SolarWinds surveys shed light on expanding IT borders

• 60% connect more personally-owned devices to corporate networks than they did 10 years ago
• 77% connect a laptop/desktop computer to corporate networks, 65% a smartphone, 22% a tablet

SOLARWINDS, a provider of IT management software, announced the findings of its IT is Everywhere surveys. The results showcase how the realm of IT is expanding beyond the traditional borders of company-owned devices and on-premises technology, thereby placing greater demand on IT professionals to manage technology outside their traditional scope of control.

The surveys are connected to IT Professionals Day—observed the third Tuesday of every September (September 20, 2016)—to emphasise the need for greater appreciation towards IT professionals and the critical role they play in modern business and in the lives of nearly all technology end users.
 
Key findings
SolarWinds’ IT is Everywhere surveys are a series of two studies in support of IT Professionals Day.

The first focuses on Singaporean end users’ perspectives related to the evolving business technology landscape and IT professionals’ role in it, while the second focuses on IT professionals’ corresponding viewpoint. The combined key findings include:

More end users are connecting a diverse set of electronic devices, including those personally-owned, to corporate networks.

• 60% of employed end users in Singapore say they connect more devices, whether company- or personally-owned, to corporate networks than they did 10 years ago, at an average of two more per user.
• 60% of end users say they connect more personally-owned devices to corporate networks than they did 10 years ago, at an average of two more per user.
• 77% of end users say they connect a laptop/desktop computer to corporate networks, 65% a smartphone and 22% a tablet computer.
• 21% of end users say they connect a less expected form of electronic device to corporate networks, such as Bluetooth speakers, streaming media players, wearable technology and eReaders.

 
The technology end users rely on is increasingly outside their employers’ on-premises infrastructure, including cloud-based applications and work-related resources leveraged beyond the office.

• 60% of IT professionals globally say their organisations permit/facilitate the use of cloud-based applications; 71% also estimate that end users at least occasionally use non-IT-sanctioned cloud-based applications.
• 79% of end users say they leverage these cloud-based applications—both IT-facilitated and non-IT-sanctioned—while at work.
• 77% of end users say they regularly use work-related applications outside the office, on either company-owned or personally-owned devices.

Despite the increase in end users’ reliance on technology often outside the control of their employers’ IT professionals, they still hold them accountable for its performance.

• 62% of IT professionals say the expectation to support end users’ personally-owned devices connected to corporate networks is significantly greater than it was 10 years ago, while 80% of end users say they expect their employers’ IT professionals to ensure the performance these devices.
• 43% of IT professionals say end users expect the same time to resolution for issues with both personally- and company-owned owned devices and technology.
• 90% of end users say they expect their employers’ IT professionals to ensure the performance of cloud-based applications used at work, with 77% going so far to say it is their employers’ IT professionals’ fault if they do not perform as expected.
• 64% of IT professionals say end users expect the same time to resolution for issues with both cloud-based applications and local applications (those managed directly by IT).
• 80% of end users expect work-related applications used outside the office to perform at the same level and to receive the same level of support from their employers’ IT professionals, while 83% of IT professionals say they at least occasionally provide such support.

“The key findings show that end users are now more than ever pushing the boundaries of traditional IT beyond the four walls of their organisations,” SolarWinds senior vice president and chief technology officer Joseph Kim (pic, right) said.

“IT is truly everywhere, and as a result, IT professionals are increasingly expected to ensure always-on availability and performance for any and all devices and applications, many of which they likely do not control. Every industry has felt the impact of increased reliance on technology, but none more than the IT industry itself. So, in recognition of IT professionals everywhere, we are thrilled to be celebrating the second annual IT Professionals Day and spotlighting the hard work they do day in and day out to keep businesses running.”
 
Fielded in June 2016, the first of the two surveys was conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of SolarWinds and yielded responses from 674 end users in Singapore who were employed, but not as IT professionals. The second survey was fielded by SolarWinds in July 2016 and yielded responses from 276 IT professionals from across the globe. Full survey results are available here.
 
IT Professionals Day
IT Professionals Day is designed to annually celebrate all IT professionals regardless of discipline. IT Professionals Day honours not only system administrators, but network engineers, database administrators, information security professionals, developers, IT support technicians and all other professionals serving in IT-related roles.
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