Enable consumerization-of-it

Editor's Notes

• #6: Timing: 5 minutes Key Points:Technology is playing an increasingly important role in people’s personal lives, and these consumer technology experiences are spilling over into their professional lives: People expect to be able to use the same technology at work as they use at home. The enterprise can realize a number of benefits from the consumerization of IT trend with the right approach. The key is to strike a balance between user expectations and enterprise requirements for security, privacy, control, and compliance.There are four key areas where Microsoft can help you to embrace and make the most of the consumerization trend: Windows-based devices; Security and management; Productivity; Application development. Script:As technology plays an increasingly important role in people’s personal lives, it is having a profound effect on their expectations for and use of technology in their work lives. People have access to powerful and affordable PCs and laptops, they are using mobile devices more and more, they expect “always on” connectivity, and they’re connecting with each other in new ways using social networks. Ultimately, they have more choice, more options, and more flexibility in the technology they use every day, and as that technology spills over into their professional lives, the line between personal and professional is blurring. People want to be able to choose what technology they use at work, and they increasingly want to use that same technology in all aspects of their lives, not just at work. In fact, according to a study by Unisys (conducted by IDC), a full 95 percent of information workers use at least one self-purchased device at work. The study also found that information workers “report using an average of four consumer devices and multiple third-party applications, such as social networking sites, in the course of their day.” Somewhat worryingly, the Unisys-IDC study further revealed a discrepancy between what technology employees report using at work and what their employers believe they are using: for example, “69 percent of [information workers] say they can access non-work-related websites, while only 44 percent of their employers report this to be the case.”For IT, it’s about striking a balance between user expectations and enterprise requirements. Consumer technology without a doubt poses some risks to the business—such as to security, privacy, and compliance. However, there are also many benefits to the consumerization of IT trend that businesses can capitalize on with the right approach. People love their consumer technology because it makes it easier for them to connect with each other, access and share information, and collaborate. Those same benefits are there for the taking for businesses. To achieve the right balance—to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits—in some cases could mean embracing certain consumer technologies into the workplace and in others it could mean providing enterprise alternatives that will keep both users and regulators happy.I’d like to break today’s discussion down into four areas where Microsoft can help you make the most of the consumerization trend:Windows-based devices. As the devices continue to evolve and change so does the way that individuals interact with those devices. New scenarios are created at home and at work. The challenge for IT is to have the flexibility to evolve their scenarios to meet the needs of the way people interact with devices without compromising control and security. With a diverse range of devices based on the Windows platform, you can meet your enterprise requirements while delivering an experience that your people will love. Security and management. Our philosophy for our security and management platform is to help you manage this proliferation of devices with a single pane of glass, whether from management tools in your own infrastructure or from cloud services. Today we’ll look at the investments that we’re making to expand our management capabilities beyond Windows to the other platforms in use in your business to help you protect your enterprise.Productivity. We’re continually evolving our productivity platform to deliver the kinds of experiences that people want and to make it easier and more fun to work and collaborate from any location, on any device. The success of Microsoft® Office 2010 speaks for itself: it is the fastest-selling version of Office ever. Nearly 50 million people worldwide now use Office Web Apps. With the system of Office 2010 server products and cloud-based Office 365, we’re providing the best productivity experience on Windows and a best-in-class productivity experience on other devices, enabling the kind of social and connected experiences that people want based on their consumer experiences while delivering the security and privacy that you require in the enterprise.Application development. Application development is as important as ever. And as the industry moves to address this with next-generation applications, we are investing in tools that will simplify and enrich the developer experience within their familiar development environment. Additional Information:“Unisys Consumerization of IT Benchmark Study: Summary Survey Results,” Unisys, 2010, http://www.unisys.com/unisys/ri/pub/bl/detail.jsp?id=1120000970004010071“A history of Windows,” http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/history“IDC Forecasts Worldwide Smartphone Market to Grow by Nearly 50% in 2011,” IDC, March 29, 2011,http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS22762811“Office 2010: A record-breaking first year,” Office Blogs, June 15, 2011, http://blogs.office.com/b/office-exec/archive/2011/06/15/office-2010-record-breaking-first-year.aspx