BYOE - Bring Your Own Everything

As the IT Manager for a small company, I am bombarded every day by vendors touting solutions for BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) and it got me to thinking.  Why stop at the Device, why not bring Everything?  Let me explain.

So the company has office space where its employees (or contractors) work.  Most people like to set their computing device on a flat surface (in an office setting it’s generally a desk).  Why not Bring-Your-Own-Desk or to be more specific, Bring-Your-Own-Flat-Surface (BYOFS)?  And you’ll need something to sit on so where are the calls for BYOC (Bring-Your-Own-Chair or Bring-Your-Own-Couch)?  Office supplies such as paper, pens, tape and a stapler can get expensive so why not BYOPPTS?  What do you do when its noon and your stomach starts to grumble, Bring-Your-Own-Lunch (BYOL).  Maybe BYOL will work if it’s done using a small metal or plastic box where the food is keep.  Remember to keep the BYOL box close because your co-workers might not have thought about BYOL yet.  I may need to look into a patent for BYOL.  I think there’s money to be made in portable food.

So, where is the demarcation point from the company providing work related tools (a computer, tablet, and smartphone are all tools used during the regular course of business) to the wave of Bring-Your-Own-Whatever (BYOW)?  If the company has offices, more than likely they will provide their employees with chairs, desks, a phone and computer.  If you’re a contractor, BYOD might actually be a requirement of the contract job.  And if you work from home, there is little chance that anything belongs to the company.

One last acronym – BYOP (as in Bring-Your-Own-Pajamas).  When you work from home, you want to be as comfortable (and productive) as possible.

- Rob