Date of Award

Spring 1-15-2013

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Information Technology Leadership (MS ITL)

Department

Computer Science

First Advisor

Margaret McCoey

Abstract

The consumerization of information technology is one of the biggest trends occurring in the information technology (IT) industry. More organizations are allowing their employees to use their own mobile devices to share data both inside and outside the workplace. This new trend is fundamentally changing the way companies do business. The “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) trend is also driving a need for management of such mobile devices and greater security on the devices and for the employees. The consumerization of IT is well underway and it is more than just bringing an iPad into the office.

Many IT managers and top level executives are in the process of figuring out how to integrate these consumer products and services into their environments rather than limiting them. System architects are being asked what the organization needs to purchase in order to support this growing trend. Do we need to implement a Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform? If so, who will administer and maintain that? The support and manageability of the consumerization of IT goes far beyond just the physical implementation of a platform. IT managers need to figure out what protocols to follow and to what extent are they expected to support them. Is the organization’s Service Desk expected to support these devices? Organizations need corporate policies and guidelines, such as Internet usage, that will be applied to these mobile devices. More importantly, the company needs to determine what sort of support it is willing to provide for user owned devices.

Now that the pendulum is swinging toward allowing these devices in the enterprise, IT needs to be able to react quickly to ensure that they do not compromise the health and security of the given infrastructure of the organization. Updating formal policies and operating procedures must also be taken into consideration

Regulatory concerns also arise when a type of technology is introduced. Any regulatory controls that are in place for existing technologies would also more than likely apply to new or emerging technologies as they are introduced to an organization. Sarbanes Oxley (SOX), HIPAA, and PCI are some of the common regulatory acts that standardize organizations.

There is a good possibility that supporting consumer based technology products could actually lower costs for organizations. Launching such programs not only assists in reducing expenses, but it should also drive employees to be more productive and very satisfied with their performance due to the fact that they will be able to utilize devices they are currently familiar with and will also allow them to keep up to update with new technologies. Such a program will allow the employees to use a single device for all work functions and personal related activities like web surfing, personal communication, and playing games which normally would not be permitted as part of a corporate policy. Employees can move at their own pace to keep up with emerging technologies in the mobile industry. The consumerization of IT will allow corporate IT departments the ability to create a program with very limited rules to overcomplicate the work life of their employees and allowing those employees to have a freedom of choice to decide what consumer device they use for corporate use. Implementing the correct MDM tool will prevent the loss of sensitive company data on these devices while at the same time, providing a positive user experience for the employee and protecting their privacy.

In conclusion, the consumerization of IT is moving at such a pace that it is reinventing the philosophy of IT and corporations need to start preparing sooner rather than later. Corporations today should seize this transition as an opportunity to be competitive instead of a threat to their structure and the quicker these policies and practices are implemented, the more productive corporations will become in their given marketplace. This analysis will propose solutions and best practices for companies to follow to take full advantage of the BYOD philosophy that is emerging in the workplace today to assure full compliance and protection of data.

Additional Files
The Consumerization of IT.pptx (345 kB)
Project Presentation
Download

Share

COinS