Europe embraces consumer tech

European companies are most willing for staff to use consumer-based tech than those in any other region. There may also be a relationship between liberal tech-use policies and a willingness to outsource.

Nearly half (48 per cent) of companies that allow employees to use their own tech and provide IT support for these personal apps and devices are in Europe, according to a report from research house IDG Research Services on behalf of IT services company Unisys. This compares with only 17 per cent in South America and 10 per cent in North America, according to a survey of 686 enterprises.

The survey also found companies that allow employees to use non-corporate hardware and software have a greater ratio of remote workers, with 47 per cent of these personal-tech-friendly companies supporting employees working offsite, versus 34 per cent overall.

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Of companies that allow consumer-based tech - such as an employee's own laptop, PDA or mobile, as well as software commonly barred by IT departments (such as instant messaging) - 65 per cent are looking to outsource their end user services within the next six months to two years.

This compares to only 38 per cent of businesses that are not pursuing a consumerisation programme looking to outsource in the same timeframe.

Paul Bevan, director of field marketing for outsourcing at Unisys, said consumerisation is a massive issue for companies and should be embraced by CxOs because the pressure on both business and IT for speed and agility is making it unfeasible to limit staff to a small list of IT tools.

Bevan added the development of web 2.0 and the emergence of Facebook are landmarks for employers and CIOs should be thinking about how consumerisation could best fit their enterprise.

But the use of consumer-based technology such as games consoles, instant messaging, smart phones and web email by employees is one of the most significant threats to corporate IT security, according to analysts. Blogs, social networking tools and other web 2.0 technologies pose another risk for information leaks or as channels for malicious software and viruses.