IT professionals inherently fear new technology as it creates unknowns and poses disruption to their carefully manicured IT environment. Anything without corporate colors or approved by the IT police should immediately be removed from sight is the way traditional IT would deal with any new technology brought in by users.
Today the scenario is far removed from that. "Today businesses want to embrace consumer technology," said Rory O'Neill, VP of product and channel marketing at BlackBerry. "Businesses want consumer technology as it helps them serve customers better; governments want this as it helps them serve the public better."
In O'Neill's eyes and for many businesses that have embraced mobile technologies and bring your own device (BYOD), there is no debate over the business case. Today many CIOs are still questioning the business case of BYOD as there is no immediate dollar return in creating a BYOD environment.
O'Neill implores CIOs to look beyond the narrow defines of the traditional business case.
Beyond the dollars
For years IT organizations and vendors have worried about whether users will adopt and accept new technologies that they introduce. Without this acceptance there is no return.
"With mobility and BYOD, for the first time ever IT leaders should have no concerns over adoption," said O'Neill. "Everybody wants this so don't fixate on the business case."
O'Neill's points to the simple fact that users are using mobile technology and BYOD should be a clear enough signal that this is a valuable, usable feature and is providing clear benefit.
And it's hard to argue against that with the added backdrop of research that indicates BYOD is here to stay.