Four Tools Technologists Need to Remain Effective

In a recent survey of technology workers that allowed 330 respondents to choose their four most critical tools to ensure productivity from a list of eight:

• Laptop
• Desktop PC
• VPN access
• Mobile Phone
• Blackberry
• Desk Phone
• Video Conferencing
• Assigned desk

The results were interesting because the priorities were listed as:

• Laptop (88%)
• Mobile Phone (74%)
• VPN access (68%)
• Blackberry (46%)
• Assigned Desk (37%)
• Video Conferencing (23%)
• Desktop PC (20%)
• Desk Phone (18%)

As I look at the list and consider my own tools I tend to agree with the list but find that I can pare it down further to just Laptop, Blackberry (serving as both a phone and modem), and VPN access. With just these three items I can effectively work in most environments because I can access my e-mail, intranet resources, and internet resources that I need to be effective.

The most interesting item on the list is the obvious shift from a tethered to a wireless world; people need cell phones more than their desk phones.

I am further intrigued by the implications of this list to other areas of the organization since the focus has been primarily on technology workers but I think it is worth considering the impact from the executive office to the inventory clerk. Over the years I have been working in information technology I have witnessed the shift to connected executives who effectively work in airports via WIFI and Blackberry and materials staff with Nextel’s for direct connect. The message is clear people need to be near the action and want tools that place them there.

How is your organization implementing the tools that make technology available where it is needed?

Technorati Tags: Getting Things Done, GTD, Management, Technology

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