Blackberry Use Drops Among Work Phones

By Cynthia Herbert :: 7:46 AM

According to a survey of 1,681 U.S.-based workers released Thursday by Forrester Research, more of them are using iPhone and Android smartphones combined than use BlackBerry hardware.

The long-standing workhorse of the corporate world, Blackberry has been eclipsed by new technology from Apple and Android.

Nearly half (48%) of all respondents, said that they chose the smartphone used for their job without considering what their company supports. Only 29% said they chose the smartphone from a list of phones the company supports, while 23% said they had no choice in the matter.

Most IT shops choose BlackBerry when requiring their workers to use a specific smartphone because of its perceived security benefits, according to analysts. However, the explosion of growth in Android phones and the iPhone is forcing IT shops to revisit this decision.

The survey also found that worker satisfaction with their IT shops is not good. Fewer than half of the workers and their managers said that they were satisified with services and technologies provided by their IT department.