A common thread among IT-related predictions for 2012 is the swelling wave of consumerization. Pretty much everyone expects that employees in growing numbers will look for easy-to-use mobile devices for work--namely smartphones and tablets designed with consumers foremost in mind--whether the company supplies them or they bring their own. The ongoing trend does not mean that it is necessarily getting easier for IT departments to support and secure the devices, however.

Confirming what we suspected, a recent study found that the forces of IT consumerization, mobility and cloud computing bring a potential for increased business risks. As employees download the software of their choosing onto the gadgets of their choosing, IT departments are having a harder time keeping an eye on applications and controlling their performance, a survey commissioned by Compuware showed.

The application environment is becoming increasingly complicated, and managing performance increasingly challenging. More than half of the CIOs reported that it is nearly impossible to deliver sufficient support for employee mobility because of the extensive use of external networks. 

While end users are eager to assert preferences over the technologies they use, the vast majority of them presume IT will handle the technology issues that crop up, according to the survey of 520 CIOs, which was conducted by research firm Vanson Bourne. Consumerization is generating unrealistic expectations among end users and confusing the lines of responsibility. It's a double whammy because even as the risks to the enterprise grow, the IT department is losing control.

None of this means, however, that CIOs don't want to let end users have the technologies they desire. Most of you whom I've talked with over the past couple years have said that letting employees use their preferred devices is good for morale and productivity. And you still express concerns over security, management and performance.

One often-heard piece of advice for addressing these security concerns is to start focusing on securing data, not devices. Figure out which data requires protection and deploy systems to monitor when it is accessed and by whom. To deal with performance issues, Compuware suggests deploying better performance management tools (which they would like to help you with). 

Are there sufficient solutions for dealing with consumerization at this point, meaning it's mostly a matter of implementation, or does it still make sense to try to stem the tide whenever possible? Share your thoughts, if you can. - Caron