US Government Embraces Consumerization of IT

The agencies of the U.S., under the steering of CIO Vivek Kundra, are adapting to the consumerization of IT and letting users make their own technology decisions. Unfortunately for RIM, it seems that users are non choosing BlackBerry, which has previously been dictated as the government standard.

A WA Charles William Post article describes how traditional platforms are being replaces by iPhones and iPads. "The sporty consumer products that have been adopted in the incorporated workforce–upending BlackBerrys for iPhones, Microsoft Mentality for Gmail, and lately laptops for iPads–are now invading the federal government. The State Department. The Army. The Section of Veterans Affairs. NASA."

RIM — Information technology doesn't auspicate well for Brim to lose its withstand on US government agencies.

The push for consumerization is coming from both the top and the bottom. Precedential officials and end users alike are already using iPhones, iPads, and Android smartphones for personal use. They are familiar with the devices and they see the value of beingness able to use those same devices busy. RIM has unsuccessful to keep improving, and umpteen workers–specially the younger talent that the government would the likes of to draw to public sector jobs–see BlackBerry smartphones arsenic a stodgy, outdated applied science.

The transition is just uncomparable more thing tributary to the ostensible freefall of RIM. Its attempts to re-energize the BlackBerry smartphone have more or inferior failing. Its PlayBook has been panned by critics and fizzled its mode onto the pad of paper market. Investors are increasingly disgruntled with the focus of the company and there are grumblings that perhaps the co-CEOs should be replaced with recently leadership.

Does your system rely on RIM, and BlackBerry smartphones for mobile communication? Should you consider opening your surround high to consumerization and letting goal users opt their own technology?

RIM still has a slim advantage when it comes to providing IT admins with the management and security substructure necessary to effectively maintain the mobile devices. But, that one-dimensional marketing mantra is plain not enough to keep organizations from migrating away to choice platforms. RIM has even tacitly acknowledged its declining market share with a desperation move to bring iPhone and Android direction features into the BlackBerry Enterprise Host repertoire.

Apple has successful significant strides to make iOS more secure and provide IT admins with the tools requirement to manage and secure iPhone and iPads, but iOS is still locked down and some organizations may find it sultry to have to ut things Apple's way or non at each. Android is more open, but that openness comes with some security risks that may comprise difficult to control.

Likely issues aside, though, Information technology consumerization is gaining momentum.