1. Turn Power Users Into Technology Champions
Team up with tech-savvy business users to make IT a business enabler.
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2. Introduction
IT must shift their perception of tech-savvy business end users from threat to asset, and learn how to identify the ideal power users who can help increase IT’s organizational reach.
This Research Is Designed For:
This Research Will Help You:
CIOs in organizations of all sizes and complexities where tech-savvy power users are a potential source of security and compliance issues.
IT Managers that seek to leverage the skills of their tech-savvy business users to enhance workplace processes and the technical skills of the organization’s user base.
New CIOs or CIOs who lack connections needed within the business to facilitate the adoption of new technologies and technical skills.
Understand the positive contributions power users can make to your organization and remove the threat of technology users who may compromise network security.
Establish the ideal skill set your organization’s technology champions would possess to facilitate their identification and optimize their influence within their business units.
Create communication plans that will allow for more organic communication with the user base instead of more formal (and thus less accessible) methods.

3. Executive Summary Situation Complication Resolution
Most organizations report that more than 10% of their business end users are power users, and some are reporting as many as a third or half of their user base is comprised of power users.
These power users are proficient with enterprise technology beyond the training that IT provides, and often seek out non- enterprise solutions to improve their work processes without IT’s approval.
Complication
Power users who circumvent IT controls or use unauthorized applications are a potential risk to the organization due to security and compliance issues.
IT departments have traditionally been on the defensive with power users and seek to control and lock them down. They should, rather, be collaborating with power users (who are often high-level executives) to select and pilot solutions to improve work processes and achieve business goals.
IT leaders who seek to obstruct and control are seen as detrimental to innovation and lose credibility with business leaders.
Resolution
Seek out adaptable power users with influence and leadership skills to become technology champions, to pilot programs that they and IT select together.
Leverage technology champions to advocate for the selected technology to improve end-user adoption and increase IT’s credibility within the organization.

4. Read Info-Tech’s other solution sets to prepare for the rise of power users
Choose a Consumerization Strategy
Business executives and end users in 80% of organizations are pushing IT to support consumer devices and applications. CIOs cannot ignore the trend and must choose how to adopt consumer technology.
Turn Power Users into Technology Champions
This solution set.
Transition to BYOD and Beyond
BYOD is here to stay, but the transition can’t happen overnight. Make a cost-conscious shift to BYOD that will be effective for years to come.

5. Make the case for leveraging power users
The rise of power users in organizations and the reasons behind it.
The benefits of leveraging power users.
The dangers of ignoring or obstructing power users.
Make the case for leveraging power users
Identify and evaluate power users and technology champions
Enable technology champions, leverage power users, and get business buy-in

6. Understand the evolution of your user base
As your user base becomes more tech-savvy, IT leaders must engage with business end users more directly than ever before.
The workforce continues to change and evolve. As jobs in all areas of the organization begin to integrate more and more technology solutions, the business end user has become a much more technologically-savvy entity.
These business end users, through growing interest in technology, have become power users. Power users are business end users with some or all of the following characteristics:
Interest and enthusiasm in technology beyond their basic work processes.
Skills and capabilities with enterprise applications that meet and exceed the training provided by the organization.
The ability to easily integrate new technologies into work processes.
Find new, innovative ways to use existing technology to improve business processes, or discover new technology to improve business processes.
Technology champions possess all of the above skills plus non-technical attributes such as leadership skills, influence, and adaptability.
IT leaders have typically seen these power users as a threat to the security of the organization’s data, but IT leaders seeking to restrict power users are doing themselves a disservice, strategically.
Prepare to get to know these users, because they will be invaluable to the success of your IT initiatives, and the credibility of your IT department.
Technology
Champions
Power Users
Non-technical Skills
Technical Skills
Tech-Capable
Users
Entry-Level Users

7. Case Study: The view of a power user
Why do power users procure their own technologies for work? What are their expectations?
Industry:
Source:
Business Services Firm
Senior Research Analyst, Company ABC
A Senior Research Analyst (SRA) at Company ABC found IT took a “one size fits all” approach with regard to the computers, programs, and applications provided to business users. The programs and applications offered on company-owned laptops did not support the way he worked. All work laptops were locked making it impossible to install self-selected and procured programs.
Situation
The SRA researched what programs and applications would increase his efficiency. He asked IT to approve the installation of a program he believed would streamline his work process and was told there were multiple channels he would have to follow to get it approved. He wanted to install this program to increase his efficiency, and he found trying to get approval took a lot of time and in turn, decreased his efficiency.
Challenge
Company ABC supports bring-your-own-device, so after determining what kind of device and applications he would need, the SRA purchased a laptop for work. While there were initial compatibility issues, the SRA found ways around them. Using self-selected technology has seen him become three to seven times more productive. He has introduced co-workers to a selection of these applications, which has also increased their efficiency.
Results

8. The rise of consumerization
Consumerization has contributed to the increase of power users with organizations. Don’t fight it, embrace it!
One of the reasons for the increase in the number of power users in the organization is the rise of consumerization. Devices and applications that are not expressly designed for enterprise use have been introduced into organizations, often without IT’s consent. This often leads to power users using applications that fulfill a need, but are not properly secured by IT.
Consumerization for IT departments is consistently a point of contention because IT leaders are remaining on the defensive and not seeing it for the opportunity that it is.
IT must communicate with these users as a bare minimum to keep their data protected, but if they want to be strategic, they should be looking at consumerization and power users as a way to position IT to satisfy the needs of users and improve its credibility with the organization.
Trends like consumerization can be a litmus test for discovering power users. Which employees are demanding more user-friendly experiences, or suggesting new tools for their jobs? These may be the people you will be working with to help your IT initiatives succeed.
Is your organization still struggling with consumerization? For help getting out of firefighting mode and getting strategic with consumer apps and devices use Info-Tech’s Desktop & Mobile Infrastructure Road Map.

9. Determine your organization’s level of tolerance for the rise of consumerization and power users
If your organization is still restricting consumerization and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives, you will not get much cooperation from power users flying under the radar.
Restrictive
(No consumerization or BYOD)
Organizations at this stage are likely missing out on opportunities for innovation and process improvement.
Tolerant
(Limited consumerization/ BYOD)
Tolerant organizations can produce a self-supporting user base to alleviate IT’s support burden.
Encouraging
(Open to consumerization and BYOD initiatives)
Encouraging organizations can draw on its user base for innovation, support and evangelization of consumer technology for process improvement.
“Encouraging” organizations need not have BYOD in place already to leverage power users, but should be prepared. For more information starting with BYOD initiatives and securing your network see Info-Tech’s set, Transition to BYOD and Beyond.
Info-Tech Insight

10. Be aware of the technology that power users are bringing into your organization
Cloud Storage, File Transfer, and Document Management
Workers across all business units, knowledge workers in particular, are using apps like Dropbox and box.com to store files and transfer them across multiple devices.
Power users tend to prefer these solutions over more enterprise-friendly options like SharePoint because of their ease of use, but could be risking the security of the organization’s data.
Social Media
Business end users in customer-facing roles are using social media more and more to get connected with their customer base.
IT could be facilitating the use of these invaluable tools, but often see them as unnecessary or a means of ruining productivity.
Collaboration and Productivity Tools
Business users often look beyond Microsoft Office to share notes and organize their workdays.
Some of these applications do not integrate with existing solutions, or IT does not know how to support them.

11. Case study: Company ABC
Company ABC’s power users used their influence to select a new cloud file-sharing solution without IT’s involvement.
Industry:
Source:
Business Services Firm
Director, Company ABC
The Research department at Company ABC was having difficulty sharing the notes they had taken from their client advisory calls. One of the lead research analysts felt that the analysts did not have the tools required to adequately and efficiently share information across the department and thus began looking for technology solutions. The Research department agreed that Evernote was the best solution and proposed it to IT.
Situation
Due to resourcing issues, IT was unable to initiate piloting for Evernote. The piloting, testing, and training was, as a result, left to particular knowledge workers on the business side, selected for their leadership qualities and their technical proficiencies.
Challenge
The knowledge workers became technology champions and trained their teammates. Evernote became the standard note-taking collaboration tool with executive approval in spite of IT’s lack of involvement in the selection and piloting process.
Results

12. Info-Tech Research Group Helps IT Professionals To:
Quickly get up to speed with new technologies
Make the right technology purchasing decisions – fast
Deliver critical IT projects, on time and within budget
Manage business expectations
Justify IT spending and prove the value of IT
Train IT staff and effectively manage an IT department
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