The increase in the number of firms adopting web mail and similar online business applications is another indication of the growing popularity among corporates of the software-as-a-service model. The Google Apps suite is attracting about 1,000 new business customers daily, and this uptake is largely being driven by the search giant’s email service.

Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail et al are gaining increasing traction among business users as a more user-friendly alternative to the traditional email software systems provided by employers, which do not always fully support the newer models of remote or collaborative working.

The rumoured EMC bid for Berkeley Data Systems’ Mozy web-based storage system adds more weight to the importance of online services along businesses. A deal would provide EMC target customers with an affordable, secure storage solution that could reduce the admin burden on IT departments.

These trends are all evidence that we have entered an era of consumerised business IT, with consumers driving the future of enterprise technology; they love the services they use at home and are demanding similar tools in the office. Firms that miss this shift risk losing their ability to compete.