In their recent annual report entitled The Global State of Enterprise Mobility 2014/15, the Enterprise Mobility Exchange (EME) stated that businesses are increasingly spending funds allocated to mobile apps in order to increase employee productivity; as well as in traditional areas such as mobile device and application management, mobile security and cloud computing. This information was gathered by surveying several hundred enterprise mobility professionals from such companies as Microsoft, IBM, Accenture and GE Capital. One of these executives David Krebs, VDC Research, is quoted in the report as stating that mobile apps are being viewed as potentially the most significant valuable addition of all mobility investments.
It’s easy to imagine how much mobile applications could add to your company’s bottom line by increasing access and agility on the go. There are many ways that mobile apps could increase employee productivity. The first is the convenient access to data during time outside the office. In reality mobile apps really shine in the everyday situations that take us out of the office like lunch breaks, client meetings and other various errands and appointments. After all, not everyone lugs their laptop to the dentist’s office or to lunch with a client, but everyone carries their phone at all times. Being able to answer emails, read reports, book travel or create a meeting agenda on the go turns an otherwise monotonous train commute into additional “office hours”.
A More Strategic Approach
An increasing number of businesses are approaching mobility in a strategic way, incorporating the use of mobile apps and services in their company’s overall business plan. Although more than half of the EME’s survey respondents cited this as a priority, little more than a third of respondents reported having actually implemented more than the early stages of a comprehensive mobile strategy. This is mainly due to challenges in getting stakeholders and employees to accept the changes, as well as the logistics involved with integrating a mobility plan with legacy systems and different service providers. Overcoming this change and objections, specifically from investors, can best be achieved by showcasing the effectiveness of such mobile apps for the business.
On the development side of things there are some challenges as well. As the corporate push to invest in mobility options continues to grow, mobile app developers are some of the most valued IT workers, but CIOs are frustrated by the time and expense of developing applications. IBM has rolled out a service that analyzes the performance of a company’s mobile apps. The Mobile Infrastructure Analytics Services measures how effective the apps are in terms of ease of use and speed, such feedback can help developers tweak the apps to better suit the needs of their clients. Since the market for productivity apps is growing, it’s a win-win situation for both developers and businesses wanting to include mobile apps into their already established plans.
