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GenMobile is the term that’ s used to describe a generation of people who have shaped their personal and working lives around mobile devices. Today’ s younger employees, the mobile-natives, are changing the way companies operate by behaving in ways that have farreaching implications for corporate network security.

This shift, however, is much more than just a case of‘ we’ re always connected’. It’ s about the availability of new( and often free) web-based tools and apps that rival the functionality and power of anything your company can provide. It’ s a complete behavioural and attitudinal change of direction.

You might be a“# GenMobile’ r” yourself— you might have adapted, consciously or not, to dipping in and out of work comms at pretty much any time of the day and paying less and less attention to the old 9-to-5 edict. But to younger generations, this isn’ t something new— it’ s business as usual. They’ ve never known any other way. Crucially, that means they won’ t change( hint: you might have to).

This is where Aruba Network’ s report helps paint a picture of # GenMobile— who they are, how they behave and how their three most striking working habits could affect your business.

Super-productive, supereffective Let’ s start with the positives: the survey found that # GenMobile are very productive. They get work done and they do it well, using all the tools they can get their hands on. Their innate

SABAHAT NASIM, CHANNEL SALES MANAGER, GULF, AT ARUBA

familiarity with tech means they are self-empowered to power through their to-do lists. Consumer tech is driving this change: 51 % say that mobile technologies enable them to be more productive and engaged at work.

Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration A huge part of this uptick in productivity is a new culture of sharing and collaboration. # GenMobile are really good at this. There’ s a chance your company already has some type of collaboration tool in place or in development, so you don’ t need to be reminded how useful sharing and working together can be.

Passwords? Don’ t even … Yet this is where the story takes a darker turn. This self-empowered,‘ get things done’ attitude means security concerns take a backseat. A fact illustrated by rising levels of security agnosticism: security ranked a lowly fifth in workplace tech priorities for the # GenMobile workforce.

THIS SELF-EMPOWERED,‘ GET THINGS DONE’ ATTITUDE MEANS SECURITY CONCERNS TAKE A BACKSEAT. A FACT ILLUSTRATED BY RISING LEVELS OF SECURITY AGNOSTICISM: SECURITY RANKED A LOWLY FIFTH IN WORKPLACE TECH PRIORITIES FOR THE # GENMOBILE WORKFORCE

24 INTELLIGENTCIO www. intelligentcio. com