This month, telecommunications company Nortel, conducted a survey testing the “hyperconnectivity” of major corporations around the world. Nortel defines a “hyperconnected” company as having:

more devices per capita than the other clusters and more intense use of new communications applications. They liberally use technology devices and applications for both personal and business use.

The survey was comprised of the data and opinions of 2,400 people from 17 countries and studied the ‘connectedness’ of today’s businesses in terms of the use of devices and online applications such as online meetings, webcasts, video conferencing as well as examining the rate of growth and the impact hyperconnectivity has on enterprises.

The results of the survey indicated that 16% of the global information workforce is already hyperconnected, regularly using web conferencing and other online collaboration tools, with 36% considering themselves to be “increasingly connected,” occasionally using video conferencing and web conferencing in lieu of conventional business travel. Of all respondents, 20% claimed their company is currently “passive online” and the remaining 28% are “barebones” users, who are online, but use basic internet and email features only.

Peter Newcombe, president of Nortel:

Companies have to embrace hyperconnectivity. They need to accept that it’s coming, it can’t be stopped. Putting up the shutters will achieve nothing. It’s inevitable that the growth will continue. We already have 80% of people using one mobile phone for business and private use and many are also using one PC.

The survey concludes that companies must be “ready to compete in the emerging war for talent. Tomorrow’s workforce will increasingly expect to work in a hyperconnected communications environment and many will consider this a condition of employment.”