Remember when BYOD seemed like a bright idea?

These days, not so much.  With data usage skyrocketing and costs with them, the element of control offered by company-provided devices has been lost.  When people bring their own devices, they feel empowered to download everything from software to movies.

It’s time for some smart solutions for corporate data pooling plans.  Let’s talk about it.

What are they?

Briefly, a data pooling plan can be as small as the average American family or as large as a corporation.  Members of the pool share available data. This prevents wastage for those who are low-data users and billing shock for those you use a lot of it.

And data pooling plans get big bonus points for being cheaper than individual plans.  What better way to solve your BYOD data consumption conundrum?

But before you get started, there are a few things you need to think about to make sure you’re getting the right plan and the best deal.  Let’s review:

1. Roaming

Are your employees working remotely?  Are they ranging around, devices in hand?

These are important questions because roaming charges are a huge source of shock when the bill arrives.  While there are now regulations in place to prevent gouging by carriers, the cost of roaming is still going to haunt you.

Pinpointing the roamers in your company helps you understand who the greatest data usage culprits are.  Knowing where they’re going and how often helps you get a handle on usage and perhaps some helpful cues for defining policy with respect to roaming devices.

1. Personal use

Even if your employees are working on their own devices, data that’s paid by their employer should be work-related.  But as we all know, that’s rarely the case. Our mobile devices are like extensions of our bodies, so work/life boundaries can be blurred.

And content blocking can work against you.  It can provoke revolts! But if you’re too easy-going about data for personal use, your eyes are going to pop out at how much it costs your company.  

Policy around the kind of data that’s not permitted (big data items are usually entertainment) can help, especially when employees sign off on it as part of an employment agreement.

It’s key to the success of any data pooling plan that you have a clear idea of the proportion of personal use data your employees are consuming.  This helps you choose the right plan and set the necessary policies for usage.

1. Highest data usage apps and sites

Here’s an eye-popping statistic – between January and May 2016, mobile data usage for video rose from 5.2% to 57.4%.

And who are the chief offenders?  Youtube and Netflix.

If your employees travel for business, you know they’re going to stream entertainment in their hotel rooms, at the airport and other locations while they’re out there.  The costs for roaming from video data on cell phones is beyond staggering, especially with the rate of consumption noted above.

Again, corporate mobile device policy must explicitly address these issues, or how are employees to know?  While in a perfect world, common sense might inform, we all know that’s a pipe dream. But where common sense fails, policy succeeds.

How CenterPoint can help

If you’re seeking solutions for corporate data pooling plans, you’ll find them at CenterPoint Group.  

With us, you get full visibility.  You’ll be able to see where the data’s being used, how much of it and by which employees.  But we’ll help get you to compliance by advising you on policies attending and how to ensure buy-in from your employees.

CenterPoint leverages purchasing power with our suppliers, deploying $850 million in indirect spend to get you superior contractual terms that save you money.   And with CenterPoint at the negotiating table, you can forget about the RFP process. We handle it, rendering the best possible terms and plans.

Our database procurement software is the formidable Microsoft Dynamics, supporting sophisticated auditing, benchmarking and analysis, identifying areas that require reform and present opportunities for cost savings.

CenterPoint Group’s solutions for corporate data pooling plans fall under the rubric of our wireless cost reduction services.  Coupled with our technological capabilities, we give you the power to change the game, with finely tuned insights derived from data.  

Data usage control isn’t an impossible dream.  At CenterPoint, we’re here to help you live that dream, offering first-in-class solutions for corporate data pooling plans that stop the data usage bleeding.  Contact us.