When most people talk about the consumerization of enterprise IT, the real topic is products made for and purchased by consumers, who then bring those products into an enterprise IT environment. While that story is real, it can mask a larger story — that of the trends coming in from the consumer world. While these trends travel via products and technologies, they are larger than any particular product and could, with the introduction of new technology, influence the enterprise in unexpected ways. Five trends to watch are:
Mobility — A walk through any bookstore, coffee shop, airport concourse or shopping mall offers proof that computer work and office desks are no longer closely related. Employees want the ability to be productive wherever they may be and are willing to work with a variety of different tools to make that happen. They're not willing to meekly follow policies that say they have to sit in one place to get things done when they've been given no solid reason to do so.
Ubiquity — Twenty years ago, computing was something special certain workers did. Now, computers are part of daily life for many people, mediating communications, record-keeping, decision-making and collaboration among other basic tasks. This changing attitude toward computers means that it's more difficult for workers to easily understand special rules for using computers. Policies for information security, for example, should focus on information, not on computers, to elicit best compliance from users.
Diversity — Computers no longer come in "one size fits all" configurations. Consumers move among laptop computers, tablet-format devices and smartphones to gain access to email, video, instant messages, Web applications and the rest of the communication forms that make up the electronic sea in which they swim. The arguments over which device is best have no resonance with many consumers because they recognize that different devices have different uses and that all can be used at one time or another. They will look for the same diversity in the enterprise IT ecosystem and push to bring in their own devices if the corporate IT group is slow to embrace device diversity.
Virtualization — Google has proven to consumers that the environment and the device are two separate things. Accustomed to reaching the same application with the same look no matter which device is in their hand, they see nothing unusual or mysterious about a virtualized desktop. The physical device they use is a window into a set of applications that comes from somewhere else, and they're comfortable with pulling functions and data from different sources. Enterprise IT departments will run to catch up with their users (and regulators will bring up the rear) when it comes to virtualized and cloud-based applications and services.
Security — Consumers send personal information to banking applications, friends and family members from their smartphones, tablets and computers. They are no strangers to the idea that criminals want to steal personal information, but they feel that security for the computers they use should be no more complicated than the security for their automobiles or homes. The idea that their phones can carry the credentials for building entry or desktop computer authentication isn't novel — it's what they've begun to do in their private lives. They look forward to the enterprise catching up and relieving some of the burden on their memory.
There is a perception, mostly among enterprise IT professionals, that corporate computing is inherently different from personal computing. Corporate boards, regulators and IT professionals alike will need to protect the enterprise infrastructure and data while recognizing that, in many ways, the trends of consumer IT are leading the enterprise, not following meekly behind.
For more information:
Managing Mobile Compliance and Risk
Desktop Virtualization Tries to Find Its Place in the Enterprise
Five Must-Have Enterprise 2.0 Technologies
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