Product Development is being swayed by Consumerisation

If we were playing tech word bingo I think you would find this post riddled with buzz words, sadly there is nothing for a full house in this post.  But one of the areas that we are constantly seeing raising its head in the business place is consumerisation of IT, and this shift in consumerisation is starting to drive a shift in product development.

The choice and level of functionality the modern consumer has in their home devices has led to a significant shift in the expectations professionals have of their corporate technology; we now expect the Sunday night experience on a Monday morning.

The shift in the way professionals use and perceive technology, together with the consumerisation of IT, has seen the emergence of a new business professional; one who considers their device to be a reflection of themselves, whether that be at work or at home.

At the end of the day, end users want a range of choice and flexibility, which must be made available by employers and IT departments.  And we as IT professionals are no longer able to say no if we want to attract and retain key workers.

Staff today no longer considers their laptop to be a tool, rather an extension of themselves and part of how they communicate and collaborate with colleagues around the world. Design is key and has made the industry stand up and look at their products.

End user choice creates some challenges for IT. As the number of devices managed by IT continues to rise, so does the time and resources required managing and maintaining these devices. Often the sheer number of devices is making the IT department resist the inevitable. However, over the next couple of year those corporate IT departments who have not enabled a diverse population of devices will struggle to keep control.

The key design requirements for enterprise computing should focus on the following elements:

• Common platform capabilities standardise where possible.  If you are going to allow BYOD you need to restrict the number of devices you support through a strict HCL.  Centralised cloud management is ideal for this or one at the very least links to an on premise solution such as Microsoft SCCM and Intune.
• Desktop virtualisation is rapidly becoming a mainstream way to simplify the desktop experience for users who are mobile and expect to be able to work from wherever they are.
• Security is more important than ever and, with the average cost of a data breach at $4 million, the need for an integrated and comprehensive data protection solution is clear.

IT Consumerisation is clearly driving a change in professional expectations and what IT must do to deliver on those requirements.  It is commonly regarded that allowing users to work with the right devices at the right locations is a way of attracting and retaining staff.  Vendors are responding by keeping the modern workplace in mind and developing business-computing products designed to improve productivity, simplify management and be aesthetically pleasing to the workforce.