aNewDomain.net — It’s a lot easier to use your own smartphone, tablet, Chromebook, PC and Mac at work. The good news is that with the consumerization of IT (COIT), it is becoming the norm for companies to let you bring your own devices to work. If they aren’t, this is an article you must read.
So how do you make an argument to your boss that the new device you bought should come to work with you and get her or him to help you pay for it?
Here are five creative ways to sell your idea.
- Volunteer to be a tester. The IT department would appreciate you trying a new device or piece of hardware under its supervision. Working with you rather than doing it all on their own is a great plus. Dino Londis in applications management agrees, “We welcome users who don’t work in IT to test products and services. People in IT are the worst testers because they are either too forgiving of flaws, or they don’t report them because they don’t want to look dumb.”
- Offer to develop a testing procedure and feedback system with your IT department. Is IT considering switching phone service providers? Offer to test the service during your weekend if the IT department pays for it. Is the company looking seriously at adopting tablet use? Position yourself as the perfect candidate to test out the new test Microsoft Surface.
- Be an advocate. IT departments operate under different objectives: uniformity of systems, transparency and the technology’s ability to respond to the enterprise’s needs. By being at the forefront of any new technology, you as a user can advise and provide input to the IT department so that they can determine whether to implement a new tech or not.
- Test security gaps. No one knows how to bypass the system better than a savvy user. Enough said.
- Be available. A stark reality of being in a tech environment is that you are available much more than your office hours. Perhaps it is time for IT to upgrade your home PC or tablet. If you connect to the office to work remotely you should be able to have the tools to work.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
In this BYOD age, the IT department needs feedback and intelligence from its users. This is a great opportunity for you to help the IT department get to its goal of managing an influx of smartphones and tablets.
Got another idea? Email me. I’d love to hear it.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Joy Ma is executive editor at aNewDomain.net. Contact her at Joy@aNewDomain.net.
Aw, this was an exceptionally nice post. Finding the time and actual effort to create a great article… but what can I
say… I hesitate a whole lot and never seem to get anything done.