Desktop death is imminent, say CIOs

Almost 40% of CIOs believe that buying desktops will become obsolete in the next five years, according to new research from Intrinsic Technology.
 
The cloud computing and unified communications specialist surveyed CIOs from companies with 1000 or more employees, across multiple sectors. Nearly three quarters think desktop purchasing will eventually be a thing of the past, with 38% believing it will happen within five years, paving the way for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies.

 
However, BYOD security is proving a huge stumbling block, with 30% of CIOs believing that the security they currently apply to mobile devices would not satisfy an auditor.
 
Commenting on the findings, Adam Jarvis, chief executive at Intrinsic Technology, said: "BYOD introduces multiple devices and operating systems into the office, making for a complex IT landscape. This may be one reason why IT managers are dissatisfied with their security policies.
 
"Methods of management therefore have to change. It's only going to become more difficult to maintain a secure multifaceted infrastructure, so outsourcing IT management to firms that can prioritise security is an increasingly attractive proposition for businesses."
 
The research was carried out to examine current trends and opinions surrounding BYOD schemes. It has previously been argued that the traditional desktop setup is on its last legs, and the results from Intrinsic further substantiate this claim.
 
Adam continued: "The challenge for companies now is to create a secure infrastructure that can accommodate mobile devices and a BYOD policy – at present mobile security standards are not high enough. The businesses that do it sooner will find themselves in a much stronger position as desktop provision becomes the exception rather than the rule."