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The Consumerization of IT

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How many of our colleagues use their own personal devices for business purposes? Now, here’s the burning question. How many employers are aware that they are using those devices? Employees using personal devices at work are part of a growing revolution known as the consumerization of IT, or bring your own technology (BYOT). According to a recent Unisys-IDC study, workers reported that they are using smart phones, laptops and mobile phones in the workplace at nearly twice the rate reported by employers. This disconnect between what workers are doing and what IT leaders believe is happening is echoed in a recent survey of IT security professionals which highlighted the security and management threats posed by the growing use of personal devices like smart phones on corporate networks. About 40 percent of IT security decision makers in the Cisco-sponsored survey said they had experienced a breach or loss of information due to an unsupported network device.

So what’s an IT organization to do? According to IDC, the number of workers using personal smart phones for work is expected to nearly double from 2009 to 2014, and so simply restricting access, failing to measure such practices and failing to provide support isn’t going to work.

According to the Unisys-IDC study: “By modernizing their policies, procedures, and IT systems to harness this trend, organizations have a rare chance over the next 3 to 5 years to leapfrog competitors and over turn existing business models--much as Apple and Google did with their own consumer-led IT business revolutions. Conversely, organizations that fail to prepare for and adapt to this consumer-driven movement will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage and will miss out on rare opportunities to avoid costs, increase their organizational productivity and flexibility, and appeal to a new generation of consumers and employees.” Some thought provoking trends for all of us out there managing services.

So how does an IT department prepare for this or deal with this situation if it already exists? Here are some recommended steps:
  • Do an inventory or baseline of all configuration items as well poll employees about what devices they have and are using both at work and personally. Do this in a way that it does not imply potential punishment, rather for better Knowledge Management of devices. 
  • Compare your inventory or baseline against your service catalog (both from the business aspect and technical services aspect). A widespread use of smartphones may indicate the need for such a means of enabling services. This will allow you to align technologies to the needs of the business and end-user customers.
  • Establish initiatives to identify and implement which of these devices you will move forward with as viable and acceptable means of using for the delivery of services.

 Be proactive in your efforts when it comes to understanding and using technology to enable and support the delivery of value to your customers. It will serve them and you now and into the future.
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