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Consumer device use grows, but IT and security can't keep up

12.07.2011
IT and security managers are slowly embracing the growing number of , such as iPhones and , that are being used by workers within their organizations, but many enterprises are still overwhelmed by the need to mitigate risk and support the devices. That is the finding of new research released Tuesday by Unisys Corporation. The study was conducted for Unisys by International Data Corp.

While similar research last year found enterprise IT departments were unprepared for the rapidly growing usage of in the workplace, according to the updated survey findings the "consumerization gap" appears to be widening as more organizations realize the trend is unstoppable and inevitable.

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But awareness doesn't equal readiness, according to the study. While IT departments see business value in allowing mobile workers to use personal devices and access social networking sites, such as , they are "hamstrung by security and support issues and a growing workload," a report summary states.

"The good news from the new research is that, in contrast to last year, IT executives are recognizing that the consumerization of IT trend is real and inevitable," said Fred Dillman, Unisys chief technology officer. "However, they appear to be frozen by the magnitude of issues created by the rapidly growing usage of consumer technologies within the enterprise."

The study draws upon two separate but related surveys conducted in nine countries. One study surveyed nearly 2,660 information workers within organizations, while the second study polled some 560 IT department executives and managers. The surveys were conducted in nine countries worldwide.