IT departments should offload device support, says Cisco CTO

Commenting on the latest Cisco Connected report, Foddering argues that consumerisation delivers opportunities to the IT department

Changing attitudes among the 'young workforce' towards using their own devices at work presents an opportunity for IT departments to off-load support for them, according to Ian Foddering, CTO for Cisco UK & Ireland.

Foddering was in conversation with Computing following the release of the Cisco Connected World report yesterday.

The survey, which interviewed 1,400 students (aged between 18 and 23) and 1,400 young people (aged between 24 and 30), looked at attitudes towards consumerisation, social media and flexible working within the workplace.

It found that 40 per cent of students and 45 per cent of young workers would rather accept a lower paying job with more device flexibility than a higher paying job with less flexibility.

The report also found that 81 per cent of college students said they expected to choose the device for their jobs.

This consumerisation of devices at work is the trend that provides the opportunity for the IT department to offload support, according to Foddering. "The company does need to have an adequate governance model for these devices, but responsibility for upkeep and maintenance should ultimately be with the worker," he said.

In addition, more than half of college students globally (56 per cent) said that if they encountered a company that banned access to social media, they would either not accept a job from it or would join and find a way to circumvent corporate policy.

With regard to working from home, three in 10 college students feel that once they begin working it will be their right, more than a privilege, to be able to work remotely with a flexible schedule.

"Flexible working is not a technical challenge, it's a cultural one. Not enabling this would see companies miss the opportunity to tap into this young, highly motivated and capable workforce," said Foddering.