More on the Consumerization of IT

Nic, points out in a comment on this post titled The decline of enterprise influence over IT that CSC Research Services have recently published a report on Consumerization, which I have just read and must say makes very good reading, especially the first few pages.  One of the authors is currently thinking through some of the related personal responsibility issues.  This topic has sparked my interest and I have been talking through some of the implications with network, storage and infrastructure services architects.  It took a while for them to get it until I used the Internet Access analogy which we all lived through:

1.      When the internet was first established enterprises saw individual Internet access it as an activity of little interest, undertaken by enthusiasts only, with niche needs.

2.      Then they saw it as a threat as they noticed people with networked PC’s who also had active modem connections to the internet, they started to create policies to control it

3.      Then they saw it as a need, but only to be provided to the select few and only then in very controlled conditions

4.      Then the saw it as obvious …