COPE is the complete opposite to bring your own device (BYOD), a strategy in which employees use their own devices for work, rather than attaining them from their employer. Businesses using a COPE strategy can provide their employees with IT devices and gadgets but the company maintains ownership of such devices, and can often monitor and control their activity to a larger degree. Besides business purposes, employees can use their devices for personal activities such as accessing social sites, email, calls, etc. Plus, COPE can be a less expensive option that BYOD, in which employees are often reimbursed for all or part of the cost of the devices they buy. This is because if the company buys devices, it can generally get them for less than retail price. COPE also gives the company more power in terms of policing and protecting devices, thus reducing some of the risk that comes with BYOD.