The consumerisation of IT represents a "significant opportunity" for software and IT services vendors, according a new report by IT research group TechMarketView.

The report predicts that business spending on infrastructure, applications and business processes to support "bring-your-own-technology" (BYOT) initiatives will grow from £176 million in 2012 to £675 million by 2016. This represents a compound annual growth rate of nearly 40% and a combined £2 billion opportunity for the UK’s IT market.

Phil Codling, research director at TechMarketView and author of the report, called the BYOT trend a double-edged sword. "Whilst rapid and sustained adoption will lead to a £2 billion opportunity for the UK IT market, it will be a huge disruptor to supplier partnerships and business models,” he said.

“BYOT will create compelling opportunities for consulting, integration and software implementation, as companies try to navigate security and management issues, whilst significant downward pressure will be applied to support and hardware suppliers where personal devices replace centrally-owned kit.”

Codling says that IT departments are unable to resist the use of employee-owned equipment in the workplace, as it is often senior executives who demand to use their own kit. “IT finds it harder to say ‘no’ to senior management which is one reason the BYOT trend is accelerating fast,” said Codling.

“Plus, there are major advantages for the business, despite the initial disruption that is being caused," he added. "Employees are more satisfied using the tools they prefer, business continuity can be better guaranteed as staff can log on regardless of their location, finance no longer has to bear the cost of company-owned devices and IT can use it as the driver to move to more modern technologies, such as the cloud.”

TechMarketView notes that businesses are likely to divert spending from other areas to pay for BYOT projects, rather than adding new budget.