Consumerization of IT can be Disruptive or Productive (This Methodology Helps You Decide)

What began as a classification of “bring your own personal electronic devices” to work or school has not only evolved exponentially over the past decade, but it has also become the new status quo.

It is certainly safe to assume that every adult and most children have at least a phone, tablet, or personal computer that facilitates access to software, including apps and websites, that serve a variety of purposes. This increase in ability of the average person to be hyperconnected to the Internet and, in this Communication Age we find ourselves in, to each other is what I have referred to as the consumerization of information technology (IT).

Of course, what has transformed most notably is that the usage of those devices now intersects in integral ways with people’s professional lives as well as their personal ones. While this makes things easy for the consumer across several circumstances, it has caused numerous complications with many business leaders and C-suite executives. But how?

A Feeling of Losing Control

If we first focus on employees at a business or organization who utilize the hardware and software they are comfortable with, such as their own device or a specific app that helps them do their…