March 23, 2012 - Apple's iPhone has usurped the Blackberry as the mobile handset of choice for tech-savvy financial services workers, according to new research on the consumerisation of corporate IT by systems integrator Avanada.

The survey, conducted among 45 C-level executives and departmental heads at 45 banks worldwide, found that over two-thirds believe their workplace technology will consist almost entirely of personal computing devices by 2025.

While the majority of firms struggle to adopt policies and structures to accommodate the use of personal computing devices in the workplace, progress is being made with tablets and mobiles.

The acceptance of smartphones in particular was very high, with 70% of financial companies allowing their employees to either use any device they want or at least choose from an approved list of devices.

Interestingly, the most popular smartphone used in the FS workplace was the Apple iPhone (35%) sneaking ahead of the Blackberry and Android (32.5% each).

The results chime with recent research by Bloomberg and IDC in Canada, which shows iPhone sales outstripping BlackBerry units on Research in Motion's home turf for the first time.

While many of the country's bank's and government agencies remain loyal to RIM devices, the study found the first indications of a more flexible approach at Toronto-Dominion Bank. David Codack, TD's head of employee technology said the bank was re-assessing its BlackBerry-only policy in favour of allowing employees to use personal Apple and Android devices for corporate e-mail.

Other big banks adopting a similar approach include Deutsche bank, Bank of America, Citi and JPMOrgan Chase.

Despite the increasing popularity of these devices in the workplace, the Aavanda survey found 75% of respondents believe that the use of personal computing technologies is a primary concern for their IT systems. Just under two thirds (61%) also believed that their IT infrastructure needed improvement in order to address these concerns.