TechBeat: The way of the IT pro

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25 June 2015

Over the last few years, we have heard a lot about work/life balance. However, enterprise mobility has so blurred the lines between work and life that it is now within the capability of every knowledge worker to decide when and how they work. But this blurring of lines has also carried over into the smart connected devices (SCD) they use, and the social media with which they engage every day.

Personal devices and personal social media accounts are often used as part of professional duties and this has had profound implications for data integrity and security, as well as the benefits of mobility, availability and increased productivity.

This TechBeat survey, in association with Ward Solutions, sought to quantify these issues, looking at the number of devices, services and types of interaction, as well as the impact of potential issues and worse. The sample size was 263 IT professionals from the readership of TechPro and TechCentral.ie.

01_How many smart connected devices do you have at home

How many SCDs do you have at home?

The survey opened by asking how many SCDs people had in their homes. This would include laptops, smart phones, tablets TVs, game consoles etc. The results here were quite surprising, as the largest proportion (42%) said they had four to six such devices, while nearly a third (32%) said they had seven to 10. A significant 7% said they had 11 to 15, while no one said they had none.

The next question asked if respondents used any social media, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, on SCDs for work purposes. More than two thirds (68%) said that they did, but a significant 32% said they did not. Delving further, the next question asked if respondents had separate social media accounts for private use, with the vast majority (77%) saying they did, but that left 23% who said they did not have separate accounts.

For those that answered yes to the previous question, a further clarification asked if they accessed both work and personal social media accounts on the same personal SCD. The vast majority (71%) said that they did indeed access both work and private social media accounts on personal SCDs.

The ever-blurring line between personal and work-related activity is amplified by the use of multiple devices and by the proliferation of connected devices, said Pat Larkin, CEO, Ward Solutions. “This poses new risks and challenges for organisations. Some 23% of people do not separate personal and work-related accounts on their blended work and personal devices, which brings about additional challenges to an organisation’s social media policy. In our experience, it is paramount that the users’ identity, as well as the device in use are secure.”

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