As mobility shifts from a new initiative to a foundational capability for the enterprise, organizations are expressing new needs from their enterprise mobility programs, according to new research. Security concerns remain top of mind.
Apperian’s 2017 Executive Enterprise Mobility report, conducted in conjunction with CITO Research, which found that 57% of respondents are concerned about corporate data on personal and other non-managed devices. This concern is on the rise, up 13% from last year.
Forty-three percent of respondents listed improved productivity as their primary goal of enterprise mobile apps—a 20% jump over 2016. Additionally, enterprises are looking for more sophistication, with 85% of respondents believing a combination of apps will improve productivity across the organization and create the biggest impact on mobility programs. This is a shift from early adopter programs, which used basic apps to mobilize workforces. Also, 22% of those surveyed listed new revenue or service delivery opportunities—a 17% increase from last year. These findings suggest that enterprises expect mobility to drive bottom-line impact, not just improve business processes or employee satisfaction. But do these benefits outweigh organizations’ ability to properly manage the mobile environment?
According to September 2016 Gartner report, "the demand for mobile apps continues to grow at a very rapid pace, leaving most IT organizations questioning their ability to respond to the demand. Mature mobile enterprises, albeit a very small percentage, often have portfolios of mobile apps that number in the hundreds; enterprises should assume that this will be the norm rather than the exception going forward."
There’s a continued expansion of mobile apps, the report found, with 80% of those surveyed stating they plan to expand their app portfolio over the next 12 months. There’s also more variety in app portfolios—85% of individuals believe their organization will be most impacted by a combination of apps that improve productivity company-wide, in addition to apps that enable mobile sales and field service.
“The increasing sophistication of, and expectations for, enterprise mobility efforts is becoming clear,” said Mark Lorion, President and General Manager of Apperian. “This year’s research findings show that executives now see enterprise mobility as a key enabler in new revenue and service delivery opportunities for their organizations. Not only are mobility programs becoming more strategic, but they also are increasing in reach. Enterprise apps are now deployed to much broader communities of users, extending well beyond traditional full-time workers.”
But addressing non-managed devices remains a security worry—45% of those surveyed are concerned about addressing BYOD, contracted workers or other users in the extended enterprise—a 14% increase over 2016.