Enterprise drivers for consumerization of IT strategies include increasing productivity, refocusing IT on strategic initiatives (rather than device management), and attracting and retaining valuable employees. To pursue these goals through a consumerization of IT strategy, an enterprise must consider business value, work styles, organizational policies, legal and financial issues, infrastructure, and support. This white paper is one part of the “Microsoft recommendations for a consumerization of IT strategy” series. This series introduces the phenomenon known as the consumerization of IT, including strategies for supporting the proliferation of devices in the workplace and supporting work tasks on personal devices at diverse locations.

1. A Microsoft Services Enterprise Architecture Paper
Chapter 2: Considerations for a
successful consumerization of IT
architecture
Microsoft recommendations for a consumerization of
IT strategy
Download the whitepaper
Begin at the Beginning Chapter 1: How to Build a Consumerization of IT Strategy
Abstract:
When planning a consumerization of IT strategy, enterprises consider and prioritize their drivers,
including increasing productivity, refocusing IT on strategic initiatives (rather than device management
and support tasks), and attracting and retaining valuable employees. In addition, planning teams must
also address a variety of business, personnel, and technology issues, such as organizational policies,
culture, infrastructure, and software licensing.
Microsoft Services
Author:
Arno Harteveld, IP Development Architect, Microsoft Services
Publication Date:
May 2012
Version:
1.0
We welcome your feedback on this paper. Please send your comments to the Microsoft Services
Enterprise Architecture IP team at ipfeedback@microsoft.com.

2. Considerations for a successful
consumerization of IT architecture
Document readership:
This white paper is intended for a high-level, non-technical audience of business/IT decision makers and
stakeholders from human resources, finance, legal, and other business areas. This white paper supports
Microsoft enterprise architects who participate in strategic discussions regarding consumerization of IT
initiatives, and provides intellectual property content that may be excerpted, customized, and
reassembled as appropriate.
Acknowledgments
The author wants to thank the following people who contributed to, reviewed, and helped improve this
white paper.
Contributors:
Armand Bloem, Ulrich Homann
Thanks also to:
Stella Chernyak, Susan Conway, Walter Goerner, Chris Jackson, Jeff Johnson, Eduardo Kassner,
Mohamad Ali Mahfouz, Samesh Singh, David Slight, Robert Standefer, and Detlef Kraus-de Weerth
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This document is provided "as-is." Information and views expressed in this
document, including URL and other Internet website references, may change without notice. You bear the risk of using it.
This document does not provide you with any legal rights to any intellectual property in any Microsoft product. You may copy and
use this document for your internal, reference purposes. This document is confidential and proprietary to Microsoft. It is disclosed
and can be used only pursuant to a non-disclosure agreement.
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation
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3. Considerations for a successful
consumerization of IT architecture
Table of Contents
1
OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................................................... 1
2
ENTERPRISE DRIVERS AND CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................. 2
2.1
ADDRESSING COMMON ENTERPRISE DRIVERS .............................................................................................................2
2.1.1 Increasing productivity .............................................................................................................................2
2.1.2 Focusing IT on strategic initiatives ...........................................................................................................2
2.1.3 Attracting and retaining people ...............................................................................................................2
2.2 ENTERPRISE CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................................................................................3
2.2.1 Business considerations ............................................................................................................................4
2.2.1.1
2.2.1.2
2.2.1.3
2.2.1.4
2.2.1.5
2.2.2
2.2.3
Business value ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Determining the level of consumerization of IT within an enterprise ........................................................... 4
Organizational policies and acceptable device use ....................................................................................... 5
Legal and privacy considerations .................................................................................................................. 5
Financial and tax considerations ................................................................................................................... 6
People considerations ..............................................................................................................................6
Technology considerations .......................................................................................................................7
2.2.3.1
2.2.3.2
2.2.3.3
Infrastructure services that enable the consumerization of IT ..................................................................... 7
Software license terms and conditions inventory ......................................................................................... 8
Support considerations ................................................................................................................................. 9
3
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................. 11
4
RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................................... 11
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation
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4. Considerations for a successful
consumerization of IT architecture
1 Overview
Enterprise drivers for consumerization of IT strategies include increasing productivity, refocusing IT on
strategic initiatives (rather than device management), and attracting and retaining valuable employees.
To pursue these goals through a consumerization of IT strategy, an enterprise must consider business
value, work styles, organizational policies, legal and financial issues, infrastructure, and support.
This white paper is one part of the “Microsoft recommendations for a consumerization of IT strategy”
series. This series introduces the phenomenon known as the consumerization of IT, including strategies
for supporting the proliferation of devices in the workplace and supporting work tasks on personal
devices at diverse locations.
The full list of white papers that comprise this series is:




“How to build a consumerization of IT strategy”
“Considerations for a successful consumerization of IT architecture” (this paper)
“How the consumerization of IT affects your business”
“Security and governance strategies for the consumerization of IT”
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation
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5. Considerations for a successful
consumerization of IT architecture
2 Enterprise drivers and considerations
Prior to defining a consumerization of IT strategy, enterprise architects should review known enterprise
drivers and considerations.
2.1 Addressing common enterprise drivers
The three common drivers for businesses that are pursuing consumerization of IT strategies are:



Increasing productivity
Focusing IT on strategic initiatives
Attracting and retaining people
2.1.1 Increasing productivity
Employees can increase their productivity by using devices that provide access to information when they
are away from their desks. For example, mobile devices can access email, instant messaging, personal
locations, calendar, voice, video, and social networks at any time and place.
Microsoft and other businesses have experienced productivity increases as a result of the introduction
of mobile devices and a flexible work style. These benefits are achieved due to reduced time spent
traveling and increased ability to access applications and data from anywhere.
Productivity increases because mobile devices help shift user behavior toward work tasks, thus engaging
users more fully and for more time, and enabling many employees to work in environments that support
their responsibilities optimally. Productivity gains from consumerization of IT strategies are an extension
of those obtained from initiatives that support flexible work styles.
2.1.2 Focusing IT on strategic initiatives
By shifting device purchasing, device handling, asset inventory, and provisioning of devices to the retail
channel and to end users, IT reduces operational expenses.
When retail channels and users become responsible for obtaining and supporting their devices, IT is
relieved of some time-consuming aspects of supporting an enterprise infrastructure, thus enabling them
to focus on strategic initiatives.
Realistically, there are still support requirements for IT to fulfill. For example, the recommendation is
that IT continue to provide a corporate operating system to end-users, because not every employee can
perform this task. IT should also provide proper information and self-service support, as well as a clear
communication strategy to mitigate the risk of unnecessary support.
Although user ownership of mobile devices is part of some consumerization of IT strategies, it may not
result in a lower total cost of ownership for employees unless users are entirely responsible for
hardware choices, purchasing, troubleshooting, and maintenance.
2.1.3 Attracting and retaining people
The workplace today has a mix of generations, with varying technical capabilities, expectations, and
work styles. Millennials rely on social media and collaborative tools as indispensable options, whereas
others may consider these tools to be no more than a means to improve existing processes.
To attract and retain a range of employees, businesses are moving toward rich consumerization of IT
environments, partnering with human resources to improve workplace satisfaction.
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6. Considerations for a successful
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According to a Microsoft workplace satisfaction survey, the work culture at Microsoft is: “…focused on
trust in its people: giving employees the freedom to manage their work through a new digital work style
and providing them with the technology and a culture of openness and transparency to work in a selfdetermined manner. The company is focused on improving collaboration and knowledge sharing in a
dispersed virtual organization that increases productivity, employee satisfaction, flexibility and
innovation.”1
2.2 Enterprise considerations
The consumerization of IT is manifest in an organization as an increased demand for mobility
(smartphone, tablet, laptops); business use of consumer-based social media applications; and
employees who augment office hours by working during personal time.
However, the consumerization of IT is not an open-ended strategy, and is not appropriate in all
environments. Many devices are not adequately secure or business-critical; legal consequences exist
regarding licensing, security, and privacy; and users need to be self-supporting and tech-savvy.
To adopt a consumerization of IT strategy cost-effectively, an enterprise must first understand how the
consumerization of IT appears in the organization. Such an understanding avoids unnecessary
investments in:



Unsuitable devices
Applications that will not run on available platforms
A complex mix of platforms
Important considerations to discuss with customers who are seeking consumerization of IT strategies
include:



Business considerations
People considerations
Technology considerations
Enterprise considerations are summarized in the following diagram.
1
“Microsoft Wins Best Multinational Workplace in Europe 2011 Award” press release on
www.microsoft.com
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation
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7. Considerations for a successful
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Figure 1. Enterprise Considerations
2.2.1 Business considerations
Business considerations for consumerization of IT strategies include:






Business value
The level of consumerization of IT within an enterprise
Organizational policies and acceptable device use
Legal considerations
Financial and tax considerations
Business impact of information disclosure
2.2.1.1 Business value
The value of a consumerization of IT solution should be emphasized to potential customers, instead of
specific details about technology or infrastructure. The primary value of consumerization of IT strategies
is represented by the enterprise drivers discussed previously in this paper:



Increasing productivity
Focusing IT on strategic initiatives
Attracting and retaining people
Analysts have found that there are limited financial benefits for enterprises to support consumerization
of IT for every person in the company; however, value is obtained from other benefits, such as those
discussed in the following sections.
2.2.1.2 Determining the level of consumerization of IT within an enterprise
To take full advantage of the productivity potential and mitigate the risks involved with the
consumerization of IT, a clear view of the consumerization of IT level within an organization needs to be
established. Enterprise IT departments frequently underestimate the number of workers who already
use their own devices for work and participate in social networks to communicate with customers.
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation
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8. Considerations for a successful
consumerization of IT architecture
Primary aspects of evaluating the consumerization of IT level include assessing the:





Adoption of mobile device usage within the enterprise (corporate procured and privately owned)
Relevance of various devices for work, such as desktop computers, notebook computers,
smartphones, and tablets
Business applications needed on mobile platforms and other form factors, such as tablets
Consumer applications used for business purposes (such as Skype or Yahoo! Messenger)
Scale and nature of business use of social networks within the enterprise, such as communicating
with customers or promoting products. Social networks include Twitter, Facebook, Skydrive,
LinkedIn, blogs, wikis, forums, and message boards. Social networks also support Internet
audio/video conferencing systems, which require increased bandwidth support.
2.2.1.3
Organizational policies and acceptable device use
The consumerization of IT in the enterprise introduces new dimensions related to organizational
policies. Connecting with customers via social networks provides benefits by supporting the building of
relationships. However, negative expressions via social media can bring unexpected outcomes,
potentially damaging a brand or an entire company.
In addition, appropriate usage of privately owned devices in the workplace must be defined and
communicated—a task that is often not covered in current policies. For example:


What kind of websites can employees access during working hours?
What kind of software can employees run (or not run) in a corporate environment?
People are often unaware of the privacy risks (for example, identity theft or stolen contact lists), or the
security risks involved in running certain software. Communicating these risks should be an integral part
of the communication plan for a consumerization of IT strategy.
2.2.1.4
Legal and privacy considerations
When planning consumerization of IT strategies, be aware that legal and privacy legislation differs
among states in the United States, and globally among countries.
Microsoft does not provide legal advice to customers. However, enterprises must address a number of
legal issues when considering consumerization of IT strategies, such as:





Who owns the data on a privately owned device? In some countries (for example, Mexico) data on
a privately owned device is owned by the device owner. When an employee leaves a company, the
company must address removing data from the employee’s private devices.
Can an employee provide a device legally? Local legislation may prohibit employees from using
privately owned devices at work. Legislation may obligate employers to provide all equipment
necessary to perform a job.
Can data be remotely removed from a private device? Legal advisors must be consulted to
determine the legality of using remote methods to remove data from a private device.
Do private devices remain private after they are used for work? In the case of lawsuits, employeeowned devices can become part of the discovery process, revealing private text conversations,
documents, and other private data.
Do privacy laws and contracts permit sensitive customer data on private devices? A broad range of
sensitive data cannot, by law or contract, be placed on private devices, because they often do not
provide adequate data protection.
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9. Considerations for a successful
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2.2.1.5
Financial and tax considerations
Financial considerations include costs for licensing, data plans, and support. To determine financial
impact and allow tracking of benefits and investments, an enterprise must establish baseline needs
upfront when planning a consumerization of IT strategy.
Licensing costs
To protect existing investments in licensing, organizations will need to determine how to apply existing
licenses to a new environment that supports the consumerization of IT, such as properly allocating
licenses among users and devices. Software used at home by the consumer may need to be relicensed
for workplace use. Virtualization applies a licensing model that may need to be considered.
Note For more information about licensing, see the “Software license terms and conditions
inventory” section in this document.
Data plans for mobile devices
Organizations can choose whether to pay for the costs of the service plans to which devices are
subscribed. Some international roaming charges for data plans can quickly impact the costs, and have
even forced some organizations to suspend roaming-related services until telecom providers establish
flat-rate plans across countries.
Support costs
Some organizations report increased costs related to support. There is likely to be a transitional period
during which costs are higher, until employees are trained. Environments in which the consumerization
of IT has reduced costs typically share the following characteristics:




Technically knowledgeable users who are excited about adopting new platforms
Effective community support venue.
Simple devices and applications that require simple support
Elimination of costs for previous areas of support, such as device procurement and management
Employee taxable income
In most cases, the money the employee receives as reimbursement for purchasing a device is
considered taxable income. Tax considerations vary widely among states and countries and should be
evaluated while assessing financial impact.
2.2.2 People considerations
As the consumerization of IT enters a workforce, employee capabilities are expanded and work styles
often change to support increased productivity. For example, sales forces are capitalizing on new ways
to engage users (see “How the consumerization of IT affects your business?” also a part of this
document series), noting that an employee’s computing time increases when tablets are substituted for
smartphones and laptops.
However, the workforce today is composed of a mix of traditional information workers who may prefer
common collaboration tools such as email, and employees who enthusiastically use modern smart
devices and social networks. Supporting the different generations of workers in the workforce is a
challenge for a consumerization of IT strategy, because it must provide support for legacy platforms to
support the work style of different employees.
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10. Considerations for a successful
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The consumerization of IT, and the support of flexible work styles, often makes an organization a more
attractive place to work, supporting the recruitment of new employees and the retention of existing
employees. Retaining qualified and valued employees saves the high costs associated with their
departure and replacement. Employee benefits can be used to provide a personalized workplace
experience thus improving productivity.
One way to measure the benefits of using a consumerization of IT strategy is to conduct an internal
survey and evaluation, such as provided by a “Great Place to Work” organization. This survey2 produces
quantitative information about employee work styles and satisfaction, and has demonstrated the value
of the consumerization of IT within Microsoft.
2.2.3 Technology considerations
The transition to the consumerization of IT must be made in a way that does not affect employee
productivity, or endanger enterprise data or intellectual property (IP). Consumerization of IT solutions
extend far beyond virtualized access to existing applications, and must address the many needs of
mobile workers, such as accessing privileged data or licensed applications while in the field, or working
with limited connectivity. Enterprise architects can provide assistance to enterprises in translating
business considerations to objectives that support IT workloads and services.
2.2.3.1 Infrastructure services that enable the consumerization of IT
Common infrastructure-related questions that enterprises ask include:



What is the optimum choice of a consumerization of IT infrastructure to realize business benefits?
What infrastructure would need to be changed to support a consumerization of IT strategy?
How can disparate mobile devices be supported?
Infrastructure choices for the consumerization of IT continue to be difficult because vendors of mobile
devices do not offer full services integrated across security, functionality, management, and support.
In addition, there are few generally recognized consumerization of IT standards (for example, device
management protocols).
These aspects of the infrastructure force a reevaluation of desktop delivery technologies, such as
virtualization techniques and application delivery technologies, such as application gateways and
application streaming.
Additional delivery options are associated with device options, as shown in the following diagram:
2
“Trust Index Employee Survey” available on the Great Place to Work website.
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11. Considerations for a successful
consumerization of IT architecture
Figure 2. Desktop delivery options
One approach for categorizing infrastructure services is to align them with the appropriate
consumerization of IT life cycle:



Provisioning services. Device provisioning, software distribution services, and mobile device
management.
Configuration services. Mobile device management solutions, mobile asset life cycle management.
Operations and maintenance service. Management and operations of the consumerization of IT
infrastructure, service and support, change management.
2.2.3.2 Software license terms and conditions inventory
Consumerization of IT initiatives require that the enterprise remains responsible for the licensing of enduser or third-party devices that are permitted to connect to corporate systems. Planning should address
the licensing issues that this section describes.
Procurement: Centralized purchasing versus decentralized purchasing
Centralized purchasing provides the benefits of being able to obtain discounts based on scale, while
preventing overstock by predicting demand. Such benefits are not generally achievable when hardware
and software is purchased through retail markets.
Personal use versus corporate use
Some software and services are free for personal use, but subject to licensing fees when used for
corporate purposes as a part of a consumerization of IT program. Corporate compliance to software
licensing can be addressed by building awareness among employees and adapting the IT infrastructure.
Virtualization can lead to licensing complexity
Virtualization is a useful delivery channel for the desktop, letting you integrate different devices with
different platforms into the corporate environment. However, virtualization introduces a number of
considerations:

Licensing. Depending on the specific contract an enterprise has with a vendor, enterprises may have
user-based licenses or device-based licenses. Enterprise architects should work with account
executives to verify licensing details.
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12. Considerations for a successful
consumerization of IT architecture


Software. When considering introducing virtualization, verify that the existing software can run on
those platforms.
Investment. When building a new infrastructure to enable the consumerization of IT, evaluate the
investment in regards to licensing costs and infrastructure costs versus benefits.
Available alternatives to desktop virtualization include:



Application streaming. A virtualization technique that you can us to proxy the application user
interface to non-trusted devices.
Application gateways. A means of publishing applications outside of the corporate infrastructure.
Adapting applications to other device platforms. The building of native applications interfaces for
other form factors and devices.
Ability to roam corporate licenses across devices
Additional devices connected to the corporate infrastructure will likely use productivity and
communication applications provided by the infrastructure. The expansion of the device pool may incur
costs for additional client access licenses, based on licensing conditions for the software or services.
Roaming licenses across devices is a viable option that helps optimize licensing investments.
2.2.3.3 Support considerations
The consumerization of IT directly impacts existing IT policies and procedures that cover hardware and
software failure. IT is likely to play a role in preventing productivity loss among employees due to
hardware or software failure. Different support strategies can be used to load-balance the support
efforts (and costs) while providing support to the organization.
It is important to establish a communication strategy that clearly delineates personal and IT
responsibilities and expectations. The following sample support matrix defines who is responsible for
specific types of issues with differing device categories.
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13. Considerations for a successful
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Figure 3. Sample IT Support Policy
Common support policies and methods for the consumerization of IT include:





Time-boxed support. With this level of support, IT tries (“best effort”) to solve a problem within a
fixed period of time (often 30-60 minutes). Common support problems are resolved quickly; more
complicated problems are typically the user’s responsibility or IT can provide the service for a fee.
Best-effort support. IT agrees to try to fix problems, but with the understanding that the problems
are ultimately the user’s responsibility.
Technically bounded support. IT agrees to provide support for some services (such as repairs that
involve network access) but not for the devices themselves. This method can be supported best if all
interaction with corporate resources occurs through a browser or virtual interface.
Community support. Users provide support to other users. This method is the most substantial
support channel used for the consumerization of IT. Enterprises must create and promote ways of
sharing experiences and information about devices. Common options include corporate social
networks and wikis.
External support. This area of support for the consumerization of IT is still emerging, but precludes
an IT department from having to acquire expertise for an endless array of devices.
Download the whitepaper
Read more in Chapter 3: How to Build a Consumerization of IT Strategy
Begin at the Beginning: Chapter 1: How to Build a Consumerization of IT Strategy
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation
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14. Considerations for a successful
consumerization of IT architecture
3 References
This paper refers to the following sources.

“Microsoft Wins Best Multinational Workplace in Europe 2011 Award” press release
o

www.microsoft.com/presspass/emea/presscentre/pressreleases/MultinationalWorkplaceEurop
e2011.mspx
“Trust Index Employee Survey” available on the Great Place to Work website.
o
http://www.greatplacetowork.com/our-services/assess-your-organization
4 Resources
The following resources provide additional information that might be of interest to the reader.

Forrester. IT Managers Selectively Embrace Consumerization
o

Flexible Workstyle Campaign
o

www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/enterprise/default.aspx
IDC 2011 Consumerization of IT Study: Closing the "Consumerization Gap.”
o

http://download.microsoft.com/download/B/3/A/B3ABAFBF-B96E-496A-8A9651EAE5091C07/IT%20Managers%20Selectively%20Embrace%20Consumerization_FINAL%20021
72011.pdf
www.unisys.com/unisys/common/download.jsp?d_id=1120000970016710178&backurl=/unisys
/ri/report/detail.jsp&id=1120000970016710178
“Best Practices for Supporting ‘Bring Your Own’ Mobile Devices.” Jones, Nick; Leif-Olof Wallin.
Gartner, 2011.
o
www.gartner.com/id=1752515
Read more in Chapter 3: How to Build a Consumerization of IT Strategy
Begin at the Beginning: Chapter 1: How to Build a Consumerization of IT Strategy
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation
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