The Art of Ceding Control of Consumer Technology

Rather than restrict Web 2.0 apps in the workplace, IT departments should adopt a “Zen-like” acceptance of them, one analyst says. “Organisations are being overrun with consumer technologies like instant messaging, mobile devices, Skype and social networking tools as workers seek to infuse the workplace with the productivity these tools have given them in their personal lives.” Originally from Computerworld by Heather Havenstein Framingham
The influx of these consumer technologies cannot be stopped by IT shops, which instead should opt for a “Zen-like acceptance” of the tools and new approaches to IT support, according to a study by the Yankee Group.

Almost 50% of end users feel that they have more control over installing applications and software on their work PC than IT has, according to the study, titled “Zen and the Art of Rogue Employee Management”. In addition, 86% of end users surveyed by Yankee reported that they use at least one unsanctioned consumer technology at work, and the average number in use is four, says Joshua Holbrook, a Yankee analyst and author of the report.

“The adoption of consumer technology in the enterprise has a huge impact on the support and customer care IT has to provide,” Holbrook says. “You can’t keep up with the pace of consumer technology. You can’t support it all yourself because there are too many. You can’t ignore it. The only alternative is to outsource some of the responsibility to the end users.”

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