What Technology Populism Means For Tech Marketers

Technology Populism — information workers provisioning technology outside of IT's auspices — is a topic of great interest to both technology vendors and IT departments. But is it more hype than reality? No. Information workers are increasingly playing a role in selecting and managing the smartphones, computers, and software they use to get their jobs done. And because IT departments feel the necessity of meeting the growing needs of a distributed workforce while cutting costs, we see them increasingly allowing some technology autonomy for workers. For technology product marketers, this means speaking directly to end users about solving their specific business problems. Going forward, technology vendors will have to design, develop, and market products directly to a variety of information workers who, like consumers, have myriad choices.