Employees Taking IT into Their Own Hands in a Post PC Era

VMware New Way of Life study presents strong call to action to organizations to embrace flexible IT policies to enhance employee productivity and satisfaction.
 

Singapore, 25 February 2013 — VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced the results of the VMware New Way of Life 2013 study that reveals attitudes and preferences of modern employees in an increasingly connected world.

In a discovery of how these trends have impacted the personal lives of Singaporeans, it was also revealed that one in two respondents (57%) work during the holidays. Of those, 73% use their own personal devices to get their job done while on vacation.

The study was commissioned by VMware and conducted by Acorn Research in 12 Asia-Pacific countries/regions. 2,100 people were surveyed in total, and over 150 respondents were from Singapore.

“Employees today are less often confined to an office cubicle and a single desktop computer. The Millennial generation of mobile workers are taking IT into their own hands and bringing the technologies of their choice into the enterprise for their personal productivity and fulfillment,” said Nicholas Tan, country manager, VMware Singapore. “The realities of this New Way of Life present an undeniable call to action for companies to adapt their corporate IT policies and provisions, or risk compromising security and losing important corporate data.”

IT Departments – Inhibitor or Enabler?

According to the New Way of Life Study, today’s tech-savvy employees are highly connected. 86% of respondents in Singapore own at least two personal portable devices and almost nine out of 10 (89%) bring their own device (BYOD) to work. Consequently, local respondents expect corporate IT to:

• Provide fast network access anytime, anywhere (55%)
• Provide guidance on how to solve common IT issues (44%)
• Seamlessly integrate their personal devices into the company infrastructure (42%)

Yet while nearly all respondents say their companies are aware of staff bringing personal devices to work, 67% do not receive support from their IT departments.

“Where corporate IT support was found lacking, the study revealed that 60% of employees troubleshoot issues on their own, and one in two (52%) will rely on search engines like Google to solve their problems. This exposes companies to potential risks,” said Tan. “Companies need to look at solutions such as cloud computing technologies and device management tools that will enable them to take advantage of their employees’ mobile dependency.”

In a separate announcement on 21 February 2013, VMware unveiled the VMware Horizon™ Suite , designed to be the industry’s most comprehensive platform for workforce mobility.  The suite, consisting of VMware Horizon Workspace™, VMware Horizon View™ and VMware Horizon Mirage™, promises to simplify end-user computing and empowers workforce mobility that connects end-users to their data, applications and desktops on any device without sacrificing IT security and control.

Flexible IT Policies a Source of Job Satisfaction and Talent Attraction

With more than half (59%) of respondents valuing technological mobility in their role, employees said that they are more efficient at completing tasks (68%) even when outside of the office (72%). In addition, 61% say they are happier in their role when empowered to use their choice of personal computing device.

The 2013 study also continues to identify a strong link between IT freedom and job satisfaction. In fact, three in five respondents (62%) deem their employer to be more progressive and dynamic when employees are allowed to use their choice of Web-based/customized software applications to do their work.

“Talent retention is high on the agenda for many Singapore companies which are realizing the need to be more flexible and accommodate modern work-styles,” said Karen Kwan, managing director of specialty recruitment firm, Socius Consulting. “Companies can take advantage of this by providing support and opportunities for employees to remain productive whenever and wherever they want.”

A summary report of the VMware New Way of Life study is available at www.vmware.com/ap

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About the VMware New Way of Life 2013 Study

VMware began an annual “New Way” consumer study to identify trends around end-user computing.  In 2012, the study was called the “New Way of Work” and BYOD was found to be a growing phenomenon in Asia Pacific. In 2013, the “New Way of Life” study examines the evolving work-style and lifestyle preferences of modern employees in a Post PC era, and the impact of IT policies and technologies on personal productivity and job satisfaction. A summary report can be downloaded at www.vmware.com/ap .

The VMware New Way of Life 2013 study was commissioned by VMware and conducted by Acorn Marketing & Research Consultants. Approximately 2,100 people between the ages of 18-64 participated in the survey. All participants work in organizations with more than 1,000 staff globally, and for at least 15 hours or more a week. The survey was conducted in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Indonesia and Philippines were added to the VMware study in 2013.

About VMware

VMware is the leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions that enable businesses to thrive in the Cloud Era. Customers rely on VMware to help them transform the way they build, deliver and consume Information Technology resources in a manner that is evolutionary and based on their specific needs. With 2012 revenues of $4.61 billion, VMware has more than 480,000 customers and 55,000 partners. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at www.vmware.com .

 VMware, VMware Horizon Suite, Horizon Workspace and Horizon Mirage are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective organizations. The use of the word “partner” or “partnership” does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

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