An exploding "Culture of Connectivity" is forcing enterprises around the world to change the way they do business faster than ever before, or risk the opportunities of hyperconnectivity passing them by.

That's according to a new global IDC study sponsored by Nortel, which found that not only is the speed of technology adoption accelerating (impacting business policy and IT investment), but the global workforce is increasingly expecting employers to provide similar levels of 'everywhere, all the time connectivity'.

The "hyperconnected" worker uses a minimum of seven devices for work and personal access plus at least nine applications like Instant Messaging, text messaging, Web Conferencing and social networks. The study predicts that hyperconnected business users will likely rise to 40% in five years.

The results of this study send a clear message to today's business... "the hyperconnected workforce is coming and you'd better be ready,"said John Gant, chief research officer and senior vice president at IDC.

"The study found that 16% of the global workforce is hyperconnected today, and will grow to 40% in just a few years. This means that the workforce isn't just migrating towards hyperconnectivity, it is stampeding to it"