Mobility and the Enterprise: The Transformation is Underway

Mobility is the biggest shift that enterprise IT has faced in many years. A recent study by 451 Research found 79% of employees own their own phones, and 58% of those think they’d be more productive if they could access corporate services using them. At the same time, 39% of companies—and 48% of large ones—say they have a tough time with it.

On top of that, Gartner predicts that the number of digital devices employees use will increase from around three to five or six as the Internet of Things and wearables gain wider adoption. As a result, the demand for enterprise mobile apps will outstrip developer capacity by a factor of five.

Our own study here at Progress has found that 57% of developers have never built a mobile app. Growing demand from employees and customers for greater mobility makes this a problem.

Overcoming Challenges

While a number of technical challenges are often cited as roadblocks to mobile development, the truth is emerging mobile development platforms have really solved a lot of them. The biggest problem these days is having a coherent strategy.

You can’t just mobilize the same things you did before mobile. That’s not enough.

Determining Requirements

A recent report showed that 66% of development managers say that meeting stated requirements is a top challenge for them. To make the most of your resources, it’s essential to set the right requirements. Gartner has suggested a four-pronged approach:

1. You need to carefully prioritize just what gets an app. Almost anything could be an app, but a value-driven approach is critical.
2. Adopt a bimodal IT approach—work on the back-end and front-end at the same time.
3. Use Rapid Mobile App Development tools, or partner with specialists who have them.
4. Consider a mixed-sourcing approach. While the idea of managing everything in-house might be appealing, over twice as many businesses are successfully using mixed-sourcing rather than in-house only.

Mobile Technology Makes a Difference

Tech-savvy Apple Store employees equipped with mobile devices can transact orders anywhere, resulting in a better customer experience. Consumers can use Amazon’s Dash service to order products with the push of a button, removing friction to purchase. Connected field assets help technicians get to the right place at the right time, saving time and money.

Properly utilized mobile technology can make a difference. The demand for it is growing, and although enterprise adoption is lagging behind, the transformation is well underway.

Read our whitepaper to find out more about this emerging trend, what it means for your business and how to effectively take the next step in adopting mobile.