Consumer tech in the enterprise? Caveat emptor...

In new CIO survey from the Yankee Group, 86 percent of the respondents said that they had used at least one consumer technology in the workplace, to either stimulate innovation or realize gains in productivity. While you have got to admire their creative flair, security professionals in the enterprise are pulling their hair out because of the risks associated with these vulnerable devices and applications. But is it right for a CIO or CSO to ban the technology? ComputerWorld lists 8 collaboration and consumer tools that are making their way into businesses.

Topping the list is instant messaging; Yankee says that 40 percent of respondents use consumer IM technology at work. One way to deal with the security threat is to implement an internal IM server. Up next is webmail and portable storage devices. Some 50 percent of those surveyed by Yankee said they use webmail. Again, security is the big trade off here for convenience. PDAs, smartphones and camera phones are also causing a lot of headaches for CIOs, primarily because employees are coming to work and trying to sync up these devices with their computers. This can create big problems, ranging from application glitches to blue screens. Rounding out the list is Skype, downloadable widgets and virtual worlds. There's no doubt that it's a new world out there… buyer beware.

To read more about the security risks:
- see the article in Computerworld