IT at home will drive business

Analyst predicts 'consumerisation' of IT

Growing use of technology in the home will have a major impact on business IT in coming years, predicts analyst Gartner.

Steve Prentice, Gartner chief of research, told the firm’s annual Symposium/ITxpo conference in Cannes that control will shift from corporations to individuals, ‘consumerising’ business IT.

‘What was once a straightforward two-way relationship between business and technology has suddenly become complicated by the arrival of a third party – the consumer,’ said Prentice.

‘The enterprise will struggle to dictate how employees and customers use technology. Products will increasingly be designed for consumers, and IT professionals will just have to work out how to use them in the organisation.’