Nation’s IT Professionals prepare for March Madness, other

streaming content March 13, 2013

March Madness Survey 2013

SURVEY BACKGROUND

Background •  Modis polled 502 employed IT professionals about their IT departments’

policies and actions towards streaming video, particularly around the March Madness basketball season.

Methodology

•  This telephone survey was conducted by Braun Research on behalf of Modis, among a nationally representative sample of 502 IT professionals. The survey was fielded from February 15-25, 2013. Results have a margin of error of +/- 4.4% at the 95% confidence level.

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KEY FINDINGS

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•  IT departments are taking action against streaming non-work content at the workplace, including March Madness •  Out of 502 employed IT professionals surveyed, 48 percent of IT professionals say their company

takes some level of action to block, throttle or ban streaming non-work content at the workplace. •  One-third (34 percent) say their IT departments have taken at least some action to prepare for

March Madness. Actions include banning March Madness video, throttling video feeds, or blocking content outright.

•  CEOs and senior employees are an exception to content streaming policies •  It pays to have the corner office. IT departments that have a company policy banning streaming

non-work content are more willing to make exceptions for the head of the company (66 percent) and senior employees (52 percent).

•  IT pros walk the talk. Despite their powerful position in the company, IT professionals don’t afford themselves any special treatment. Just 12 percent will make exceptions for themselves when it comes to the company’s content streaming policies.

KEY FINDINGS

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•  To enforce policies, some IT departments monitor users, others rely on honor system •  Three in 10 (30 percent) IT professionals admit their departments monitor employees who are

violating content policies. •  To prepare for March Madness, some IT departments remind employees about the content

streaming policy (24 percent), while 23 percent ask employees not to visit sports sites on the honor system.

•  Social media and video streaming sites like Hulu/Netflix are included in content restriction policies •  Of IT departments that currently block, throttle or ban streaming non-work content, seven in 10 (68

percent) currently place restrictions on a variety of different social and content streaming sites. •  Specific actions are taken against sites like Facebook (44 percent) and Netflix/Hulu (40 percent),

both of which are at the top of the list when it comes to throttling, blocking or banning certain content at the workplace. Meanwhile, access to email isn’t a large concern with only 13 percent of IT departments banning personal email sites.

KEY FINDINGS

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•  In the coming years, some IT professionals predict stricter content streaming policies •  While nearly half (48 percent) of IT departments currently take some sort of action against

employees streaming non-work content, companies may start to tighten the reigns. Of those with policies in place, three in 10 (29 percent) IT professionals believe their company’s content streaming policies will become stricter over the next two years.

•  Only 4 percent believe policies will become more relaxed.

•  No rest for the weary – IT professionals put in extra hours when preparing for events that may cause significant network burdens •  Many IT professionals admit to pulling extra hours on the job – and off – in order to prepare for an

event that might cause a significant network burden. Nearly half (46 percent) report having to work overtime either on the weekend or during the week and 45 percent have had to skip lunch breaks in order to prepare for these impending network burdens.

•  A third (34 percent) have had to work during vacation and three in 10 (30 percent) have had work overnight to prepare for network burdens.

MAIN FINDINGS STREAMING POLICIES ARE BEING ENFORCED CEOs and senior employees are the exception

IT DEPARTMENTS ARE TAKING ACTION AGAINST STREAMING NON-WORK CONTENT

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Out of 502 employed IT professionals surveyed, 48 percent of IT professionals say their company takes some level of action to block, throttle or ban streaming non-work content at the workplace.

Which  of  the  following,  if  any,  does  your  IT  department  do  at  your  workplace?

50%

4%

17%

17%

22%

30%

NA  -­‐  My  workplace  does  not  have  apolicy  against  throttling  or  streaming  any

Has  a  policy  specific  to  March  Madness

Blocks  streaming  content

Throttles  streaming  content

Has  a  company  policy  banning  streamingnon-­‐work  content

Monitors  employees  who  are  violatingweb  content  policies

Q1) Which of the following, if any, does your IT department do at your workplace? (N=502)

CEOS, SENIOR EMPLOYEES ARE THE EXCEPTION TO CONTENT STREAMING POLICIES

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Senior  Employees  52%  

CEO/President  66%  

It pays to have the corner office. IT Departments that have a company

policy banning streaming non-work content are more willing to make exceptions for the head of

the company (66 percent) and senior employees (52 percent).

IT pros walk the talk. Despite their powerful position in the company, IT professionals don’t afford themselves any special treatment. Just 12 percent will make exceptions for

themselves when it comes to the company’s content streaming policies.

Q4) When it comes to your IT department's content streaming policy, for whom would you be willing to make an exception? (N=113 Note: Among respondents with a company policy banning streaming non-work content.

MAIN FINDINGS IT DEPARTMENTS MONITOR USERS TO MAINTAIN NETWORKS IT professionals anticipate more strict policies in the future

TO ENFORCE POLICIES, SOME IT DEPARTMENTS MONITOR USERS

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IT  watches  users  Three  in  10  (30  percent)  IT  professionals  admit  their  departments  monitor  employees  who  are  viola:ng  content  policies  

Q1) Which of the following, if any, does your IT department do at your workplace? (N=502) Q7) Which of the following, if any, does your IT department do to prepare for March Madness? (N=502)

SOME IT PROFESSIONALS PREDICT MORE STRICT CONTENT STREAMING POLICIES

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Will  get  stricter  

Will  get  more  relaxed  

Q1) Which of the following, if any, does your IT department do at your workplace? (N=502) Q3) Do you anticipate your IT department's content streaming policy at the workplace will get stricter, more relaxed or stay the same over the next two years? (N=184)

While nearly half (48 percent) of IT departments currently take some sort of action against employees streaming non-work content, companies anticipate needing to tighten the reigns in the future

MAIN FINDINGS SOCIAL MEDIA, VIDEO STREAMING, INCLUDED IN CONTENT POLICIES IT professionals work long hours maintaining networks

SOCIAL MEDIA AND VIDEO STREAMING SITES ARE INCLUDED IN CONTENT RESTRICTION POLICIES

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68%  Block,  throttle  or  ban  certain  social/

streaming  content  

sites  at  work

IT departments with content restrictions

Of IT departments that currently block, throttle or ban streaming non-work content, seven in 10 (68 percent) currently place restrictions on a variety of different social and content streaming sites.

Q2) Which of the following, if any, does your IT department actively throttle, block or ban at your workplace? (N=184)

IT PROFESSIONALS PUT IN EXTRA HOURS DURING PERIODS OF HIGH NETWORK USAGE

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Many IT professionals admit to pulling extra hours on the job – and off – in order to prepare for an event that might cause a significant network burden.

Q5) To prepare for an event that might cause a significant network burden, which of the following, if any, have you had to do as an IT professional? (N=502)

IT  departments  with  stricter  policies  feel  more  of  the  burden.    IT  professionals  that  work  for  companies  that  ban  

streaming  non-­‐work  content  are  also  more  likely  to  have  worked  while  on  vaca@on  (42  percent)  to  prepare  for  

network  burdens  than  those  that  don’t  have  any  policies  in  place  (22  percent).

March Madness Survey 2013 March 13, 2013?