The increasing demands of Generation Y to stay connected wherever they are and use only a single device for all their personal and work activities could present a challenge to IT departments.
This is according to networking specialist Cisco's latest 2012 Connected World Technology Report, which revealed just how important gadgets such as smartphones are to individuals aged between 18 and 30. It claimed nine out of ten make checking their handset for new text messages, emails and social updates a key part of their morning routine, while 29 per cent of people said they look at their device so often they lose count.
Cisco said the extent of some people's compulsion is so serious that over 40 per cent of people would experience withdrawal effects if they didn't have access to their device. But it's not just personal lives that are being affected by this, as the connected technology increasingly makes its way into the workplace.
"People check for work updates and communicate at all hours from every place imaginable. Time is elastic: For Generation Y there are no clear markers between 'the workday' and personal time - both blend and overlap throughout the day and night," the firm stated.
This could be a challenge for IT bosses, particularly as most people said they don't want to be switching between personal and work devices, but would rather have one gadget for everything.
It also found smartphones are beginning to rival laptops as the single most desired device by Generation Y, with many people favouring these as they're seen as more versatile, as well as being more compact.
What this means for business leaders is they have to have secure solutions in place that can be accessed anywhere at any time, regardless of the device an employee is using. This is where cloud-based tools come in, as this gives people access to data and applications wherever they are.
Tools like SAP Business ByDesign cater to this by coming with built-in mobile capabilities that allow its comprehensive suite of cloud applications to be easily viewed on any device.
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