One fourth of all global information workers use their own devices at home and at work for work purposes. A recent survey report, commissioned by Unisys and conducted by Forrester Consulting, involved 2,600 IT workers and 590 business and their IT executives.

CIO Insight points out that these are the “mobile elite,” a class of professionals who overwhelmingly opt to use their own tools because they claim these devices and applications make them far more productive than products supported and distributed by their companies’ IT departments.

Mobile-elite professionals appear to maintain a decided edge when it comes to client service and innovation. And they are also likely to take the initiative when it comes to sparking organizational change and introducing new technologies.

A recent Deloitte study highlights many common business and technology innovations being explored:

• Improving time to market, customer satisfaction levels and sales
• Improving infrastructure and data security, and reducing risk of incident or loss
• Potentially reducing costs associated with hardware, monthly service fees, provisioning and ongoing support

A recent IDG report disseminated by DronaMobile enumerates the benefits of permitting employees to use their own tools.

Employees allowed to choose their own devices are happier and more satisfied in their work. With the added flexibility of choosing the applications and cloud services to use, employees get the leeway to be innovative. As smartphones and tablets blur the line between personal and work hours, employees pursue ideas at their own pace, time and location. Without the pressure of conforming to office hours and working on office equipment alone, workers are observed to be more productive, efficient, creative and appreciative of this privilege.

Robert Siciliano is a personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto and author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked! . Disclosures