Students are required to write an academic report as per the format outlined in chapter 5 of the textbook. The report must follow either the Harvard citation and referencing guidelines or APA...

Students are required to write an academic report as per the format outlined in chapter 5 of the textbook. The report must follow either the Harvard citation and referencing guidelines or APA referencing style. Please note that the prescribed textbook uses APA referencing guidelines but the School of Engineering and Technology recommends Harvard style. See also the Referencing Style subsection below.
The report is to be based on the following case study scenario about Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD).
BYOD refers to the situation where organisations allow their employees to bring their personal mobile devices (such as, laptop computers, tablet computers and smart phones) into the workplace and to use those devices to access the organisations’ Wi-Fi, intranet, organisational information and computer applications. The term BYOD is also used to describe the same practice being applied to students using their personal devices at school or university.

Staff who choose to BYOD argue that it is more convenient for them and makes them more productive in the workplace. Advantages for organisations include the potential for cost savings and increased morale of their employees.
However, BYOD also brings significant risks. To ensure that confidential organisational information does not end up with their competitors, organisations need to ensure that they have adequate security measures in place. BYOD increases the opportunities for security breaches to occur. For example, family or friends of employees may have access to the devices in the home environment which could allow non-employees to access confidential information. In addition devices may be lost, misplaced or sold (without first removing the sensitive information) which could result in unauthorised access to an organisations’ sensitive data.

Another issue with BYOD is the lack of standardisation. It is hard for technical staff to support a variety of BYODs that all have a range of software applications on them.
You are the ICT manager of a large software development company based in Sydney. Your organisation has a diversified business model that includes mobile application development as well as developing information systems applications for large organisations. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has asked you to research BYOD at your organisation. She is interested in finding out how the use of BYOD could be used to improve its business model both locally and globally over the next five years. She is also concerned about any possible negative impacts on your organisation. You are to write a report to be presented at the next executive meeting. The report should address the following tasks:
1. What are BYODs and how are they currently being used. You should explore a range of applications of BYOD, for example, in areas such as healthcare, education and other software companies.

2. Discuss at least three ways that BYODs could be used to enhance your organisation over the next five years. In particular the CEO would like you to explore ways BYODs could be used to provide opportunities to expand your business both locally and globally. Analyse potential options that could lead to recommendations at the end of your report.
3. Assess the advantages and disadvantages of using BYODs. Consider the current uses by various organisations and possibilities for your organisation (especially those you have considered in tasks 1 and 2 above). Explore the ethical, social and legal considerations, and the potential positive and negative impacts your organisation should consider. These should lead to some recommendations at the end of your report.

Your report should conclude with a list of recommendations for your organisation with respect to the current and future use of BYODs. Before making specific recommendations at the end of your report, you should evaluate the options as part of your report discussion.