Mobile working trends for the future

Mobile devices will continue to shape the move to a more agile way of working as more and more workers use smartphones and tablets for work purposes, according to a new white paper on enterprise mobility from a leading analyst in the field of converging IT, telecoms and media markets.

Ovum’s white paper identifies a mismatch in expectations between employers and employees regarding the devices and apps that can be used for work will persist, even as enterprise IT departments get to grips with consumerisation. For example, it says the rate of bring your own device (BYOD) behaviour (i.e. employees using personal devices to access corporate data) continues to grow, but is not being embraced by IT at nearly the same rate.

It believes informal (“unmanaged and largely unrecognised”) BYOD usage will slowly be
displaced by a more managed approach, due to the introduction of more formal support models for
employee-liable connections and devices in larger companies, as device management solutions for
smartphones mature. In some companies, particularly those with high security/data-protection needs,
a corporate-liable approach will be sustained, possibly alongside formal managed BYOD.

It adds that mobility will gradually be seen as part of a wider “workspace” strategy, incorporating management of all endpoints and applications, “with the aim of giving employees access to the tools and data they need wherever they happen to be and with whichever device they happen to have in front of them”. It adds that “enterprise multi-screening behaviour” is increasing, underlining the need for a holistic approach to mobile working.

Ovum also anticipates that managers, particularly in HR, procurement and operations, and not just employees, will put more pressure on enterprise IT departments to enable different aspects of mobile management.

It adds that SMEs are also becoming more mobile focused and says those pitching for business from them need to embrace this move.

Ovum recommends that businesses need to become more proactive with their mobility strategies and look
for ways that mobile devices – whether corporate or employee-owned – and apps can change the way people work. Ovum believes the transformative potential of mobile devices and apps “can only be achieved
with a proactive strategy that examines how individual business processes can be improved and how
different types of employees work day to day”.

It adds that service providers will need to keep expanding the range of features andservices that they offer and will also need to learn to partner more effectively, especially in support of large, global organisations which expect and demand consistent global service delivery.

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