CIOIN

The proliferation of data in government organisations is being fuelled by the consumerisation of IT, according to analyst firm, Ovum.

Speaking at Ovum's event in Sydney, analyst Steve Hodgkinson said the proliferation of data is more problematic than other kinds of proliferation in the enterprise.

"Many of the apps are starting to become useful in the enterprise context...it is changing the way that people are thinking," Hodgkinson said to an audience of IT leaders and CIOs.

"This is changing the world of data and it's [being] enabled by the proliferation of technology."

Hodgkinson said the impact of Gen-Y in the enterprise has contributed to such proliferation, using the example of an MP3 and its appeal to describe how quality is no longer the most important factor for employees choosing applications.

"Young people are fundamentally changing the way we do almost everything...and the MP3 is a great example of this," he said. "From an engineering sense, it isn't a good tool, but it's extremely powerful in the way that it's changing music."

Consumerisation has also resulted in employees harbouring discontent toward their employers, with IT managers now viewed as the 'bad guys' because of the increase in data.

"Users are looking outside the firewall of their organisation...corporate IT is starting to be viewed as the wall or blocker," he said.

"Business people increasingly have the view that IT people are used car salesmen...[when] the reality is, what they say will happen often isn't the case."

Instead of simply blocking consumerisation, Hodgkinson said IT managers must adopt new ways of dealing with the proliferation of data it creates.

"What all of this means is that you start to need new ways of thinking...proliferation is coming and the traditional response is saying, 'No you can't have it'," he said.

"A lot of people are using personal devices to do work on...the more you think about Twitter and other social media applications, the more people will adopt them."