Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, has suggested a new concept
that he dubs “people-centric IT.” You may have heard of it already. In fact it’s generating a lot of discussion, but not everyone is clear on what it is, or even how long it’s been around. Nadella suggests that it’s an environment where “the end user gets the experience they want and IT gets the control that they want.” So perhaps it’s not that new an idea, but the fact that Microsoft’s top man is touting it suggests that there may be an actual application to this concept.
There’s a traditional tension between the IT department and its users and this has been developing into more of a problem as the internet becomes more accessible. Many users want to access the tools that they use when browsing the internet on whatever device they’re on. Often this means that when they are at work they feel entitled to the same level of internet access as they have at home. This isn’t a desire shared by most IT departments, as many feel that the type of usage that its users want will lead to a free-for-all on its network.
This in turn of course often leads to compromised security, especially when it comes to social networking, as it’s something that’s awash with social engineering techniques that encourage people to participate in what’s essentially phishing.
According to Clive Longbottom, founder of IT advisory firm Quocirca: “The whole idea of people-centricity is to accept that a group of 10,000 people are 10,000 consumers who are used to driving their own world. You have to let the user work in the way that they want.”
People-centric IT – Does it work?
All nice and ideal in theory, but in practice does it work? Dropbox serves as a good example of the problem that IT faces when it attempts to meet the demands of its users. If all users decided to access Dropbox to upload their corporate documents, then IT cannot index them, and most importantly, secure them. That’s a huge security problem and this is something that Microsoft is attempting to balance. Users want a better experience and IT needs better control, and both of these areas need to work for people-centric IT to be successful.
The real question then is can it work? Can you exercise complete control while giving people exactly what they want? Microsoft seems to think that it can.
Microsoft’s people-centric approach involves a number of different approaches across several business related areas. Firstly it feels that it’s necessary to enable end users and at the same time unify their environment. The focus on end users has a reliance on devices and resources and the tech giant suggests that users should be able to register their own devices, and access corporate resources from them.
It’s also felt that there should be seamless integration across devices and platforms, granting the user an increased autonomy. Users should be able to access company desktops and applications from their own device, on top of support for work devices, and also users should be able to connect to internal resources when necessary.
Unify the end user experience
Unifying your environment means a lot to the end user. It means that they can access everything they want and need from a common identity. For the IT department it means managing all of the devices from a singular place, be it in the cloud, or in-house. This unity of environments is a good thing, but it’s important for a business to implement management policies that encompass all devices and platforms.
People-centric IT has an emphasis on protecting user data and this means that remote data and application control need to have a set of centrally implemented policies. In many ways this approach is not that different to the BYOD model that many businesses are adopting.
Effectively, it’s all about the balance between allowing users to access company data and resources from the comfort of their own device, and ensuring that the IT departments’ networks don’t end up in disarray.
For the user
It does depend on the users and what they want though, and its worth, as a business, investigating their exact requirements. This is the point of people-centric IT – it’s all about the user. Embrace this concept and utilize your IT department to deliver the best possible end user experience.
For many businesses the idea of implementing new IT policies may seem intimidating. However, there has never been such a time to reach your employees better and on their own terms. The introduction of cloud technology services allows an IT department to not only provide better access to data and corporate documents, but it also provides a better platform to roll out apps more quickly. Cloud services also provide easier management of user identities across all platforms and devices.
What you want when you want it
Currently the conversation has been around the implementation of people-centric IT infrastructures. The focus has been on how to manage devices that are connected to the network and how to make sure that those devices are securely connected. The other emphasis is on users accessing the right resources when they want and need them. People-centric IT makes data sharing easier and it increases a business’ productivity, as its staff is using tools they are familiar and well versed with.
Businesses should consider both the infrastructure and the end user experience when designing new IT systems. Mobile device management and identity control are a core part of any considered user-centric experience. It’s all about giving the user what they want from their applications, on their own devices and on their own terms and it will work to your business’ advantage with its increase in productivity.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that employees that are given the rights to access what they need when they want it are more empowered. This leads them to a sense that they are valued, that they have a voice within the organization and in turn, leads to a happier, more productive workforce.
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William Thompson
William Thompson is the Marketing Manager at Power Admin, a server monitoring software business in the Kansas City area. You can find him on Google+ and Twitter. William has been a professional in website design, digital marketing and 3D/graphic design for over 20 years.