The mobile world is split into two types of organisations: “innovators” who readily embrace mobility; and “traditionals” who are still uncertain and reluctant to implement it.
This is according to findings from Symantec’s recent 2013 State of Mobility survey.
Globally, 84% of innovators are moving ahead with mobility as it’s motivated by business drivers, and they are experiencing significant benefits.
Traditional organisations are implementing mobility more slowly, largely in response to user demand, and are seeing both fewer costs and benefits. In South African enterprises, 76% considered business drivers to be important, while 75% felt that user demand was important.
“Few issues command the attention of IT today like mobility,” says Gordon Love, Symantec’s regional director for Africa. “The difference in attitudes and results between the organisations that actively embrace mobility and those that are reluctant is significant. Organisations taking a proactive approach benefit much more than those that put it off until they eventually find themselves trying to catch up to the competition.”
The two groups perceive the benefits and risks of mobility differently. Among innovators, two-thirds say the benefits of mobility outweigh the risks, but three-quarters of the traditionals feel that the reverse is true: 64% of enterprise organisations in South Africa consider the risks to be worth the opportunity.
This is reflected in the rate of mobility adoption, with enterprises in South Africa purchasing 51% of employee phones. Globally, 55% of innovators purchase phones for employees versus the 44% of traditionals that do the same.
When it comes to the innovators, company involvement doesn’t stop with purchasing the phones. They often have mobility policies, with 63% of enterprises in South Africa using technology to enforce mobile policies.
Globally, the innovators are also nearly twice as likely to enforce mobile policies using technology (60% versus 33%), whereas most traditionals either handle management manually or don’t do it at all.
Innovators are also more likely to use mobile devices for running business apps. Globally, 83% are discussing deploying private app stores for employees with 51% of South African enterprises discussing private app stores.
With the innovators taking more advantage of mobility, they are also seeing more costs associated with it. Globally, they averaged twice as many mobile incidents during the last year, such as lost devices and data breaches leading to consequences such as regulatory fines and lost revenue.
In South African enterprises, there was a median of 94 mobility related incidents last year. However, the costs of mobility aren’t deterring the innovators because they are more than making up for them in a variety of ways.
The innovators are experiencing far more benefits in the following three key areas:
* Increased productivity, speed and agility;
* Improvements in brand value, customer happiness and overall competitiveness; and
* Happier employees and improved recruiting and retention rates.
South African enterprises are currently experiencing 32% higher revenue growth, whereas global innovators are experiencing nearly 50% higher revenue growth than traditionals (44% versus 30%). All things considered, businesses perceive net positive results with mobility.
The survey results illustrate the positive impact mobility can have on the business, with the right preparation. The following guidelines can help organisations make the most of their mobile deployment while reducing risks:
* Being cautious about mobility is okay. Being resistant is not. Start embracing it. Organisations should take a proactive approach and carefully plan an effective mobile implementation strategy.
* Start with the apps with greatest productivity benefits for employees. One of the best ways to get started with mobility is to implement mobile apps that will have an immediate impact on the business.
* Learn from the innovators – get the benefits while minimising the risks. The key is to be aware of the risks associated with mobility such as information loss, and to follow the example of the innovators.
Globally, 84% of innovators are moving ahead with mobility as it’s motivated by business drivers, and they are experiencing significant benefits.
Traditional organisations are implementing mobility more slowly, largely in response to user demand, and are seeing both fewer costs and benefits. In South African enterprises, 76% considered business drivers to be important, while 75% felt that user demand was important.
“Few issues command the attention of IT today like mobility,” says Gordon Love, Symantec’s regional director for Africa. “The difference in attitudes and results between the organisations that actively embrace mobility and those that are reluctant is significant. Organisations taking a proactive approach benefit much more than those that put it off until they eventually find themselves trying to catch up to the competition.”
The two groups perceive the benefits and risks of mobility differently. Among innovators, two-thirds say the benefits of mobility outweigh the risks, but three-quarters of the traditionals feel that the reverse is true: 64% of enterprise organisations in South Africa consider the risks to be worth the opportunity.
This is reflected in the rate of mobility adoption, with enterprises in South Africa purchasing 51% of employee phones. Globally, 55% of innovators purchase phones for employees versus the 44% of traditionals that do the same.
When it comes to the innovators, company involvement doesn’t stop with purchasing the phones. They often have mobility policies, with 63% of enterprises in South Africa using technology to enforce mobile policies.
Globally, the innovators are also nearly twice as likely to enforce mobile policies using technology (60% versus 33%), whereas most traditionals either handle management manually or don’t do it at all.
Innovators are also more likely to use mobile devices for running business apps. Globally, 83% are discussing deploying private app stores for employees with 51% of South African enterprises discussing private app stores.
With the innovators taking more advantage of mobility, they are also seeing more costs associated with it. Globally, they averaged twice as many mobile incidents during the last year, such as lost devices and data breaches leading to consequences such as regulatory fines and lost revenue.
In South African enterprises, there was a median of 94 mobility related incidents last year. However, the costs of mobility aren’t deterring the innovators because they are more than making up for them in a variety of ways.
The innovators are experiencing far more benefits in the following three key areas:
* Increased productivity, speed and agility;
* Improvements in brand value, customer happiness and overall competitiveness; and
* Happier employees and improved recruiting and retention rates.
South African enterprises are currently experiencing 32% higher revenue growth, whereas global innovators are experiencing nearly 50% higher revenue growth than traditionals (44% versus 30%). All things considered, businesses perceive net positive results with mobility.
The survey results illustrate the positive impact mobility can have on the business, with the right preparation. The following guidelines can help organisations make the most of their mobile deployment while reducing risks:
* Being cautious about mobility is okay. Being resistant is not. Start embracing it. Organisations should take a proactive approach and carefully plan an effective mobile implementation strategy.
* Start with the apps with greatest productivity benefits for employees. One of the best ways to get started with mobility is to implement mobile apps that will have an immediate impact on the business.
* Learn from the innovators – get the benefits while minimising the risks. The key is to be aware of the risks associated with mobility such as information loss, and to follow the example of the innovators.