The Naive CIO

The naive CIO believes all the articles telling you that it’s your duty as a CIO to prevent devices like iPhones, Android devices and tablets of all types from coming into your workplace. The naive CIO may actually believe that there is a workplace these days, even though more and more business is being conducted away from the office and maybe even away from your home city or country. The naive CIO thinks that “enterprise IT” is in control of your devices and that no unapproved devices will ever use your network.

The realistic CIO knows that IT exists to serve the enterprise and its employees — not the other way around. The realistic CIO knows that you can’t prevent people from buying their own smartphones, e-readers and tablets, any more than you can prevent people from buying their own watches (and who wears a watch these days?). The realistic CIO knows that it’s your job as a CIO to figure out how to help people use the devices they want to use to do the work they’re paid to do, and that it’s your duty as a CIO to prevent those devices from causing harm to your corporate data and systems. Yes, that’s a difficult job, but that’s part of what you’re paid to do.

Technology isolationism is a short-term approach that won’t work in the long term.

So what’s your approach? Are you being naive or realistic?