Survey: 20% of companies let employees decide what smartphone they use

Survey results released by IDG Research Services, points to employees getting a greater say at their jobs about their IT mobility needs, including what smartphones they carry.

Based on survey results from “nearly 400 security and IT decision makers” the report says that 60% of companies allow their employees to provide at least some level of input on what mobile devices and software to use, while 20% let users decide outright.

• 52% of companies let employees provide input on netbook decisions, 50% on tablet decisions.
• However, on more traditional IT decisions (PCs and laptops) only 35% of companies let employees help with desktop decisions, and 47% with laptops.
• Over 25% of companies let employees use their own personal computers or mobile devices for work purposes.
• 80% of companies surveyed let employees use some form of social networking, and of those, 62% use it for business outreach. See the chart below for how these companies let their employees use social media.
• 63% of respondents believe mobility and social media increase productivity.

The report didn’t break down the results by smartphone manufacturer, which is too bad, as it would be interesting to see which manufacturers/OS IT managers are more willing to say yes to. So, if you work for someone else, does your employer let you choose what mobile devices you can use for work?

Here’s the PDF of the survey results.

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