What Are the Costs of Mobile Computing?

Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

Mobile costs

The total cost of mobile computing is more than 100 percent higher than most IT professionals anticipate because it includes many often-forgotten factors.

Apple iOS devices are the most widely used, at 39%, followed by Android (28%) and Windows (23%) devices.

When all cost are fully loaded, Android devices have the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) while Windows devices have the highest.

In the United States, the actual total cost of ownership per device is $1,840—116% more than commonly expected—which equates to $51.9 billion in total spend for American businesses.

About $987 of costs per mobile computing device, including services, security and IT support, are not being taken into account when calculating the TCO of enterprise mobility. On average, $407 in the United States could be saved per device annually through various controls. Total cost savings in the United States could be $11.5 billion.

“Bill shocks” from unexpected carrier charges are the second-greatest single contributor to overall total cost of ownership for the largest companies globally—14% of TCO.

On an annualized basis, replacement costs from $300 to $400 per device used, depending on the size of the company and volume of devices purchased and supported.

Costs associated with products/services spanning everything, from mobile device management to telecommunications expense management software, range from just under $100 to more than $200 per device on an annualized basis.

On an annualized basis, cost per device can range between just under $200 to more than $400, depending on the number of devices supported.

Nearly three in 10 (28%) of U.S. companies report having suffered a mobile breach in the last 12 months—with the cost of remedying the breach at $40,000 to $400,000.