Mobile-first mentality seen as key enterprise and managed mobility trends for the new year
Editor’s Note: With 2016 now upon us, RCR Wireless News has gathered predictions from leading industry analysts and executives on what they expect to see in the new year.
As we head into the new year, it’s time to take a look back at the key influences in mobility, management and security that will create the most impact on the enterprise in 2016. Active mobile devices now outnumber the world population and mobile Web traffic has surpassed that of the PC in the world’s most developed countries.
As a result, today’s enterprise mobility environment requires a blend of products and solutions to meet the demands of an increasingly mobile workforce. The following are the top trends we’ll see moving forward for mobility within the enterprise:
Companies will need to adapt technology and services to a mobile-first mentality
Forrester recently found 71% of enterprises believe mobility is a top priority, with 45% of the workforce qualifying as “anytime, anywhere.” As a result, employees want and need the appropriate tools and accessibility to get the job done – whenever, wherever. Fifty-five percent claim to be more satisfied with their job if the company they work for emphasizes mobility first.
Companies that do not adapt will be left behind and experience setbacks. Many CIOs expressed there are obstacles in getting their companies to become more mobile focused. According to a recent report from Citrix, they list their top pain points as lack of security controls (38%), legacy and antiquated systems unfit for mobility (37%) and challenges supporting multiple operating systems (36%). Overcoming these obstacles could result in great benefits for the enterprise. And based on a recent study completed at the MIT Sloan School of Management, businesses who consider mobility a priority and build initiatives around mobility are 26% more profitable.
Mobile-first mentalities will call for an even larger need for strong security protocols and ongoing mobility management within the enterprise
According to the analyst firm IDC, by the end of 2017, two-thirds of CEOs of global enterprises will have digital transformation at the center of their corporate strategy. Instead of waiting until a massive loss has already occurred, companies will shift to make security structures more nimble and have data classified according to its sensitivity and importance to the enterprise. Additionally, successful CIOs and CTOs will become more involved in the security process around protecting this data and addressing flaws in security infrastructure proactively.
EMMs will continue to play a significant role, especially as application management needs expand
Companies like Airwatch, BlackBerry and MobileIron will continue to try and meet the device control demands of their customers and will further commercialize their platform’s functionality to manage key mobile applications.
Additionally, new solutions and collaborative partnerships will expand within the industry – including Apple, Google, Blackberry, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, IBM, VMWare and more – that will result in seamless and efficient solutions around large global mobility programs. Of note, while these combined EMM solutions are great, they’ll see peak performance when coupled with manage mobility solutions that can address control, support, configuration and security.
Finally, Microsoft’s Intune will further influence enterprises in 2016. A majority of companies currently utilize Office 365, but with Intune an integrated device management tool will be available. This could pose a threat to incumbent EMMs, but it will also provide a unique entry point for Microsoft to penetrate the mobility estate further. Companies will need to be ready to compete with new and innovative ways corporate IT tools are integrating with the mobile business needs.
Companies will start outsourcing the management of enterprise mobility
Over the past five years, there has been a migration to where telecom expense management and end-user desktop support dominated the market. We now see more of an alphabet soup putting the market at a tipping point. Enterprises are increasingly seeking third-party software and services, such as those delivered through managed mobility service providers, to address this demand. Expect to see this continue as we head into the new year.
The ‘Internet of Things’ will continue to grow in relevance
While many industries are still coping with defining the business value of IoT, companies within the transportation, manufacturing, healthcare and retail industries are beginning to capitalize on the idea of connected devices. Businesses who haven’t yet explored or utilized IoT will need to start conversations and seek out how to best manage the connected devices. Companies will also need to scope out the competition and outline a strategy of how connected devices will pertain to their specific business.
Overall, mobility will continue to be mission critical for today’s enterprise. Companies that take a proactive stance on mobile programs will see happier employees, become more profitable and experience the benefits of increased security.
