The consumerization of IT

Sage's X3 product manager issues a call to action to channel partners not yet in the cloud to rethink their strategy.

Jean Huy, vice president of product marketing, Sage X3

Now is the time to reconsider your strategy

With the proliferation of smartphones in the workplace it is inevitable that these devices have become users’ preferred way to access the corporate network and run personal and work applications alike.

It’s called the Consumerization of IT, and for the past decade, it has challenged IT departments to protect corporate data while accommodating the devices their employees expect to use. A 2014 IDG Enterprise Consumerization of IT in the Enterprise (CITE) survey underscored that 82 percent of companies surveyed were already making changes, such as defining how corporate data could be shared, investing in mobile device management (MDM) solutions, and purchasing secure file sharing services.

Yet managing a mobile, open and safe network can be complex. It may be especially challenging for companies with rich application infrastructures to enable broad access across numerous devices and operating systems for improved collaboration amongst users.

Capitalize on the Cloud

Today, Social, Mobile, Analytics, and Cloud (SMAC) technologies are again changing the face of business, accelerating how companies can respond and adapt to users’ demand for simpler access to data while ensuring the security of the company network.

These technologies include new collaborative business management applications, available on any device, accumulating and sharing data, and making that data rapidly and securely accessible over the Internet. One such application is Sage X3, a cloud-based solution delivering faster, simpler and flexible management of financial, supply chain and production processes, from anywhere in real time.

With one integrated and secure enterprise application, the management of an entire business can be supported on any connected device. Users are given the freedom to securely access company data in an intuitive web and mobile interface that can be personalized with widgets and collaboration applications they love to use.

By embracing the Cloud, companies can develop strategies to save money, increase business agility, bolster collaboration, foster faster decision making, while improving employee productivity and satisfaction. In fact, according to the CITE survey, 70 percent of respondents report that they have seen an ROI through the use of consumer devices in the workplace. Sounds like a trend-setting win-win, all-around.