Recent research Juniper Networks conducted with the Economist Intelligence Unit across Germany, Japan, the U.S and U.K found that high-performing organisations that work with and rely on its IT department and subsequent technology insights are able to drive business growth and innovation within their organisations. The full global report can be downloaded here but I want to focus on the UK and German figures that emerged....

Wifi hotspots at cafes, hotels, airports and the office. Mobile signals up a hill, in a shop, round a supermarket, it is never ending. I would not define myself as a “techy”, but I do find I am often head down staring at my mobile or laptop judging whether I have adequate signal and if not, why not? If I move an inch to the left will it improve?

Like us you’ve probably been asking questions and more questions about BYOD. To quote Stephen Fry ‘No sin in that. We grow wise by asking questions. The right questions.’ So, here our Technical Director, Toby Makepeace grapples with BYOD and answers some of the biggies.

BYOD – a threat or an opportunity?

We are all well aware of today’s business challenges brought by the proliferation of mobile devices, new styles of remote working and the associated challenges faced by IT managers in meeting the increased demands for network access from both staff and guests. Those challenges aside, this question is easy for me to answer - opportunity! In my view BYOD brings a massive opportunity to your business. Quite simply the possibility of the increase in productive man hours can only be viewed as a benefit to the business. So, next questions please!

Are businesses prepared? What’s the risk to the business? Are there cost savings to be made? What is the impact on the IT department?

To answer these let’s first cast our minds back to when BlackBerry’s were first being deployed. At the time many felt they were an unnecessary cost and a risk to the business, and would not increase productivity, yet nowadays you’d be hard pushed to find a member of staff who doesn’t feel their BlackBerry or mobile device is a critical part of their everyday business toolkit.

I’m really happy to be presenting at the Canalys Forum 2012 in Barcelona on 9^th October2012and having the opportunity to discuss with our partners our key offerings. When we were asked about the theme of our presentation it was very clear it had to be; Enterprise Mobility. The reason for this is very simple; with the current economic landscape, enterprises have to be very selective on their investments and, once more, the IT department will have to show complete alignment with the company strategy to bring them to the next level.

Many years ago when my father questioned why I was enjoying the music of the **bleep** Pistols and the singing of Johnny Rotten so much whilst he still espoused the merits of Frank Sinatra it was clear there was both a generational and cultural gap at play between us – to me Pogoing and Punk were everything, he could not see beyond Crosby and the crooners.  And whilst we disagreed musically and I continued my love of all things punk, I did so recognising the rules of the house I lived in and that maybe having a safety pin through my nose and spiky fluorescent hair would have maybe been a step too far.

So, cultural and generational gaps and differences of opinion like that have existed probably since time began and will continue in all likelihood until the earth stops spinning.

That leads me to the key item of discussion in this blog.  Is the current trend towards the consumerization of IT really a cultural / generational challenge or is it more of a gap in technology development waiting to be filled?

A slightly schizophrenic start to this blog but before I go on to explain my reasoning behind the title, I wanted to make clear that in my view the Consumerisation of IT and in particular the phenomenon of ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) will both have a positive impact on businesses and IT departments if proactively embraced.   Those benefits will accrue from progressive HR policies that recognise the growing importance of social media tools both in productivity terms (yes, social media tools can and will have a positive impact on employee productivity) combined with attracting and keeping the next generation of top talent from the so called ‘Generation Y’  genre.