology. For those companies that don’t provide stipends for their employees, this expense is covered entirely by the employee. Also, companies don’t need to upgrade devices, because workers will buy newer models if they aren’t content with the ones they have.

Okay now, so far we reviewed the positive aspects of BYOD. It’s not all roses, though. The dark side of BYOD is that there are some real security risks involved with letting employees use their devices for work.

So despite all of the advantages of BYOD, there are some:

Roadblocks for BOYD Adoption

Here are the hurdles that are slowing down the acceptance of BYOD at workplaces.

37. 39% of companies cite security concerns as the main barrier to BYOD adoption.

(Source: Crowd Research)

BYOD adoption does carry certain risks – cyberattacks, stolen/lost devices, and unprotected public Wi-Fi networks are only a few of the reasons against BYOD adoption. As far as management is concerned – only 3% are actually against this practice.

38. Only 14% of companies have a preferred mobile security app for their employees.

(Source: Trustlook)

Apparently, not every company actually cares about their security that much. Go figure.

Alternatively, companies may not be aware that almost everyone can send an email via their phone. But BYOD security app is something not so many employees care/know about that much.

In terms of BYOD security, care to know what’s most companies’ primary concern?

39. 72% of companies cite data leakage/loss as the top security concern for BYOD.

(Source: Crowd Research)

56% of companies worry about unauthorized access to company data.

54% of them are concerned employees will download unsafe apps or content.

Of course, companies also note that stolen or lost devices can be an issue.

40. IT theft in the office is at 23%.

(Source: Kensington)

And 34% of the thieves are employees.

If you are an employer, you might need a minute to reflect on this. And you might need a network monitoring solution to reduce the risks. 

These thefts rank almost as high as car and transportation ones (25%).

So how do companies ensure their BYOD-related security? What’s the most common data protection BYOD software?

41. 56% of BOYD companies use remote wipe and MDM to deal with security.

(Source: Bitglass)

50% use device encryption, while 46% use antivirus or anti-malware apps. 9% of organizations either don’t know how or don’t care to protect themselves.

Alright.  Now let’s look at some stories that illustrate the problems with BYOD.

When BYOD Backfires

You stand to lose big time due to theft or security breaches arising from BYOD.

Here are a few examples: 

42. A stolen laptop was the cause of a $1.5 million fine.

(Source: Paubox)

This is one of the most notable incidents up to date. It showcases the cons of implementing a "bring your own device" policy.

In 2012 a doctor’s personal laptop was stolen. The thing was, it had all his patients’ personal data on its hard drive. When the news spread, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Associates, Inc. (the company the doctor worked for) had to pay a huge fine.

There is also one more or less funny story, without such repercussions.

43. CEO loses vacation pictures due to a security breach.

(Source: Arnnet)

While on vacation, CEO Peter Bauer’s daughter wanted to use his smartphone. When she entered the wrong PIN five times in a row, the pre-installed remote wipe deleted his photos of the vacation.

Funny thing is the CEO helped establish this “bring your own device” policy in the company. Sometimes BYOD can bite back.

There is one more interesting fact I saved for last:

Fun Fact

Before I wrap this up, I found something else, which is kind of related to the topic of the day.

Did you know you can bring your baby to work?

Yes, you can – if you are a state employee in Arizona, Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Washington state, and Vermont.

If you do take advantage of this, there’s another BYOD policy for you as well – Bring your own diapers.

I wonder what’s next.

Conclusion

Alright folks, if nothing else at least by now we know what is “bring your own device”. Although it has many benefits, it can be a security hazard as well.

I’m a BYOD employee, at least occasionally and it works fine for me. Of course, some people want to draw a thick line between personal and work life, and that’s perfectly understandable as well.

Like it or not BYOD is becoming more and more popular, and it looks unstoppable at this point. So stay tuned. We will update this article once enough new  BYOD stats show up in the years to come.