Smarter Government - a look at consumerisation of IT at Microsoft UK
Microsoft is perhaps unique, in that it is both consumer and enterprise technology provider, as well as being a major enterprise technology consumer. This unique perspective brings great value to the organisation - not least in its ability to comprehensively test out and use new product developments through its First and Best Programme (also known as ‘eating our own dog food’) which sees the organisation as its own most demanding and most challenging customer.
Annemarie Duffy, IT Director of Microsoft UK (MSIT), who oversees technology for the company’s three thousand UK employees, says that this makes the company unique: “As our own customer we make sure that we find any challenges or problems before our customers do. Internally we partner with parts of Microsoft developing solutions around these devices so that we can understand them and influence development to meet our enterprise needs before it’s rolled out to our customers.”
We have witnessed an explosion of mobile devices over the last few years, but when it comes to reacting to and accommodating the Consumerisation of IT (COIT), says Duffy, “We think in broader terms than just devices: COIT is devices plus the use of social computing by our employees across the organisation.”
“From an internal IT perspective our goal has always been to enable our staff to be as productive and effective as possible. For the last few years we have been focussed on supporting both multiple devices and social media.”
The key challenges for any organisation, regardless of size or sector, says Duffy, are how to manage access to enterprise resources from a diverse range of devices whilst maintaining security, and how to safely enable staff to embrace the benefits of social computing.
“Our approach within Microsoft is to enable different levels of access to enterprise data depending on the device being used. For example, a device running non-Microsoft software will be allowed to access email, contacts and calendar if it supports Exchange Active Sync (EAS).”
Most staff, she adds, use devices running the Windows platform – for example, all UK staff have a Window 7 PC and Windows phones. But if staff chose to use an alternative device then EAS can still enable access to essential email, diary and contacts on the move. One essential and immovable requirement built into EAS however, is the ability to remote wipe corporate information from lost or stolen devices.
Demand over the last few years from staff has been for more consumer-like devices, for objects of desire as oppose to more traditional or industrial enterprise devices. Duffy herself uses a Samsung Series 9 running Windows 7 – it is lighter than a number of tablet competitors yet carries the crucial Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip that Windows uses for Bit Locker encryption of data storage devices, enabling two level authentication by storing an encryption key on the device itself. “More and more consumer devices will have this in them in the future.” Says Duffy, “And this will enable organisations to provide access to critical and sensitive data whilst maintaining appropriate security levels.”
Understanding the security challenge is key, says Duffy, we have developed clear guidelines and policies around which devices which can have full access to corporate systems. Within Microsoft, computers provided, managed and supported by her team have the highest level of security and data access. Those that meet some security and support requirements may have some, but not full, access. While at the other end of the scale, devices that have limited input from her team will have very limited access.
Duffy is clear that the trend towards COIT within Microsoft can only move one way: forwards. And that it is being driven by a number of factors, including: availability of new devices; advances in display technology enabling light/portable mobile solutions; the increasing availability of internet connectivity; and dramatic uptake of social media.
And she sees Cloud as an essential underpinning technology: “Through the cloud people can access information so much more easily than with previous infrastructures. But we have been experimenting with cloud since before it was called ‘the Cloud’ with Hotmail, Messenger and other Microsoft assets!”
It is perhaps this advance preparation that leads Duffy to see COIT as an “enormous opportunity for the organisation in terms of improving collaboration and staff productivity.”
“COIT is being led by staff themselves. People are used to having this level of capability at home and they now expect it in the workplace. They are putting pressure on IT departments, including our own, to be able to use these technologies in the office as well.”
Microsoft has welcomed and embraced COIT and social computing. Far from being restricted in their use of social media, staff are actively encouraged to use it. Internally, social technology plays a key role in collaboration, with OfficeTalk, Sharepoint and Lync enabling staff to communicate and share information instantly and on the go.
However, clear corporate guidelines govern the use of, and expectations of behaviour on, social media. This is essential, says Duffy, “Staff need adequate training to understand the risks and limitations, and that anything they do say online could be attributed to the organisation, not just to them personally.”
Learnings from the First and Best Programme are proactively shared with Microsoft customers: “We are open and transparent about what worked. And what didn’t!” says Duffy.
She adds, “Our vision as IT is to proactively partner with the business to meet the business challenges. We need to be an agile and trusted advisor for the business – to meet customer needs and to help grow the business. And we need to support our customers develop these same roles in their own organisations.”
To read more about how Microsoft is tackling the Consumerisation of IT within its own organisation click here.
To watch a short video on ‘What is the Consumerisation of IT’ click here.
Posted by Howard