Consumerization of IT. So what? My spellchecker may not recognize it yet, but it's the latest trend in IT. Actually, it's an observation. It's not about some easy, new, and efficient way to get IT done. In fact, for IT management, it's the unfortunate result of having fallen behind. IT is getting bypassed.

Consumers of IT services have driven the demand for cloud-based services. IT management is scrambling to deal with it. For IT, it's a risk. It's unfamiliar. It's decentralized. It's a threat. Should IT embrace cloud? Internal? External? Public? Private? Hybrid? Should they support mobile devices? Which ones? Personal computers in the home? Which OSs? Tablets? Web-based apps?

The answer is yes, and IT knows it. But the $100,000 question is: "How can IT enable all the methods that IT consumers choose to consume while supporting all the apps that they want to access?" Well... it can't. At least not all at once. But progress is better than perfection.

Because IT is becoming consumer driven, IT needs to provide consumer-driven IT. This means that IT needs to listen to its customers. In the past, IT based its service decisions on guidance from finance, legal, and operations executives. "Reduce exposure to risk. Directly control security. Manage configuration and compliance." But the game has changed. If IT is not providing the path of least resistance to productivity, (again) it will be bypassed.

So IT appears to be behind the 8-ball, but the game is just beginning. The answer may lie in another trend... communities. Whether it's company internal, product user groups, or social or professional networking, online communities provide the ultimate access to nearly any audience. IT has the opportunity to re-establish itself as a business enabler simply by asking, listening, prioritizing, and delivering. Consumers of IT business services want to know their options for today and into the future. Tell them. Ask them. Involve them.

For example, the fastest way to get me angry enough to bypass you, go over your head, or ignore you, is to ignore me. Yet the best way to keep me under [your] control, is to communicate with me. Often.

Most enterprise employees would agree that the experience of logging a trouble ticket with IT, or requesting access to an unsupported service, is a less-than-personal experience. How could IT know what people really want? How can IT consumers communicate a "wish list" to IT, and talk about it?

By embracing the online communities that IT consumers are using, IT stands a realistic chance of understanding the challenges of its customers, identifying solutions, prioritizing their delivery, and maintaining control of IT. Yes, the security, and risk, and all that matter, but remember, the services themselves matter more.

*Public domain image courtesy of Vera Kratochvil.