- Why Your Business Should Take Notice -

Mobile is considered a disruptive

technology.

What do we mean by disruptive technologies? According

to the McKinsey Global Institute, disruptive technologies

are "advances that will transform life, business, and the

global economy." Defined like that, mobile is assuredly a

disruptive technology. It is a productivity driver, creator of

opportunities, facilitator of learning and collaboration,

and most of all, trailblazer for a whole new way of living

and working.

Yet, mobile is not a disruptor in the sense of the word.

It does not create disorder. In fact, it harnesses existing

enterprise systems into a unified experience. Mobility is

perhaps the easiest technology to implement in an enter-

prise once the more elemental strategic questions of why,

where, and when are ironed out.

Mobile technology can latch on to existing IT systems

within any enterprise. Enterprise mobile solutions can

co-exist with personal applications on the personal

smartphones and tablets of end users, whether they are

employees, customers, partners or suppliers. Sure there

are technology, security and platform challenges for

enterprises to overcome but that does not take away any

of the value mobile technology brings to the table.

Mobility has always been a separate topic for IT

professionals, but it is now influencing mainstream

strategies and tactics in the wider areas of technology

enablement and enterprise architectures.

Gartner Predicts 2013

Mobile trends in the enterprise

According to Gartner’s figures for the devices market,

tablet sales in 2013 will go up by 69% while that of

smartphones, excluding all other mobiles, will more than

double to sales of over 1 billion units worldwide.1

Enterprise mobility is in a transformative phase where

organizations are increasingly waking to the potential of

mobility. At the same time, mobile technology has

become mature, affordable and accessible.

Modern mobile devices feature technological capabilities

and hardware attributes that can be optimally harnessed

to deliver real value to users. Enterprise application

developers are coming up with scalable, cost-effective,

and innovative mobile solutions for enterprise workers,

customers and other stakeholders to enhance

productivity, accelerate decision making, improve

workflow efficiency, and boost customer experiences.

Productivity Boost

The use of company owned or personal mobile devices in

the enterprise has created a surge in the productivity of

employees, from the front-desk receptionist to the C-level

executive. The ubiquity of "always on" smartphones and

tablets is building a flexible work culture where

employees can work from anywhere, anytime.

Increased responsiveness via mobile solutions is

shortening work completion cycles and enhancing

business value. The trend is also helping people balance

their life and work responsibilities with greater ease.

The mobile workforce in particular is benefitting hugely

from mobility, with easy access to:

▪ Real time data and information

▪ Instant connectivity with enterprise systems

▪ Instant communication and collaboration

▪ Operational and reporting tools

▪ Decision support tools

▪ Mobile enabled self-help applications

Operational Efficiency

Enterprise mobility solutions are enhancing existing

workflows by apportioning greater control to employees,

allowing them to stay productive beyond office hours.

Mobile connectivity is a major benefit for geographically

separated teams as it streamlines communication. Mobile

creates workflow efficiencies through:

▪ Improved responsiveness

▪ Real time communication and collaboration

▪ Anytime access to internal networks and forums

▪ Optimal resource consumption

▪ Lower time to market

▪ Access to mobile-enabled business applications

Responsiveness and Agility

Enterprise mobility solutions are like gold for C-level exec-

utives as they enable instant access to updated reports of

key financials, inventory, productivity and performance

indicators via mobile dashboards.

The constant state of connectedness allows CXOs to take

quick informed decisions on the fly for business

profitability and opportunity capture.

Mobility solutions also empower field workers with just-in

-time information, helping them take on-the-spot

decisions that enhance the customer experience, build

the brand, and increase revenue opportunities.

Time and Resource Savings

The productivity and operational gains created by

enterprise mobile solutions save time, a billable

commodity in organizations. More communication moves

to mobile devices because of easier accessibility, bringing

down paper and ink consumption. Furthermore, mobile

solutions prove cheaper, viable options for small

enterprises, helping them deliver a range of customer

services they could otherwise not afford.

However, these factors are not the KPIs for measuring the

ROI of enterprise mobility. The ROI is a measure of the

improvements seen in employee productivity and

efficiency, worker satisfaction and happiness, and the

ultimate impact on organizational growth, profitability,

and customer service.

Competitive Advantage

Enterprise mobility improves business processes in ways

that were not possible before. It also creates results that

were inconceivable before. While enterprises are

harnessing mobility to enhance existing processes, they

are also innovating with the indigenous attributes of

mobile devices such as high quality displays, cameras,

GPS, accelerometer, odometer, and other sensors to

create meaningful customer facing and internal solutions.

For example, geo-location-based services help consumers

get turn-by-turn directions to retail stores, pharmacies,

emergency hospitals and tourist spots.

Mobility also enhances the speed of communication

across organizations, accelerating strategic change

adoption. Retail partners are quickly trained on new

products via multimedia demos. Sales executives always

have access to latest content on the cloud. Critical

corporate communications are delivered to all employees

across the globe in seconds.

Nearly half (44 percent) of the 668 global technology leaders

participating in KPMG’s 2012 Technology Innovation Survey2

forecast consider mobile to be the next indispensable

consumer technology while more than one third (36 percent)

predict mobile will be the leading game changer in the

enterprise market.

Profitability

Mobility solutions impact bottom lines by integrating

business functions for cohesive performance and results.

Mobile dashboards offer a unified experience to end users

even though they may source information from multiple

disparate data sources in departments silos.

For example, the ROI of mobile sales automation,

customer services, app-based marketing, inventory

management, CRM, credit and collections, and other

revenue generating services is immediately evident on the

top line.

Customer Experience

Mobile solutions help enterprise workers deliver better

customer service through:

▪ Instant access to forms, reports, and other content

during client interactions

▪ On-site data capturing tools

▪ Instant automated updating of enterprise systems

such as CRM or ERP

Mobile has become one of the primary tools for

consumers to search the Internet and access social

networks and email, ads, and marketing content. It is

often the first touch point in a customer’s experience with

a business. Enterprises are employing multimedia

content, especially video; gamification; informational and

transactional mobile solutions to engage customers and

build an experience.

Conclusion

With mobile technology becoming a stepping stone for

further innovation such as the Internet of Things,

wearable devices, and the like, enterprises must embrace

mobility with all its ramifications. The key to enterprise

mobility success lies in shifting the focus from restricting

devices to mobile device management (MDM), mobile

application management (MAM), network management,

and security solutions.

Ensuring enterprise profitability in today's intensely

competitive market does not lie in skirting mobility but

taking it by the horns.

About Us

BTC is a leading provider of Web and Mobility

Development services. With over nine years in the

industry, our adaptive approach, laser focus on quality

and adherence to budgets has made us the go to partner

for our clients. Be it native mobile apps or full-fledged

web and mobile applications, we have delivered user

centric, scalable solutions for clients ranging from

startups to Fortune 500 Companies.

Contact Us

Boston Technology Corporation

33 Boston Post Road West, STE 160, Marlborough, MA-01752

Phone:+ 1 781-583-1144

E-mail: info@boston-technology.com

www.boston-technology.com

Sources:

CMS Wire. "Gartner: PC Market in Terminal Decline as Tablets, Smartphones Take Over." April 4, 2013. <http://www.cmswire.com/cms/information-management/gartner-pc-market-in-terminal-decline-as-tablets-smartphones-take-over-020335.php> KPMG Technology Innovation Survey 2012. "Mobilizing Innovation: The changing landscape of disruptive technologies" <http://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/technology-innovation-survey/Documents/mobilizing-innovation-august-2012.pdf>