Consumerization of technology is a process by which products originally developed for business and professional users become available and desirable to the general mass market.
The phenomenon of consumerization has been recognized as a trend for quite some time now, but it’s really taken off in the last decade with the rise of new mobile technology.
It’s no surprise that many of us have more than one device. It’s convenient to have an iPhone for work, an iPad for entertainment, and a laptop for school work.
But just because these devices are efficient on their own, doesn’t mean you want to carry them around all day long.
Here are some tips on how to choose the right bag or backpack to carry your tech devices with ease.
What is a Definition of Consumerization?
The word “consumerization” is defined as the act of buying personal or household items for use in your place of work.
This concept has taken the business world by storm, but did you know that it originates from our own homes?
Consumerization of technology is the idea that families are bringing their own devices to work. These devices may be laptops, smartphones, tablets, or e-readers.
As more and more people are bringing their devices to work, there are some pros and cons to this new trend.
The History of Consumerization of Technology
The consumerization of IT was largely instigated by the launch of the iPad in 2010. In the year following the release of the iPad, tablet technology was largely pioneered by numerous start-up companies, demonstrating a strong market demand.
The technology took a while to catch on among business users, but in 2012, over 16% of the American workforce reported using tablets to access the internet during the previous 12 months.
2012 marked a turning point in the history of technology, as the consumerization of IT began to take hold.
The consumerization of IT was largely instigated by the launch of the iPad in 2010. In the year following the release of the iPad, tablet technology was largely pioneered by numerous start-up companies, demonstrating a strong market demand.
Consumerization Vs Enterprise
According to ZDNet, the majority of new technologies are consumerized. The enterprise starts with consumer technology and that technology get tailored and structured to function within the environment of the enterprise. Here are a few examples:
Home Security Cameras: The technology used by consumers, and more recently by the business sector, is called a home security system.
The technology used in a home security system is a video camera, which is a consumer tech device, and the security system it is attached to is a business and governmental technology.
Wi-Fi Access Points: Wi-Fi access points are consumer-focused devices that connect to home networks. They run on consumer-end devices such as routers and wireless access points.
Why Does Consumerization Occur?
As the world becomes more advanced, the people at the forefront of these advancements and innovations are the everyday consumers of products and services.
They consume content, products, and services from major retailers, office buildings, manufacturers, and even international organizations.
They’ve been able to make the most informed decisions as consumers thanks to years of active participation in their communities, schools, and family life.
They are often the leading edge for making informed decisions and tend to possess the most knowledge and access to resources.
These consumers not only prefer the newest technology, they also are the most aware of them. That means their opinions can be seen as important even before they know them.
How to Use Technology in Your Business?
The author Jeanne Meister explains the consumerization of IT and the benefits it offers for businesses in the following statement, “All of these technologies benefit the business of business, and it is companies such as Accenture, Dell, and VMware that are putting them into the hands of employees.
It is time for businesses to have a laser-focus on employee engagement and employee productivity.”
Technology is available for use in your business. If you are ready to adopt these new technologies, then consider carefully which and how many devices and technologies you want to implement.
The consumerization of technology for Life.
The consumerization of technology is happening all around us on a daily basis. You may not be aware of it because you’ve already accepted it as part of your everyday life.
The smartphones that we use to take pictures and send messages are just one example. Computers, tablets, and video game consoles are also examples of consumerized technology that we use at home but were initially used by corporations.
Technology is becoming more available than ever before and people are starting to find ways to integrate it into their lives for entertainment purposes.
Consumerization of technology is the incorporation of computing products originally created for commercial markets, into consumer markets.
How it is Impacting the world?
We are constantly on our phones, checking email, conversing via chat, and surfing the web for information.
We have come to expect new technology to be available at affordable prices. With this expectation, we are more likely to switch brands or abandon a product altogether if another company offers a better deal.
This is called the consumerization of technology. The consumerization of technology has blurred the line between personal and professional life because it’s difficult to separate the two in today’s world. Consumerization of technology can be both a benefit and a drawback for businesses.
Application in consumerization of technology
1. More Productivity
Give your employees the tools they need to understand and utilize tech in your business.
This will increase your productivity and reduce the amount of time you have to spend explaining tech to those that do not understand the intricate system.
2. Increase the Conversion
Conversion helps you stand out by serving your business and customers effectively. What makes this so special is that conversion optimizes the way you do everything you do.
it helps to Use conversion to gain visibility, build a business platform, share content, and collaborate with others.
3. Consumer-driven society
We live in a consumer-driven society. We want the newest technology, the newest clothes, and the newest toys. We’ve seen this happen to other industries like auto manufacturing and food, but now it’s happening to information technology.
4. homegrown systems
It used to be that large companies manufactured all of our personal computers. Now, these days, we can just buy computers from places like Target or Best Buy for example.
These are referred to as “homegrown systems” because they are made for consumers rather than professionals.
For years it was believed that homegrown systems couldn’t handle professional tasks. That is no longer true! Nowadays, homegrown systems are able to do anything a big company could do, but at a fraction of time.
Summary
In a world where technology plays such a huge role in our society, it is only natural that consumers will begin to utilize tech within the business sphere.
While you may be beginning with phones, laptops, and PCs for your employees, your thinking shouldn’t stop there.