The Lighter Side Of BYOD

Upside-Down Time: The Case For Dual Persona

February 4, 2013

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By Bill Strawderman

Bill Strawderman
Executive Director, B2B Digital Marketing and Social Media, AT&T

It might occur to you that I am not an artist. I have to agree, at least in the visual sense.

I drew Jim on my “phablet” on a Saturday morning at the moment I decided to try a more visual form of blog expression. It’s remarkable how our use of time has changed inexorably – the boundary between work and life having been dashed to smithereens.

According to a recent Nielsen study, 41% of tablet owners and 38% of smartphone owners use these devices while watching TV. And that time could entail relatively healthy proportions of work e-mail, professional network development, or simple distraction. We no longer have down time, really.

It’s now upside-down time.

In what James Slavet so vividly describes as The Last Second Economy our mobile way of life is increasingly unbounded, especially when we aren’t on the couch. We move frenetically from place to place, and context to context. Friction robs us of our ability to be productive during upside-down time on the move. So the natural progression from being always connected is being effortlessly connected – so that we can jump from context to context and switch seamlessly between work and personal life.

Enabling dual personas on the device of your choice is a rational move on the path to productivity. Essentially a client gets installed on your personal mobile phone. That client provides a secure, encrypted container and gateway to your corporate applications. Your personal data and apps are walled off from the corporate suits.

Company data and apps are protected through passwords, encryption, and centrally managed IT-policy controls. But you are the toggle switch, with your smartphone providing a mirror to your complex personalities. Less friction for you means the business can capture the upside of upside-down time.