Still Haven't Gone Mobile? Surprisingly, You're Not Alone
By Sarah Howland, Editor In Chief, Field Technologies magazine
I recently came across an interesting — and shocking — piece of data. According to a VDC Research report published in February, the global mobile workforce exceeded one billion people in 2010. The surprising part is, of those one billion mobile workers, VDC Research estimates that only between 5% and 15% are leveraging true enterprise mobility solutions. What this means is that while the use of mobile devices is much higher than 15%, enterprises are mostly using these devices for wireless email versus supporting enterprise or custom mobile applications. So, while there are many mobile devices in use, there aren’t many enterprise mobility applications being leveraged to optimize productivity.
Understand Your Mobile Options, And Their Impact
Why the lack of adoption? I suppose most of you are closer to the answer to that question than I am. That said, there are a few reasons I can think of. First, the technology can be intimidating. If you don’t fully understand how a solution works, it’s hard to imagine the impact it can have on your company. Not to mention, there are so many choices, that it can be overwhelming. Don’t let this stop you — we strive each month to provide real-life examples of companies that have successfully implemented a wide variety of field mobility solutions to help you understand the ways the technology can be leveraged, and there are plenty of other educational resources available to you. Another explanation is the hesitancy (especially in recent years) to make the investment. I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying “you have to spend money to make money” — and it’s true in this case. Investing in an enterprise mobility solution that is a fit for your business will pay dividends in increased efficiency and productivity, reduced operational costs, and even improved customer satisfaction.
With the number of solutions available today — and their ever-increasing ease-of-use and affordability — there’s no doubt in my mind that the 5% to 15% metric will increase significantly this coming year. As David Krebs of VDC Research said in the report, “this data represents an immense opportunity for enterprises when considering the potential productivity improvements associated with enterprise mobility solutions.” If you’re part of the 85% to 95% of companies that aren’t currently leveraging an enterprise mobility solution, now is the time to take advantage of the opportunity. If there is information you’d like to see in the magazine that would help you better understand the options available to you or assist in your purchasing decision, please email me — I’m happy to hear your feedback.