IT DRILLDOWN
 
NEWSLETTERS
 

CIO.com updates, insights and advice on technology, management and your career.

 
 
 
LEADERSHIP
 
CIO Executive Programs
The Leader in Face-to-Face Education for Senior Executives

Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »

 
CIO Executive Council
A Peer-Advisory Service and Professional Association for CIOs

Public Teleconferences
Join CIO Executive Council members and participate in the following live one-hour teleconferences:

* Transforming IT Teams
September 16

* Global CIOs: How to Lead on the World Stage
September 18

* Social Responsibility's Strategic Benefits
October 29

More / Register »

Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »



 
 
RESOURCE CENTER
 
 
 
SUBSCRIBE TO CIO
 
Are you involved in setting the direction for your company's IT budget or strategy?

Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!

 
 
 

Younger Workers More Likely to Break Corporate Rules for Web Apps

As the new generation of workers blurs the line between work and play online, a study by Symantec shows that IT departments need to balance the security risks these users pose with the techno-savvy they bring to the office.

 

April 04, 2008CIO

Growing up in the digital age, Millennials (those born after 1980) are far less likely to leave their preference of technology, specifically Web 2.0 applications, behind as they head to work.

According to a survey released last month by antivirus and security software vendor Symantec, less than half of Millennials—45 percent— say they stick to company-issued devices and applications. That's much less than other workers, 69 percent of whom said they only use work-sanctioned products.

Half of the 600 respondents have policies banning applications such as social networking, iTunes, streaming video and gaming applications, which Millennials tend to access far more than other workers. This kind of attitude should be a spark to business leaders to change how they structure their company, says Samir Kapuria, managing director of advisory services for Symantec. The survey also found that workers save an average of five to six hours per week by using these types of technologies. The respondents included 200 Millennials, 200 older workers and 200 IT executives.

Kapuria said the survey suggested that, instead of blocking applications and preventing workers from using Web 2.0 applications, CIOs should be trying to use these technologies as recruiting tools.

What employees are accessing at work

Millennials Others
Personal e-mails 75% 54%
Facebook/MySpace 66% 13%
Instant messaging 46% 22%
Streaming Audio/Video 38% 18%
Photo sharing applications 37% 17%
Gaming applications 23% 14%

"Instead of blaming their culture, why not ask your IT department why the company's software isn't what the employees are used to and want to use?" says Kapuria.

These younger workers have learned to use Web 2.0 applications to increase their proficiency. While the social networking site Facebook.com started out as a way for college kids to meet, some Millennials have begun to use the site's nearly endless database of contacts as a way to network in business. Such applications have no physical like bygone limitation, making rolodexes a thing of the past. Instead of contacting one person at a time with a phone, employees can contact many people simultaneously, therefore increasing the amount of information they receive, with much less effort.

CIOs should recognize these skills and learn to harness the Millennials' proficiency within their IT infrastructure, says Kapuria.

Focusing on the Millennial workers is a vital part of keeping a business afloat in a environment dependent on technology. "CIOs need to understand how young people use technology," says Penelope Trunk of Brazencareerist.com, whose website is focused on the hiring and training of young professionals. Learning these skills can even help CIOs run their departments and lead to success, especially as businesses become more dependent on technology.

Loading...
 
 
ABCs
 

Just the basics, please. Sometimes we all need a refresher or we need to make sure our team and our colleagues are all on the same page.

Over 25 tutorials on everything from business intelligence to virtualization.

 
 
FEATURED SPONSORS
 
 
 
SPONSORED LINKS
 

How the Mac is Becoming an IT Standard in the Enterprise

Optimizing Infrastructure Control

A Closer Look at SaaS Purchasing Behaviors and Attitudes

How Does Your IT Help Desk Measure Up?

Building Compliance and Security into an Application Delivery Framework

Spam-proof your business with Google's hosted security solutions

Global Crossing is the most viable alternative for voice, video and data

Plan better, manage better

Dell Latitude: Battery life up to 19 hours. Learn more

Video: 21st Century Networking for a 12th Century Castle

Speed, agility, flexibility - The HP BladeSystem c-Class

Secure your virtual and physical environments with the same software

GET YOUR VoIP ONTM! Win 2 Years of Hosted VoIP from Cypress. $100,000 retail value. Enter today!

Getting in Compliance with Government Data Regulations

Solving Online Credit Fraud Using Device Reputation

Destination: Intelligent Data Center Automation

The Benefits of Data Deduplication for Data Protection in the Enterprise

Accelerating ITIL at the Service Desk

Putting Open source to the test

Weigh the trade-offs between outsourcing communications and keeping it on-premise.

Protecting Data in a Highly Networked World

Consolidation: Just the Starting Point for Virtualization

Maximizing Site Visitor Trust Using Extended Validation SSL

Standalone Server vs. Open Source Toolkits

Drive More Effective Business Processes with SOA

New research validates telepresence solutions.

Configuration Assessment: Choosing the Right Solution

How to Calculate the ROI of Remote Support

31 Best Practices for the Service Desk

Extending the Enterprise Network Through Mobility

Compuware.com - See how we make IT rock around the world

CA delivers deeper insight into your assets, resources, projects & services so you can make more informed IT decisions

Discover PMI's credentials and career path tools

SOA Educational Library at the TIBCO SOA Resource Center

TDWI Report shows strong validation for investing in predictive analytics

Learn about the software-based VoIP solution from Microsoft

Microsoft System Center - Designed For Big

The Latest Advancements in SSL Technology

How to Offer the Strongest SSL Encryption

Forrester Total Economic Impact (TEI) report: Save Millions in Fraud Losses.

Document Management 2.0 -- Web-based Collaboration and the Road to Compliance

Build up or Tear down? See how UC makes sense with Nortel. Calculate your UC ROI

Virtual Support Technology Delivers Quantifiable Gains in Productivity and Performance

File Integrity Monitoring: Secure Your Virtual & Physical IT Environments

Webcast: Roundtable discusses industry trends for Enterprise Content Management

Stimulating Innovation: Meeting IT's New Mission

The Struggle to Achieve Agility and Reduce Complexity

Storage Efficiency: The Key to Green Storage Operation

Fuel the Responsive Enterprise Through Oracle Fusion Middleware

Balance Your Innovation and Efficiency Platforms for Competitive Advantage and Responsiveness