Consumerization is now the primary driver of the mobile universe,
and CIOs must be ready to embrace a range of more-flexible approaches
to their mobile strategy, according to research from IT anayltics firm
Gartner. At least four new mobile management styles will emerge as
leaders because different groups of staff will demand different
approaches: Control, choice and innovation-oriented approaches and a
“hands-off” approach.
Gartner predicts sales of smartphones to users will reach 461.5
million in 2011 and rise to 645 million in 2012. In 2011, sales of
smartphones will overtake shipments of PCs (364 million). Combined
sales of smartphones and tablets will be 44 percent bigger than the PC
market in 2011. More of these devices will find their way into
enterprises as employees entering the organization will expect to be
allowed to use them. “The landscape of devices and user needs is
changing," said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner.
“CIOs are facing mass-mobility, and it is expected to grow rapidly.”
Consumerization, app stores and mobile ecosystems are causing a
proliferation of new applications and services in the enterprise, she
said. Employees increasingly seek to take full advantage of better
browsers and innovative applications from app stores. Gartner estimates
that 18 billion apps will be downloaded in 2011, up 114.5 percent from
2010 and will rise to 31 billion in 2012. “CIOs need to explore new
ways to provide, fund and manage mobile devices to allow employees more
choice and support BYO programs,” said Nick Jones, vice president and
distinguished analyst at Gartner.
The primary consideration of the control approach is to guarantee
quality of service, security, support and cost. To assure
functionality, service levels, performance and security, the
organization provides and strictly manages devices, contracts and
applications. All aspects of the device and its applications are
controlled and supported by corporate IT.
The top goal for a choice-oriented approach is user satisfaction,
typically in cases where users demand a greater choice of devices, but
have relatively undemanding application and service needs. Undemanding
needs are a necessary consequence of greater choice, because it’s
usually prohibitively expensive to support complex requirements on a
wide range of platforms.
The goal of an innovation-oriented approach is to empower users who
want substantial autonomy and are often in roles over which IT has
little or no control. Typical users are independent, often technically
sophisticated, and may not want support (even where it can be
provided), but may accept advice and training.
Finally, the strategy behind a hands-off approach is to take the
minimum level of responsibility for mobile devices and services,
typically by not providing them. It includes concepts such as
employee-owned devices and BYO IT. In this instance, IT has little or
no support responsibility for devices, and may relinquish
responsibility for many services (for example, by requiring users to
provide their own mobile email or by adopting hosted services). Any
controls that are necessary will be applied in the cloud, in
applications or by policies. “CIOs must be ready for the BYO programs
sooner than they realize,” said Mr. Jones. “BYO is a principle that
most organizations will adopt and organizations must prepare for this
change.”
At the same time, Gartner said global businesses should be prepared
to support at least three smartphone platforms by 2012, and some will
expect to support four or even five. The decision will vary depending
on the geography and whether the applications are business to employee
(B2E) or business to consumer (B2C).
Gartner estimates that Android will remain the top platform for
several years, and Apple’s iOS will take the second position in 2012
until 2014. If the Nokia/Microsoft alliance executes well, Windows
Phone should grow to take the No. 2 position by 2015 displacing iOS.
RIM will move to No. 4 position in 2013. “Regardless of your current
approach, the reality is that consumerization is here to stay and will
have an enormous impact on the management of corporate mobility for
many years to come,” Milanesi said.