Suncorp tells staff ‘BYO computer/tablet’
By Fran Foo
IN what could prove to be a watershed moment for corporate Australia, financial services firm Suncorp will let thousands of employees use their personal computers, including Apple iPads, at work.
For the first time in its history, the organisation has decided not to refresh its corporate desktop fleet of about 20,000 PCs, supplied by Dell and Lenovo.
The BYO (bring your own) device program at one of Australia’s largest insurers means staff will be able to break free from the shackles of their company-issued PCs and plug in their personal laptops, tablets and smartphones into the enterprise network.
For the first time, it also means individual staff will have the power to decide on the device they want to use for work purposes.
“We’re actually moving to a fully virtualised environment and the goal is to allow any employee to bring that (own device) in,” Jeff Smith, chief executive of Suncorp’s business services division, told The Australian in an exclusive interview.
“We can supply you with desktops here, but if people want to bring in their Macs or other devices, then that’s their choice. People should use the device they feel the most productive in.
“It is part of Suncorp’s fundamental strategy to attract, develop and retain top talent and to give them a great place to work, and try to inspire them to do great things.”
Mr Smith said Suncorp’s goal was not to have infrastructure be a constraint to people’s innovation and ingenuity. The decision by Suncorp is a first and rare for a company that is part of a risk-averse community such as financial services. However, Mr Smith said it was the way to go and the outcomes were critical to employee satisfaction and retention, not just in cost savings.
There will be no restrictions – products that ran on platforms by Microsoft, Apple, Google and others were all welcome, he said. The company was adjusting to fast-changing consumer habits. Today 70 per cent of employees select a company-issued iPhone over a BlackBerry, Mr Smith said.
Suncorp supplies 1250 iPhones, 600 BlackBerrys and has approximately 700 personal devices that are activated by the Suncorp network.
Mr Smith’s goal is to have the IT environment ready for all workers to bring in their own devices by August.
The Australian, March 29, 2011.
