You've see the financial and economic news that we all see, thanks to the folks working in the media. Although this country is still in the economic doldrums, at least the situation seems to have stabilized at a plateau that's somewhat lower than what we'd all prefer to see.

Part of the reason is that employers and individual families, out of sheer necessity, have been rather diligent about cutting costs. When one is insecure about continued revenue streams, caution dominates behavior patterns. In the industrial world, plants have been raising productivity. In many cases, this means doing more with fewer workers, which, in large measure, is the result of using more and better automation technology. It certainly helps the bottom line.

On the other hand, I think that approach doesn’t do much to improve the top line, the gross revenue. We’ll not be able to save our way to prosperity. But, I digress.

There are more areas in which employers can cut costs. In this case I’m talking about another form of technology everyone uses every day. But I’ll let Fiona Graham, a technology of business reporter at BBC News, explain it. Be sure to read her article titled “BYOD: Bring your own device could spell end for work PC.”

The technology that allows almost every handheld device to interact with each other out in the real world doesn’t stop at the plant’s front door. And my guess is that individuals are willing to pay the out-of-pocket costs to keep their personal computer power upgraded to a degree far greater than a plant would be willing to do.

I wonder if you folks see this trend in your environment. Take a moment to let me know your thoughts on this subject.