The tablet version of Windows 8, Windows RT, is lighter and has longer battery life but doesn't support traditional business . It may someday, but not initially, he says. Still it may present itself as a BYOD alternative.

Klyenhans notes that Windows 8 with its dual user interface - the touch interface called modern and the traditional desktop - mean that it will be sold on hybrid and convergable devices that include at touchscreen and a keyboard. "They may be very applicable to certain types of users," he says.

More than just evaluating the devices, IT departments should determine which employees are likely good candidates for using them based on what their job is and how sophisticated they are technologically.

Forrester says the evaluation descriptions of who are best suited for BYOD can be helped along by developing what the research firm calls personas. "When developing personas for your organization, it's critical to take note of individuals who have a strong interest in technology and finding innovative ways to be more productive," according to a Forrester research report.

Kleynhans says that typically traveling workers appreciate devices that act as tablets on the road but full notebooks when they get back to their hotel rooms. "The only way to know is to do a pilot and proof of concept," he says.