Navigating Users with Enhanced Influence
In today's digital age, the way businesses operate is undergoing a significant transformation. One of the most prominent changes is the 'bring your own device' (BYOD) trend, which is reshaping the IT landscape.
According to recent reports, much of this BYOD activity is unmanaged, with only half of UK workers who use personal devices for corporate data having signed a policy for data protection and device security. This presents a challenge for IT departments, who must ensure data accuracy, timeliness, security, and compliance, even with increased employee and business unit autonomy over technology selection.
The rise of BYOD is not a phenomenon isolated to the UK. In Howard Dresner's latest Wisdom of Crowds survey, the majority of new Business Intelligence (BI) projects globally were initiated by business units, marking a departure from BI projects of old. This shift signifies a growing trend of business users taking control of their own analytics tools and procuring them with their own budgets.
This shift in power is also reflected in the UK government's G-Cloud procurement framework. This allows government departments to buy cloud services from security-checked and approved suppliers, reducing their own checks and balances.
However, this increased autonomy also poses challenges. The vibrant online marketplace for applications allows workers and business units to choose and deploy their own applications, posing challenges for central control over identity and access management, licence control, and data visibility.
To address these challenges, some organizations are turning to mobile device management (MDM) systems to secure corporate data. Many organizations that decide to take a proactive approach to BYOD have reported positive experiences with MDM, as it allows employees to choose their devices while preserving IT security.
Moreover, the IT department must shift its skill set from systems administration and support to communication, collaboration, and engagement with the business. This is crucial to protect the organization's long-term information interests.
Gartner analyst Darryl Plummer suggests the concept of a 'cloud broker' as a solution to this problem. This is an organization that departments must buy cloud services and Software as a Service (SaaS) applications through, applying identity management rules, monitoring usage, and maximizing the buying power of the end-user.
At the same time, there is a growing recognition of the need for data governance within business units. A project at Newcastle University is investigating how to design systems so that employees appreciate the value and risk associated with various kinds of company data.
The IT security consulting firm AV-Test, which examined the security of popular tablet devices in 2012, found "serious security flaws" in the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Similar concerns have been raised about the security of Apple's iPad, with IT security consultancy Context finding "serious security failings" that can still be 'jailbroken' easily, posing security concerns for corporate data on employee-owned devices.
In conclusion, the BYOD trend and the rise of business autonomy are transforming the IT landscape. While these changes present challenges, they also offer opportunities for innovation and improvement. As the IT department adapts to these changes, it will play a crucial role in ensuring the long-term success of the organization.
