
Businesses must bow to internet-generation's demands…
By Vivian Yeo
Published: 14 April 2008 08:48 GMT
Within two years, the brand and model of the enterprise laptop could be decided by the user, not the IT department.
End users' preferences will account for up to 50 per cent of all purchasing decisions relating to hardware, software and services within the enterprise, Martin Gutberlet, research vice president at Gartner, said last week.
Office insights…
♦  Workaholic Brits can't find the off switch
♦  Get flexible, keep staff - it works for the OFT
♦  Are remote workers hitting you where it hurts?
♦  Remote working here to stay
♦  Bored and underpaid? You're not alone…
♦  Health warning to overweight IT managers
♦  Demand for tech workers hits six-year high
♦  How the staffing crisis is deepening
♦  How techie salaries are faring
♦  Is the office getting you down?
Speaking at a briefing in Singapore to unveil Gartner's top 10 predictions for 2008, Gutberlet pointed out there are greater demands for consumer-type technologies from increasingly tech-savvy generations of workers. Companies need to keep up with these demands or risk losing their best young talent.
Businesses, said Gutberlet, need to administer the right policies but, instead of building up a policy to deny or block access to applications and services, they need one that looks at "managing the consumer-type applications and technology in a secure fashion".
SMEs are typically adopters of consumer technology, as opposed to multinational corporations and large businesses, which rely on enterprise software.
This is particularly so in emerging markets such as India, where there is a high concentration of "one-man businesses", explained Gutberlet. "They are very open to trying out new technology," he said.
Another upcoming change expected in the enterprise concerns the device of choice for mobile workers. Gartner predicted that, by 2012, half of mobile employees will ditch their laptops in favour of more powerful and compact devices, such as smart phones.
Today's smart phones, however, are still unable to meet the requirements of office users for effective remote working, noted Gutberlet, although, increasingly, these devices are becoming more sophisticated.
Gartner's 10 predictions for 2008 are:
Original article: Users, not IT folks, drive tech investments from ZDNet Asia
Allowing 'tech savvy' end users to decide on Hardw...
Anonymous
one of my clients is a "tech savvy" user, and look...
Karen Challinor
They have a culture of empowering their developers to make the critical design decisions. With this comes the great satisfaction and responsibility ...
Essential criteria To be considered for this role all applicants MUST match the following criteria: Proven sales experience of selling in to the ...
Deep and up-to-date awareness of consumer trends and preferences in design and content of presentation materials. Creative Product & Development ...
Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Data Protection Strategies: Deduplication for More Efficient Backups
Dell PowerVault DL2100 Powered by CommVault - Spec Sheet
True Convergence Demands a Communication Service Provider that Embraces a Customer-Centric...
Learn how Performance Metrics for Telcomm Expense Management Drive new ROIs and SLAs
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Mark Crichard Doing business with citizen developers: Beware the legal pitfalls Legal Eye: Make sure your business is protected from potential hazards
Tim Ferguson How CIOs can achieve post-recession success Q&A: McKinsey & Company on living in the 'new normal' business world