Workers prefer their own computers and virtual desktops for work – Unisys Poll

An online poll of over 500 enterprise information workers conducted by Unisys Corporation has revealed that the majority preferred using their own PC or a hosted virtual desktop to do their work and to access information resources, with only a minority continuing to subscribe to the traditional model of using a PC provided and managed by their company.

In answering the question, “What is your preferred form of personal computer technology for work?” 55 percent of the 532 respondents favored a non-traditional approach to workplace productivity. Of these, 36 percent said they prefer to bring their own PCs to work while 19 percent indicated that they prefer to use a hosted virtual desktop. Less than half – 45 percent – said they still favor a PC provided and managed by their company.

The Unisys poll results corroborate evidence from industry analysts and other similar studies that aim to map workers’ interest in using mobile technologies for work – especially those they supply themselves. A November 2009 Forrester Research, Inc. report based on a survey of 2,001 US information workers showed a third of the respondents favoring the use of a personal mobile phone for work. Forrester's survey also showed that younger workers tended to believe that the technology they have at home is better than that which they have at work – with around 34 percent of the youngest generation of workers, part of the Gen Y, felt that way, compared to only 22 percent of older Baby Boomers.

A similar survey by Gartner, Inc. of 528 IT managers in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom showed that 43 percent of the respondents’ companies have specific policies that allow the use of employee-owned devices. The survey also indicated that participants expected the average number of workers using employee-owned notebooks as their primary work PC to increase from 10 percent in 2009 to 14 percent by mid-2010.

Tony Doyle, president of Unisys global outsourcing and infrastructure services says, “These poll results demonstrate that today’s multi-generational, technology-smart workforce is no longer satisfied with a restrictive model of enterprise IT support. They want continual access, at their convenience, to the resources that help them do their jobs, and they want that access through the means best suited to their individual work styles – whether those are smartphones, netbooks, laptops or any devices using a virtual desktop.”