A group of UK workers are driving the use of consumer devices in the workplace and are risking being sacked as a result, according to research.
A Unysis commissioned survey of over 350 workers and over 95 IT decision-makers in the UK, carried out by Forrester, found that 17% of individuals are driving the consumerisation of IT, by using their own devices.
These are labelled the "mobile elite" in the survey.
Almost three-quarters (71%) of this group are using applications to communicate with customers, partners and suppliers that are not supported by the business. A total of 81% of employers see this as potential grounds for dismissal, due to potential security risks.
Increased job satisfaction is cited by 69% of "mobile elites" as reasons for using personal devices and applications for work purposes.
"This year's research shows that an elite group of highly connected mobile workers is driving consumerisation in the enterprise," said Nick Fraser, managing director of Unisys in the UK.
"They are positioning themselves to shape the way their companies use technology – whether sanctioned and supported or not – confident in the belief that they can better serve customers and boost their personal productivity."
Even formal programmes to enable workers to use their own computing equipment are risky. Ovum recently said businesses are opening themselves up to security threats by failing to manage bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programmes properly.
According to a study of 4,000 workers carried out by Ovum, 80% of corporate BYOD schemes are "inadequately managed by IT departments."
