For pharmaceuticals, the decision to hand out corporate devices to every employee may seem like a no-brainer. Most companies, though, find themselves with a mixed workforce, where most employees use corporate devices but a sizable number work on personal mobiles. Deciding when or whether to switch employees requires compliance, IT, legal, and other business teams to weigh the risks and rewards of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies.
How pharmaceutical companies end up with BYOD
If pharmaceutical companies don’t want BYOD policies, why do they have them in the first place?
Departments like field teams and research and development (R&D) may have historically used personal devices for speed and convenience. Now, as regulatory scrutiny intensifies and mobile communications grow more complex, companies are considering shifting those employees to corporate devices. In some geographies, BYOD may be standard due to local employment norms, limited IT resources, or tax structures where companies assume employees will use their own devices.
However, personal device use across pharmaceuticals mostly grows via mergers and acquisitions. It’s common practice for larger pharmaceuticals to acquire smaller companies as a way to access innovation. Smaller outfits or startups may have defaulted to BYOD upon inception to avoid the upfront costs of providing employees with mobile devices. Once acquired, larger pharmaceuticals inherit this structure. When making multiple acquisitions during years of rapid scale, device procurement and provisioning for new employees can lag, turning BYOD policies from temporary to entrenched.
Risks vs. rewards of BYOD
Choosing between corporate-issued devices and BYOD isn’t straightforward. Each approach comes with trade-offs that affect compliance, cost, and employee productivity. For most pharmaceutical companies, the challenge is balancing regulatory obligations with operational efficiency.
Risks
- Regulatory non-compliance: Unlike corporate devices, IT teams cannot restrict unmonitored apps like WhatsApp or iMessage on BYOD, making it easier for employees to bypass monitored channels. This creates gaps in recordkeeping and puts the company at risk of noncompliance.
- Data breach: Personal devices are more vulnerable to loss or theft due to use outside the office. Without strong mobile device management, sensitive data can fall into the wrong hands and expose the company to legal, financial, and reputational risks.
- Audit and eDiscovery challenges: Capturing communications across BYOD devices and integrating that data into a comprehensive archive adds another layer of complexity for recordkeeping teams. If all communications aren’t consistently archived and unified, audits and eDiscovery become time-consuming and incomplete, leaving companies vulnerable during investigations or litigation.
Rewards
- Convenience and productivity: Employees can work more efficiently on devices they already know without juggling multiple phones. This can improve adoption of compliant communication channels and reduce training requirements, especially for mobile-heavy roles like sales, field operations, or R&D.
- Cost savings: BYOD policies reduce the need to purchase and maintain corporate-issued devices for every employee. Companies can instead spend less on mobile device management solutions to ensure proper data governance and communications compliance.
- Employee satisfaction: Many employees prefer using familiar devices for work. With compliance solutions in place, companies can meet employees where they’re comfortable while maintaining oversight. This balance can improve adherence to company policies and boost overall employee engagement.
Additional considerations
Every organization operates differently, and the decision to switch from BYOD to corporate, or how to prioritize that conversion, depends on a company’s unique risk profile. Compliance, IT, and other business teams should work together to weigh the risks and rewards of BYOD enablement.
For some, a cost-benefit analysis alone might inhibit the issuance of corporate devices. For others, regulatory compliance and productivity may be the most pressing considerations that year. The following are some of the more important considerations when deciding if or when to drop BYOD.
Regulatory risks
Risk level depends on size, market, and compliance history. Larger companies often face more pressure from enforcement agencies, while a past record of noncompliance increases the chance of repeat audits. If regulators already view a company as high-risk, poorly managed BYOD communications can quickly escalate into costly enforcement.
Data security
Personal devices under BYOD require strong governance. Without encryption, containerization, and mobile device management, the use of personal devices for business creates weak points. The real test is whether organizations can monitor, archive, and retrieve communications quickly during audits or litigation, with no messages missing. Weak or incomplete coverage makes every personal device a compliance liability.
Employee experience
Device policy impacts employee productivity. If IT can securely deploy MDM and compliant apps on personal devices, BYOD works smoothly. If not, standardized corporate devices may actually reduce friction by ensuring consistent tools, faster onboarding, and reliable support across teams.
Cost-benefit analysis
BYOD cuts hardware costs but requires heavy investment in monitoring and archiving. Hidden risks such as regulatory fines, investigations, or reputational damage often outweigh savings. True cost-benefit analysis must look past procurement budgets and weigh long-term compliance, security, and operational efficiency.
Whether you’re locked into BYOD or looking to transition to corporate-issued, you need a solution to capture and archive business communications across every device. Global Relay is a secure, single-vendor solution that enables complete compliance for BYOD and corporate mobile phones in any country with our comprehensive portfolio of compliant communications products.
