As the mobile space continues to grow, consumers are more likely to own multiple devices, which of course means, employees own more devices than ever before.

Whether it’s a PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet, or even a wearable, the personal device ecosystem consumers have today is being carried over into the workplace. With all these devices and platforms seamlessly sharing information and documents, it creates challenges for enterprise IT departments to keep track of and secure company documents and data.

"There are two challenges we see here," said Allen Falcon, CEO of Massachusetts-based solution provider Cumulus Global.  "One is with end user experience. Can the user do the same thing on any device they are working with?
Understanding how users are using their mobile devices compared to a PC is important. The other big issue is data protection. The very Basic levels, the number of systems in place to provide virus and malware protection for multiple platforms, whether it's a company owned device or an employee owned device."

Research firm Gartner predicts that in the next 6 years, more than 50 percent of domestic smart objects will be able to communicate directly or indirectly with smartphones. This makes it all the more important to have a strategy in mind ahead of a BYOD problem.

"It's about being agile and being responsive," Falcon said. "We even see that as a cloud solutions reseller, we onboard new features when they become available and talk to clients about whether or not they want the new solution. The focus should really be protecting the user and not just the device. It's protecting the web of data and not just the individual devices. You could have someone switch from an iPhone to an Android phone, and you shouldn't have to reengineer your device management. You need a mobile device management strategy."

For Falcon, it's not just about what features your IT department can support, but how they voice their ideas for solutions. Show the end-user the IT department is looking out for them, and they won't try to find a solution somewhere else.

"If you can stay ahead of demand for new capabilities by bringing ideas to the table about how the end user can be more effective for what they're trying to do, then fewer end users will actively look for their own solution," he said. "They trust that you are looking out for them, so even if they are frustrated with something, they'll trust that you are working with them. They have to trust the IT department is forward-looking. "