I went to an interesting CEO/CIO gathering a few weeks back where the concept of User-Centric IT was presented by some of the leading cloud providers. The concept, pushed and marketed by Box, Marketo, Skyhigh, Jive, Okta, Zendesk, and GoodData, professes that enterprise software should first and foremost focus on the needs of the end-user. To be more specific, the principles of User-Centric IT are:
- User-Centric IT serves the business by empowering people.
- User-Centric IT adapts to the way people work, not the other way around.
- People, information and knowledge must connect in real-time.
- Mobility is a work-style preference, not a device.
- Security should be inherent and transparent to the user experience.
In my view, User-Centric IT is real and is part of the changing expectations of enterprise users due to the rise of the Consumerization of IT, and the pervasiveness of the cloud. The principles of empowerment, mobility, and real-time connections are all standard in consumer technologies today. It’s these expectations that are driving enterprise IT to change its focus to how the user works. Work is now a thing and not a place. No longer are applications just about functionality, with UI design an afterthought. Employees are using great, user-centric tools at home and they expect the same easy to use tools while working. The same concept is driving BYOD where users have choices in the devices they use, opting for the more consumer oriented devices. User-Centric IT uses these same principles in empowering users to be more productive, while wrapping it all up with the security enterprises require out of their applications.
These principles are also what’s great about the cloud and why legacy apps and on-prem software face an uphill battle. As I come across more and more industry vertical, cloud based options these days, it’s wonderful to see how each new company has taken usability to a higher level. Of course, the social and mobile trends taking over many enterprises are the other forces driving this concept. Can’t argue with that.
The various vendors who have joined forces in marketing this principle all have products that come at the issue from different angles, whether it be enterprise collaboration, security, identity, marketing or analytics. What they all have in common is a goal towards user enablement and mobility. Now, some will argue that this concept is just pure marketing with no real substance. There is definitely a marketing bent to it no doubt, but the underlying core message does resonate with those of us who believe these trends are real. Whether you just call it the Consumerization of IT or something else, you can’t argue with principles. As a real believer of the how the cloud is quickening the pace of innovation in businesses and the inherent value it creates, peeling back the marketing layer uncovers real trends.
At the event, there was a lot of discussion about the challenges this brings to CIO’s. Some were concerned about cloud sprawl, while others are dealing with deeply entrenched legacy apps that can’t just be switched or upgraded overnight. There was also a discussion on User-Led IT vs. User-Centric IT. User-Led is where integration, security, data quality, and governance is given little value, focusing purely on the best looking and quickest to implement. User-Centric IT takes this up a level, valuing the needs of the employee, but layering on the real security, integration and data quality requirements enterprises need. These are real issues and real concerns, but it shouldn’t stop the conversation. I believe that the CIO’s that are truly innovating and driving cloud adoption today, with an eye on social and mobile, are already using these principles for transformation and innovation. As the cloud becomes even more entrenched as the go-to strategy for companies, concepts like User-Centric IT will be become more commonplace.
Here is a link to the User-Centric IT website
BusinessTech 