Is the average American workplace ready for wearable technology?

According to the results of a recent survey, this environment is not yet prepared to take on wearables.

The ISACA global IT association has now released the results of recent research that it conducted with regards to the use of wearable technology by North American workplaces and has determined that they are not yet ready for this tech.

While headlines are continuously filled with new tech releases in this category, the workplace isn’t set to take it on.

Wearable technology is now already available in the form of smartwatches, smart glasses, smart jewelry, smart clothing, and a vast range of other devices, with virtually every large tech player having an offering on the shelf, ready to launch, or in the works. In some other countries, certain forms of these wearables have already become quite commonplace in the workplace. A recent study in India by Kronos showed that 82 percent of workers were either already using the devices or would feel comfortable doing so.

However, as wearable technology continues to flood the consumer market, the N.A. workplace isn’t ready yet.

The concern is that if these wearables do actually become as popular as their manufacturers would hope, then they will be added to the workplace environment whether or not businesses are actually ready to deal with them. As has been the case with increasingly commonplace BYOD (bring your own device) programs and policies, it has been suggested that companies are going to have to start to think about what would be involved in BYOW (bring your own wearables) programs, as well.

There is a great deal to consider when it comes to the entry of wearable devices into the workplace, as there will be network and security issues causing concerns, and other issues that step above and beyond what has already been seen as workers bring smartphones and tablets to work – simply because of the nature of wearables.

That said, the ISACA international vice president, Rob Clyde, who is also the CEO of Adaptive Computing, released a statement about wearable technology, saying that “The Internet of Things is here, and following the holidays, we are likely to see a surge in wearable devices in the workplace.”