New Research Reveals Growing ‘Consumerization of IT’ Trend Fueling Security Fears and Highlights Lack of Strategy to Manage Personal Devices

Dell KACE today announced the results from a new global survey of nearly 750 IT professionals on the effect that personal devices have on business demonstrating the growing "Consumerization of IT” trend, finding many (62 percent) IT managers feel they lack the necessary tools to properly manage personal devices. Conducted by Dimensional Research and commissioned by Dell KACE, the survey revealed 87 percent of companies have employees that use some kind of personal device for work including laptops, smartphones and tablet computers but are unable to effectively protect corporate data and intellectual property as well as ensure compliance.

"Consumer products are evolving into viable businesses tools, but according to our research, the majority of companies do not have a proper strategy in place to manage these devices which opens them up to serious security risks,” said Diane Hagglund, senior research analyst for Dimensional Research and the study’s author. "Consumerization of IT is not simply a passing trend — it is the way business will be conducted on an ongoing basis, especially in the small and medium business (SMB) market, so it is critical that companies put policies and standards into place to support these devices to ensure the security of corporate and intellectual property.”

Personal devices continue to proliferate the businesses as they see the value in a more mobile, efficient and connected workforce. The primary goal of the "Consumerization of IT: A Survey of IT Professionals” study was to gather data about the use of employee personal devices for business and corporate policy for their adoption in the workplace. According to the research, security needs top the list for IT managers when it comes to managing external mobile devices with 82 percent citing their concerns about the use of personal devices for business use, and another 62 percent specifically concerned about network security breaches.

Key survey findings include:

• 87 percent of respondents reported employees use personal devices for work purposes;
• 59 percent reported their personal devices have created the need for organizations to support multiple operating systems (OS’s). Further, 60 percent reported a greater demand for support of Mac OS X since the introduction of the Apple iPad and iPhone;
• 82 percent of survey respondents cited they have concerns about the use of personal devices for work purposes;
• 64 percent revealed they are not confident that they know of all personal devices being used for business purposes;
• 32 percent revealed employees use unauthorized personal devices and applications to connect to their network; and,
• 88 percent said they believe it is important to have a policy in place to support personal devices, and another 62 percent revealed their organization lacks the necessary tools to manage personal devices.

Today’s organizations must focus on effective systems management and control of internal network endpoints and multiple OS’s, including desktops, laptops, servers and other connected devices. Dell KACE™ Systems Management Appliance offers an appliance-based approach to OS management, supporting Windows, Linux and Mac OS X with an easy-to-use, cost-effective solution to complement traditional software security packages, enabling an integrated, collaborative approach to security and systems management. The Dell KACE K1000 Appliance enhances endpoint security by identifying and remediating vulnerabilities across end nodes while managing and enforcing compliance with company policies across desktops, laptops and servers reducing the risk of malware, spyware and viruses compromising endpoints.

"The results of our latest survey represent a significant shift in how systems administrators manage their organization’s networks in today’s disparate global workforce. It’s absolutely essential that IT teams deploy a strategy that provides end-to-end management capabilities on a variety of operating systems to effectively protect networks and address the ‘Consumerization of IT,’” said Rob Meinhardt, general manager and co-founder for Dell KACE.

Survey Methodology:

In August 2011, an independent database of IT professionals world-wide were invited to participate in a Web survey on the topic of Consumerization of IT. A total of 741 respondents completed the survey. Participants included front-line IT professionals (39 percent), IT managers (36 percent), IT executives (20 percent) and others. Participants represented a wide range of company size and industry verticals. Respondents were not compensated for participating in this survey except to be offered a copy of the final report. The full report can be accessed at: www.kace.com/resources/Consumerization-of-IT-Survey-2011.

To learn more on the survey findings, join Dell KACE for their free webinar titled, "The Consumerization of IT Survey: IT Managers Talk Prevalence, Plans and Pitfalls” on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Register at: http://bit.ly/mXcQ1R.

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. Dell provides systems-management solutions for customers of all sizes and system complexity. The award-winning Dell KACE family of appliances delivers easy-to-use, comprehensive, and affordable systems management capabilities. For more information, visit www.dell.com/kace or follow the conversation at http://twitter.com/DellKACE.

Helpful Links

• "Consumerization of IT: A Survey of IT Professionals” study
• Dell KACE Management Appliance
• Dell KACE Deployment Appliance
• Dell KACE Trial Appliances

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