Consumerisation of IT is an unstoppable trend CIOs and IT departments must embrace, according to Ben Haines, CIO of Pabst Brewing Company, speaking at the SAUG Summit 2012 + SAP Forum Australia.
“Don’t try and block it, you’ll never win,” said Haines. “It’s the Facebook effect – people expect software to work. If you’re training people to use software for a week, you built it wrong.”
The company provisions cloud apps such as Gmail, Google Apps, Twitter, Yammer, and TripIt to the company through a single platform, and can now redirect staff using non-company approved cloud apps to an officially sanctioned version.
Pabst has also adopted bring your own device (BYOD) for mobiles across their workforce, which Haines said has saved a huge amount of time and money around telecommunications decision-making and problem-solving, particularly as 80 per cent of Pabst’s workforce is mobile.
“You do need to have a mobile device management platform to make it secure,” Haines said, as well as clear policies for both BYOD and company-owned mobiles.
Haines also advocates building tight relationships with business decision-makers within the enterprise, both because they are driven to achieve innovation and they often have available budget.
“Software companies are now selling into the business. They have the budget, and will make decisions that IT won’t. The business is your friend – you have to have a good relationship.”
