Collura says the primary reason employees want to use their own phones is because they don't want to carry two devices. "We probably get one or two requests a month," she says. "As more people get iPhones, they are asking about our policies." Collura's security concerns, like Pressley's, are also about "data and the ability to wipe the device if it is lost or stolen."

Pressley says Hill's approach is a blend of two options. The corporate plan, in which the firm provides the device, is fully supported by IT and the data on it can be wiped remotely if the employee leaves. The other option—usually for employees who don't have access to most of the firm's contacts—lets employees bring their own devices and the firm partially reimburses them for it.

Pressley says the upside to the latter option is that the employee purchases the device and pays the monthly bill. The downside is the difficulty of getting data back and the improbability of the IT department having the capacity to support every desired device.

"It's not a technology issue," says Orndorff, whose IT department is experimenting with several mobile devices. "The issue is mapping out clear, defined rules—what an employee can and cannot do with a device."

Assimilation will happen, just like it did with social media, which also require a set of regulations, he says. Collura notes that companies with 200 or fewer employees may have an easier time managing BYOD policies.