Imagine this: Your employee walks into work while checking his email. He connects to your wifi. He opens an email and clicks a link. All normal, right? But this link is to a compromised website. Suddenly, you've got a serious problem on your hands.

Scenario 2: Your employee works hard, both at home and at the office. She uses her own laptop to connect to your network. But she also uses her laptop for personal use, and doesn't always have the most up-to-date versions of software. You know she's posing a risk, but you don't know what to do about it.

It's not just these types of scenarios that reveal why BYOD policies are necessary. It's also the fact of BYOD's new status as a corporate requirement. As Scott Matteson writes for TechRepublic, the number one way BYOD will change (or has already) in 2016 is that it will become "more of a requirement than a privilege."

He continues, "...if anything workers will start seeing companies requesting or even mandating that they use their own devices for company work. Gartner predicts half of employers around the world will require BYOD by the end of 2016."

But you aren't worried about other businesses. So let's take a look at yours, and the reasons for (or against) creating a BYOD policy. Do you really even need it?

How Can You Tell If You Need a BYOD Policy?

We're going to break it down so you can tell whether or not BYOD really makes sense for your business's goals. Here's what to consider:

Are a significant number of your employees bringing their own devices to work already? (If you have a mobile workforce, this is likely.)
Would any critical functions be disrupted if an employee weren't allowed to use his/her own device? Do any daily workflow items happen on these devices?
Are you struggling to increase productivity/functionality because of limited budget to buy more devices?

If you answered yes to those questions, it's probably time to start thinking about crafting a policy.

Now consider the other side of this. When should you not adopt BYOD?

"There is no case in which BYOD should exist without a policy," says Jennifer Allen, Twinstate's Red Team manager. "So if you don't think you can adopt a full-fledged BYOD policy now, don't allow BYOD."

There has to be a clear delineation between what apps and data are allowed on a device and what won't be acceptable, a clear understanding of how data is handled, and a clear expectation of what you, as the employer, must control and remain responsible for vs. what the employee must be responsible for. A BYOD policy must be stronger than your regular IT policy, notes Allen, because you have to get down to the nitty gritty by default.

"This has to be spelled out and rigorous," Allen says. "If your company isn't ready to institute that or train on it, you probably aren't ready to let employees use their own devices."

There are two other cases in which BYOD might not be right for your organization:

If you have what the Department of Homeland Security calls Highly Sensitive PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and you or your employees have a legal responsibility to maintain a separation from your personal data
If you know productivity will be negatively impacted by your employees' use of personal devices

Recommended Read: What is BYOD and Is It Right For My Company?

Listing out the Benefits

The necessity of BYOD really depends on your company needs, but just consider that most employees will bring their own devices to work unless mandated not to, anyway, and you can see the need for a policy to address this. As for instituting a policy in a place where employees don't already bring their own devices? That's up to you. List out the pros and cons of allowing this new venture to help you discover whether or not it could work for you.

Understanding how BYOD can improve your workflow and productivity is crucial to understanding whether you need it. Click to tweet

"It boils down to identifying functionality, looking at the workflows, discovering how much you can control use, how much ease of access it allows and how much it would reduce wasted time," says Allen. Some of the less tangible benefits might include boosting morale or the ability to support employees as they do after hours work.

Ultimately, your decision about whether or not to allow for BYOD at your company should be made through examining possible benefits and downfalls. But your decision on whether or not to create a policy? That's easy. If you allow for BYOD, a policy is a must.