Employee-Owned IT

Today's Age talks about 10 business IT trends for 2010. Number is "Employee-owned IT":

Traditionally, IT departments decide what kind of computers and software employees use and they take responsibility for all maintenance chores. Younger workers, however, have grown up choosing their own computers and applications and want to keep their personalised computing styles. Enter employee-owned IT, which sees workers bringing their own computers to work so that IT can lock them down with virtualisation or multiple operating systems that deliver security. IT departments save as maintenance devolves to computer vendors, while employees swear they are more productive using a machine of their choice.

This approach can help close the technology gap I blogged about a few weeks ago. But by imposing constraints on my personal computer, you are actually making my personal computing more like a corporate experience rather then vice-versa.

I think there is a place for computers to be "locked down," However, that does not give license to restrict access to specific sites just because they are "productivity killers" or a blanket restriction on installing software. There needs to be a balance.

One way to achieve that is to have two competing IT groups in your organisation. One that restricts what you can do with your computer (you already have one of those) and one that proactively installs software and coaches you to work more effectively with IT.

If employeed-owned IT helps us get there, I'm all for it.