Citrix study enumerates blacklisted and whitelisted apps in organizations

Mar 29, 2013 12:48 GMT  ·  By

Citrix, a company specializing in cloud, networking and virtualization technologies, has released a study that looks at today’s top mobile OSes in organizations, their market share, device enrollment, as well as blacklisted apps.

The PDF released by Citrix this week is well worth a read if you’re in the mobile business, but for those of you who work in a big firm, such as a corporation, there’s one particularly interesting bullet point to review.

At the bottom of the report, Citrix provides a look at “blacklisted and whitelisted apps” in organizations. Mind you, these findings may not apply to all types of organizations. It’s a just a generality.

According to the study, the most commonly blacklisted apps in organizations are Angry Birds, Facebook, Dropbox, YouTube, and Skype.

The most commonly whitelisted apps (i.e. good for productivity) are Evernote, NitroDesk TouchDown, Skype, Google’s Chrome web browser, and Adobe Reader.

As you’ll notice, Skype makes both lists, which goes to show that using an app properly is the key to convincing your boss you’re an ok guy / gal.

Citrix also notes that Evernote used to be blacklisted, but now it’s regarded as a good companion for smartphone users in the work environment. But your boss may have more than one reason to ban certain apps on your smartphone.

The IT firm says organizations typically blacklist apps that seem to pose a threat to data or network security, “such as ones that synchronize and share files outside the corporate network.” A good example in this area is Dropbox.

“Some also blacklist apps that are considered a productivity drain,” says Citrix, unraveling the mystery behind Angry Birds’ top spot among blacklisted apps.

Indeed, Rovio’s avian puzzler is an addictive affair, regardless of the time or place you choose to pop some green pigs.