( CNN ) -- The soaring popularity of smartphones and tablets is eroding the distinction between our business and personal worlds , says the head of British telecoms giant BT . Ian Livingston , BT 's chief executive officer , told Marketplace Europe the `` consumerization '' of business -- the trend for personal consumer devices such as smartphones and tablet computers to be used in the workplace -- was redefining the way we do business . `` One of the things that we are seeing is the barrier between business and consumer is beginning to come down , '' he said . `` What was assumed in the past was very much [ that ] your business life is over here and your personal life is over there -- that is not true , certainly not true for most of your business people . '' The consumer sector was now taking the lead when it came to innovations in communication technology , giving workers the opportunity stay connected on their personal device around the clock -- whether in the office , at home or traveling . `` People are going to become networked all the time , '' he said . `` I think we are just at the beginning of this revolution . '' While there were clear benefits for businesses to be had from the new reality , it also raised challenges around security . `` It used to be that the IT department would say : 'How can I stop people from using it on our corporate network ? ' '' he said . `` Today it is 'How can I help people use it securely on the corporate network ? ' '' Livingston said BT was meeting some of the infrastructure costs required for the new communications environment by focusing on improving its customer service . `` The reason we start with customer service , apart from the obvious fact that customers like better service , is actually the biggest cost of our business and any telecoms business is the cost of failure . '' Through initiatives such as the company 's `` First Time Right '' program , it had managed to reduce its cost base by Â£3 billion ( $ 4.7 billion ) over three years -- and halved the number of complaints received . `` Take the failures out of the business -- and we have done a lot of that -- and the costs fall out automatically , '' he said . `` That cost transformation has got more to go , and it also frees up money and people to invest in the future of business . ''
BT CEO : The growth of smartphones and tablets is changing our work patterns . This `` consumerization '' of business is blurring the lines between work and personal life . The consumer sector is now driving innovation in communications tech , he says . While businesses can benefit from this , it also raises security challenges .