We are fortunate to be living through a major shift in the way technology is used and while this is hugely exciting CIOs have to think about how to develop an IT strategy that takes full advantage of the opportunities presented through business mobility. Smartphone adoption and usage are increasing, phablets are growing in popularity, tablets are maturing and are found across businesses. Every year the new graduates joining our companies feel more comfortable with working on the move, working across multiple devices and they are ready to share and collaborate in non traditional ways. The growth in the adoption of mobile devices and anticipated full rollout of 4G is fuelling demand for mobile apps and more and more businesses are both allowing and expecting people to work anywhere at any time and there is pressure for a full suite of tools to be available at all times – gone are the days when the CIO only had to worry about email on the move. All of this could have a profound impact on the way PCs and laptops are deployed in the future to an extent where IT departments in 2020 may no longer be issuing these to everyone. Most CIOs will have a mobility strategy but now is the time to ask whether it is sufficiently broad and whether the rest of the C-suite are on board and helping steer the plan. There will be profound impact on both talent and business success if you are behind the curve.
2Bn smartphones @ end 2013Market grown from 120m per year toStory here shows how the companies we once thought were great are now shadows of their former selves because they could not respond quickly enough
Tesco launched their tablet
Tesco launched their tablet
Conventional mobility:A technology – centric workplace – with the PC at its centre, in which all employee use one of a small set of common toolsA ‘push’ workplace in which employees have very limited choice in what tools, techniques and processes they use. The business dictates what is the best way for employees to workA gadget culture in which seniority, not function or need, determines the tools employees are given or are allowed to use.Emergent mobility:A people – centric workplace – with the PC at its centre, in which all employee use one of a small set of common toolsA ‘pull’ workplace - where employees can choose the best ways to work, the best people to collaborate with and the best tools for themAn ‘everyone first’ culture - where work tool requirements are defined by employees and bringing personal mobile devices to work is accepted and unchallengedCurrently:61% of British adults own a smartphone, but only 35% of these people use them at work. By 2016 we think 80% of the population will have a smartphone.Only 21% of respondents* feel equipped to work away from their desks today 45% of respondents* indicated that they feel pressured by always being connected, but in the future we will need to help define guidelines and set expectations accordingly.With a growing trend of organisations focusing on improving the use of their office space we expect a trend where an emergent mobility strategy arrives
Evidence suggests Gen Y take their own experiences into the Board room rather than relying on the status quo. They will be in influential leadership positions in the next 3-5 years so we’d better start listening to them!By delivering to Gen Y, businesses stand to benefit from higher commitment and harder work from these employees.Gen Y use on average 6 apps per day and spend 2 hours on their smartphone.
We are 3-5 years away from gen Y moving into influential positions
Connectivity can be problematic:Despite the growth of wireless connectivity it’s still not ubiquitous and devices don’t usually switch seamlessly between networks4G rollout is gathering pace in the UK, but 3G often failed to deliver advertised speeds. We must keep up pressure on network operators.Security is critical:Confidential data must be kept safe and secure at all timesFactors of authentication v usabilityNo real standards to determine what is safe and secureTraining and awareness is key
Smartphone adoption and usage are increasing, phablets are growing in popularity, tablets are maturing and are found across businesses. Gen Y: Every year the new graduates joining our companies feel more comfortable with working on the move, working across multiple devices and they are ready to share and collaborate in non traditional ways.The growth in the adoption of mobile devices and anticipated full rollout of 4G is fuelling demand for mobile apps and more and more businesses are both allowing and expecting people to work anywhere at any time and there is pressure for a full suite of tools to be available at all times – gone are the days when the CIO only had to worry about email on the move.All of this could have a profound impact on the way PCs and laptops are deployed in the future to an extent where IT departments in 2020 may no longer be issuing these to everyone.
Mobility must be seen as a strategic enabler of productivity and therefore organisational growth.The challenge is to change the discussion around mobility from being one focused on ‘technology’ to one of culture and transformation.Many UK businesses still regard mobile technology as a cost rather than as a strategic enabler.Mobility can also be a significant accelerator for the shift from a conventional, ‘presence’ organisational structure to the more free-flowing environment preferred by Gen ‘Y’
‘Lead the way to create business cases for investments in mobility (including how benefits will be realised and measured)Ensure there is an end to end mobility strategy in the organisation - must include other C-suite members (e.g. HR)Need to put mobility at the heart of all design decisionsUI / Design must be a part of your team Decisions need to involve the business more than ever before – too many mobile apps today are invented exclusively by the IT function taking clunky legacy systems and ‘mobilising’ them.Be prepared for the increased cadence of upgrade cycles for mobile appsDon’t just invest in this because other people are – have to believe in it and take it seriously