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In October Nintex asked 600 American public and private sector office workers about how they use software to work, as well as their perception of how office workers in other industries use software. The results demonstrate that a majority of workers believe company-issued software is not enough to get the job done. "There are a lot of divisions and differences between how people work,"

Fitzmaurice said, "but about 20 percent of respondents from all sectors referred to their [company] technology as 'antiquated.'Fitzmaurice said, employees believe themselves better equipped at keeping up with rapid technological innovation than companies and are solving problems using a mixture of personal mobile and desktop applications. The survey confirmed that 50 percent of government employees and 47 percent of private workers use one or two personal mobile applications for work.

According to Fitzmaurice, these might be positive indicators. "Employees are using unique [tech] tools to solve local problems," he said. "We found that the best IT departments acted as coaches, not cops. [Departments] and workers learn from each other."

The report found a number of other positive technology signs. Most respondents felt optimistic about IT growth in 2017. Only 11 percent of respondents felt IT budgets would go down, and 30 percent believed tech budgets would rise in the coming year.

Survey had also found that:

• A majority of survey respondents in both the public and private sector agreed that modern technology in the office is on the rise but is not sufficient for all work tasks.
• Employees use multiple mobile applications to get work done. A small number-about 11 percent-of employees in the private sector use a large number-more than 11-personal apps for work.
• The cloud is here. Most companies leverage cloud computing in some way. The report found that only 12 percent of private and 15 percent of public workers reported still running all business operations on premise.
• Collaboration is king. Efficient communication and collaboration tools are critical. According to the survey 44 percent of public workers and 29 percent of workers list collaboration tools as a top, or "imperative," priority.
• IT automation saves valuable time. A whopping 42 percent of public employees and 22 percent of private workers reported spending more than half their time on administrative tasks.

What the survey really demonstrates, Fitzmaurice said, is a host of reasons for tech sector workers to be optimistic. "Tech employees are all looking for better ways to work together. Smart companies use the cloud and automation to prioritize IT spending and make it easier for workers to collaborate."