Use of smartphones and other personal communication devices for work is increasing, according to the results of a recent global survey commissioned by Citrix.
The results highlight new pressures for SMBs to meet the requests of employees to enable staff use of personal smartphones and tablets in business.
Brett Caine, senior vice president and general manager of Citrix, said organisations need to start responding to such figures by restructuring policies to enhance productivity.
“The nature of work continues to change … employees are using new consumer devices in the workplace for both business and personal use,” he said.
Conducted by YouGov and Research Now between May and August this year, the aim of the survey was to help businesses further understand the global use and management of personal communications devices in the workplace.
Statistics show that 57 percent of company IT managers have voiced concern for the security implications of employees using personal devices for business, yet more than half of business executives and IT managers are unaware as to their use in their organisation.
Those businesses with systems in place to combine personal devices with business activity have shown a 20 percent increase in productivity, with a further 17 percent confirming greater gains.
Caine said it is no longer a matter of building for PC versus Mac, but “designing for the ubiquitous device; changing the nature of work to anywhere, anytime”.
Vice president and general manager of Citrix IT Services Elizabeth Cholawsky said the growth of mobile devices represents new opportunities for IT support, as it links both personal and work use. “Enabling support, monitoring and managing remote and mobile workers is now a de facto requirement for IT to ensure highly productive and effective businesses.”
