Nick Jones

Symposium this year has moved up-market and we have a lot more CIOs attending than in the past. As I chat with them I’m seeing a number of different attitudes towards mobility and consumerisation. So here are a few (very slightly exaggerated) samples of CIO opinions from the US and Europe.

The only safe place for users is jail. This is the attitude of unreformed hard-line CIOs who want to be in charge. They love platforms like Blackberry because they can lock users down and control everything they do. They’re particularly keen on stopping those pesky users from downloading applications from dubious app stores.

Death to iPhone!  The most frequent cause of CIO mobile pain is iPhone; because the fashion-obsessed early adopters demanding it be supported are often on the board of directors and can’t be stopped by conventional stalling tactics like cost or security. These CIOs resent all the aggravation iPhone has caused and wish it had never been invented. They’re trembling at the thought that Apple might open up a second front by releasing a tablet.

It’s already too late; anarchy reigns. Some CIOs have lost control and can’t squeeze the mobile genie back into the bottle  Users are playing with unsanctioned devices in creative and probably dangerous ways. These CIOs – often through no fault of their own – have no effective sanctions against out-of-control users and about the best they can hope for is to avoid blame when something blows up.

I’ve got better things to do than manage mobile devices.  Some of the more forward-looking CIOs believe that providing, supporting and managing mobiles and laptops is a thankless low-value activity. Most of their users already have their own mobiles or netbooks which are more fashionable and functional than the approved corporate device. So they’re looking at approaches like “bring your own” IT funded by stipends or expenses.

Caring but concerned. Contrary to popular belief CIOs aren’t all power crazed dictators who think the main role of users is to disrupt the smooth running of IT services. Many believe it’s reasonable for employees to have a greater choice of devices, and that a lot of interesting innovation will emerge from consumerisation. But they are also responsible enough to worry about the security risks implied by a more laissez-faire attitude and are looking for ways to manage them.

If you were a CIO what sort of CIO would you be?