Consumerisation of Enterprise is the adoption of technology and services used by individuals in the workplace. These advancements typically find their way into the hands of individuals (consumers) first and then, over time, arrive in the workplace. The drive for this is often unstoppable by the IT organisations because users expect what are often very easy to use and intuitive services to be matched in the workplace. There are many examples of this, from the Apple iPhone to Dropbox and Google etc. These products/services are almost always provided to end users first with the true business versions following, sometimes years later.
End users demand a better experience in the workplace
Perhaps the most compelling reason for businesses to allow services that are consumer driven is the end user experience. Typically, when introduced, these consumer services provide a new and often outstanding user experience that makes individuals more productive and even ‘enjoy' using the service! The challenge for businesses is to either allow their use - often at the risk of security - or let the control and compliance drift away before them. Apple’s iPad is an excellent example of this, in that early versions lacked any sort of control or traditional business features; such as security, virus protection, VPN’s and visibility of use.
Cloud based services drive adoption
As Enterprise/SME cloud services become the norm, they help businesses to deliver the now expected experience, with the security and control that is required in today’s fast moving global world. Cloud Communications service for example, brings a host (excuse the pun!) of other benefits to businesses, such as flexibility and 'built in' disaster recovery. Intercity’s Touch Telephony® allows IT managers to have visibility and control of their business IP Telephony and Contact Centre services, allowing them to make changes, remove users and a lot more at a touch of the intuitive user interface. The service also provides end users with many productivity tools, such as Touch Calling, a Global Directory and drag/drop Audio Conferencing.
Find out more about Touch Telephony
Author: Andrew Davis, CTO Intercity
