Farr said that as Defence CIO, he had the option of attempting to push back against the consumerisation trend and to regain control over ICT use. However, to do so risked sidelining the IT function within defence or worse.

"We can try to stop [the consumerisation of IT] or accept that this is the new world," he said. "We can try and stop that world, but if we do we risk becoming irrelevant. I think that is the challenge for us all is to actually show we can contribute value as a business enabler and not be a blocker."

Providing an example of consumerisation within the defence sector, Farr pointed to the US military and the use by some of its personnel of a ballistics calculator application to allow to more accurately determine the trajectory of rifle shots.

"You can buy it from the App Store and it will cost you $14.95. You can pull it down and use it immediately," he said.

Commenting further -- and with potentially major implications for -- Farr hinted that the days of major software deployments across Defence could be limited.