Consumerization of IT Trend is Driving Acceleration of Business Application Development

FRAMINGHAM, MA--(Marketwired - Apr 15, 2013) - IDG Enterprise -- the media company comprising Computerworld, InfoWorld, Network World, CIO, DEMO, CSO, CIO Executive Council, ITworld, CFOworld and CITEworld -- releases the results from the 2013 Consumerization of IT in the Enterprise (CITE) research, highlighting the adoption of mobile devices for business purposes, the growing use of apps and the cloud and the security concerns this adoption places on an organization.

Main Stream Adoption of Mobile Devices
While most organizations are dealing with CITE in a reactive way, they are embracing the use of personal mobile devices. Currently, 60% of organizations support the use of personally owned smart phones and that will remain stable over the next 12-18 months. However, the support of personally owned laptops (57%) and tablets (51%) will swap places in the next 12-18 months with 50% and 58% supported respectively. Overall, organizations have increased their policies in allowing employees to use personal devices to work over the past year.

"CITE adoption will continue to expand and IT leaders need to develop strategies that tie business value to CITE. The accelerated use of business apps is a perfect example. Currently half of enterprises have an app store or are considering developing one," said Bob Melk, SVP, group publisher & CMO, IDG Enterprise. "Technology vendors have the opportunity to elevate the strategy discussion as enterprises look to adopt cloud, apps, social, storage and more."

Business Apps and Cloud Expanding Consumerization of IT
To promote communication and accessibility, the majority of enterprise organizations are creating business apps for both customers (60%) and employees (56%). The benefits of using mobile apps span both audiences with increasing employee productivity, access to work materials, improving customer communications and increasing customer satisfaction topping the list of benefits. Users are also looking for ways to enhance engagement through services (88%) as well as share files and collaborate (71%). Consumer cloud offerings like LinkedIn, Skype, Box, Egnyte and more provide ease of use because users can implement a tool with or without approval or assistance from IT. 

Securing Consumerization of IT vs. User Satisfaction
Security is a key theme when discussing CITE integration. Three-quarters of organizations believe security is the greatest challenge; however the impact on organizations does not end there. Seventy-four percent of organizations will need to increase their network/bandwidth because of CITE adoption, followed by increasing the complexity of governance/polices/procedures (71%), increasing security products/services investments (66%) and use of cloud services (65%). With this focus on security and policies, it is concerning that 36% of users still adopt technologies without their security team's knowledge.

These challenges are balanced with the positive impacts CITE adoption has within organizations, including user satisfaction (82%), user productivity (76%) and business agility (70%). In this fast-paced world, ease of use and quick response to evolving needs are crucial for competitive advantage.

"For an IT vendor to rise above the pack, the security aspect of their CITE solution needs to be complete, as well as provide ease of integration with existing infrastructure and have the ability to work across a variety of platforms/operating systems," Melk continued.

Join the Conversation
Join more than 1,000 senior IT professionals, line of business executives, evangelists, venture capitalists and sponsors at the CITE (Consumerization of IT in the Enterprise) Conference + Expo  as we explore the next stages of CITE adoption from the introduction of the emerging title Chief Digital Officer to a discussion of the Internet of Things. The CITE Conference + Expo will take place June 2-4, 2013 in San Francisco. Stay informed; follow CITE Conference + Expo on Twitter: @CITEConference.

About the IDG Enterprise 2013 Consumerization of IT in the Enterprise Research
The IDG Enterprise 2013 Consumerization of IT in the Enterprise research was conducted in late 2012 across more than 1,600 IT and security decision-makers from a range of industries.

To receive the complete study of results contact Bob Melk at bmelk@idgenterprise.com.

About IDG Enterprise
IDG Enterprise, an International Data Group (IDG) company, brings together the leading editorial brands (Computerworld, InfoWorld, Network World, CIO, CSO, ITworld, CFOworld and CITEworld) to serve the information needs of our technology and security-focused audiences. As the premier hi-tech B2B media company, we leverage the strengths of our premium owned and operated brands, while simultaneously harnessing their collective reach and audience affinity. We provide market leadership and converged marketing solutions for our customers to engage IT and security decision-makers across our portfolio of award-winning websites, events, magazines, products and services. In addition, the CIO Executive Council -- a peer advisory service -- delivers on the business, technology, and leadership needs for the world's elite CIOs and their respective staffs. IDG's DEMO conferences provide a platform for today's most innovative and eye-opening technologies to publically launch their solutions.

Company information is available at www.idgenterprise.com.