In past years most IT departments have gotten closer to their business counterparts. But this improved alignment changed almost overnight with the sudden rise of the new generation of do-it-yourself-IT. Many IT departments were caught off guard by cool technology purchased and used by the business without their involvement. Cloud computing makes it even worse: the business can create complete application landscapes without the help of central IT departments. Users want technology that fits their requirements, not the corporation’s. Aligning the old way is getting antique for this new game. A new approach puts on new rules.
A trend you cannot ignore
Business users purchase online software, choose their own mobile apps and buy access to public clouds for data storage. With Consumerised IT the business is getting a bit rogue, often bypassing the Corporate IT function. IT professionals see the risks immediately. How to get corporate data unharmed out of a public cloud? What about data protection with Bring Your Own (BYO) smart phones and tablets? These devices are not owned by the corporation and yet, some control is needed.Not every cloud has a silver lining
Is Consumerised IT a promising story with an unhappy ending? Remember when low-cost servers were introduced and decentralization started? IT-departments were just recovering from that period. Centralisation and standardisation programmes were executed to unravel the complex internal landscapes, also known as ‘Balkanised IT’. The story seems to repeat itself once business consumers discover the new world of apps and cloud. Even executives can go bananas when they indulge themselves with an iPad. They suddenly forget about their allegiance to strict corporate security rules. But, instead of trying to stop the trend by policing and dictating, IT departments should gear-up for a new role as trusted advisor and orchestrator. If you ignore the trend of consumerisation, know the risks are mounting because the business will experiment (and fail) on their own. And when the shit hits the fan – like a data breach with privacy-sensitive data – the CEO and CFO will go straight to the CIO for an answer. In many cases that means your career is over. So we have to come up with an answer!
Be ‘the department of Yes and’
There are many reasons to say “No” and police Consumerised IT. But can you stop a wave? No, because it will happen anyway: if you do not facilitate, the business will start their own shadow IT organisation. Act as a friend to help, and do not act as the enemy who wants to stop them. Be clear on what can be expected and what not. The IT organisation with its constrained resources, backlogs, security focus and governance processes, cannot always respond quickly enough. When cloud solutions offer opportunities for relief, embrace those and accept that the business can bypass IT. With the ‘Yes’ there will be an ‘and’: simple and strict rules. Data Leakage Protection (DLP) is the stuff that grown-ups must understand. Make sure that you educate the board about the opportunities and risks. Consumerised IT comes with responsibilities. To underline this fact; KLM labelled their programme IT4ME, IT for mature employees. It is like the old Porsche slogan ‘only for experienced drivers’. Control only what matters, for example sensitive data. The ‘Yes, and’ are rules and policies to mitigate the risk and streamline local initiatives.
Blend Corporate and Consumerised IT
As part of the consumeration trends, many organisations are experimenting with Buy Your Own programmes. BYO should not be done because more Millennials cross your corporate doorstep. Users of earlier generations are also screenagers. The idea is that every user is getting more productive and TCO is reduced.
BYO as a business trend means you need controlled access to virtualized functionality. Corporate IT functionalities like Single Sign-On (SSO) and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) are necessary to support BYO initiatives. Access to virtual infrastructures ensures that data stays within the corporate environment and is not stored on local devices.
With BYO the support function of the IT-department changes
A Buy-Your-Own strategy needs to accompanied by a Fix Your Own (FYO) policy. For business consumers it needs to be clear who delivers the support for the hardware and the software. This also means that you have to decide about the role of the service desk. It is difficult to support an unlimited portfolio of devices and applications. But with the help of keywords and best-practices the service desk can govern smart self service and help users who need to be productive and cannot be left standing in the rain. If users want a technology that IT has vetted and approved, users get full support. If they want technology that has not been blessed, support may help or direct to other resources, but does not take the full responsibility in fixing the problem. Best-effort is better than leaving them out in the dark. Let the service desk also act as a social helpdesk.
Defining a strategy with the business
There is not just one model that mixes consumer IT and corporate IT perfectly. Depending on your user base, business model and current IT landscape, different approaches can be used. To discuss the blending of corporate IT and consumer IT, I drafted a simple model. Talk to what extend it is possible to bring consumer IT into the corporation and define the areas that need different security and integration approaches. Know where you can be lenient and where strict adherence to policies is necessary. Love business managers and accept the fact they often do not understand the risks of all those promising and tempting new technologies. So, direct and cooperate. And do not dictate. Happy hunting! Download
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