Is Your Mobile Strategy Ready For Consumer Devices?

Ninety percent of organizations have already deployed mobile enterprise devices, with smartphones the top choice. Eighty-six percent will deploy tablets this year. The complexities involved to plan, deploy and manage these solutions often go underestimated; if you must hire full-time personnel to manage them, you’d better rethink your mobility strategy.

by Gary Lee, Chief Marketing Officer, Stratix Corporation

Gone are the days when every mobile worker at an organization got the same laptop, the same OS, and the answer to the question, “Can I use my iPhone?” was simply ‘NO.’ Today smartphones and tablets are becoming the new normal in field service. Sexy applications that are also functional are creating a borderless world where being the 24/7 worker can be fun. And because of the productivity and financial advantages that consumer devices bring, enterprises are also embracing the trend.

Just how much have “consumer” devices penetrated field service? According to Gartner, 90 percent of organizations have already deployed mobile devices, with smartphones being the top choice. Eighty-six percent plan to deploy tablets this year.*

Some are purchasing consumer tablets and smartphones for their mobile deployments while others are opening the flood gates for “Bring-Your-Own-Device” (BYOD), where personally owned mobile devices are allowed at work. In either case, enterprises must rethink their mobile strategy for managing the influx of consumer devices if they are to be successful.