Why does IT make life difficult for staff?
I get a call from my partner, saying that we had received a letter from our daughter’s school.Could I give them a ring to see what it was all about?
I click on gmail to see what’s going on and – curses – gmail is blocked from my work device. Damn IT! Why do they make life so hard?
Wait a second…I’m Head of IT, why am I making life difficult for myself?
For the last two decades there has been steady convergence of technology and productivity gains from mobile devices. This has enabled people to carry a single device that can access information where ever they are, and can be used for both personal and business needs.
In the last few years however, we have seen some of this convenience wound back due to the needs of information security – both privacy, cyber security and protecting proprietary information. Many companies have had to restrict the freedom of their staff.
It pains me to be part of this push, but the logic of restrictions is compelling: if you want to meet a reasonable risk appetite then some inconvenience is unavoidable – at least until vendors get their act together and provide workable solutions.
The least I can do is be transparent about this - get in front of the Board, the senior leadership and the general staff and explain the “why”
