“In a nod to how finicky people have become about the gadgets they use, software company Citrix Systems Inc. is rolling out a new program for its workers: BYOC – Bring Your Own Computer,” Rasha Madkour reports for The Associated Press.
“Employees get a $2,100 stipend to buy a laptop and three-year service plan. In exchange for getting a computer with the specs they want – whether it’s a wide screen, a light weight or ultra-fast processing – the workers essentially take on the company’s technology purchasing and maintenance responsibilities. The 200 staffers who have signed up since the pilot program began this month say it’s a deal they’re happy to take,” Madkour reports.
“It appears Citrix is the first large company to take such a leap, at least publicly. Steve Kleynhans, an analyst at Gartner Inc. (IT), said other technology companies have started similar pilot programs but are doing so under the radar,” Madkour reports.
“For Citrix, the program is a way of promoting its ‘virtualization’ technology, which among other things lets companies run software programs they need – like SAP for time sheets and Microsoft Exchange for e-mail – in a central data center. Employees access the applications by logging in remotely, but the programs and potentially confidential information in them are never downloaded to the workers’ own laptops,” Madkour reports.
Madkour reports, “Citrix’s chief information officer, Paul Martine, said the company’s leaders asked themselves: ‘Our technology does this – why aren’t we doing this? I’m either crazy or this is going to be the trend of the future.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Here’s to the crazy ones!
Seriously, though, the more people who use Macs, the more people there are who won’t settle for being trapped on Windows for 8+ hours a day. For that reason, we believe that “BYOC” is going to be the trend of the future.
Madkour continues, “There are some restrictions. Citrix is requiring that employees use either Windows or Mac operating systems, have antivirus software and buy a three-year, full-service warranty so that tech support from the manufacturer can be on hand within 24 hours and supply a loaner if needed.”
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brian” for the heads up.]