The IT industry is experiencing the largest behavioural shift since the desktop PC. This year, smartphone sales will surpass PC sales, and growth rates will accelerate going forward.
So says Keith Jones, director of strategic business development at Unison Communications.
Up to 80% of organisational communication costs are now derived from mobile platforms, with most business application vendors, such as SAP, IBM and Oracle, going mobile. Additionally, 65% of employee devices have access to corporate infrastructure, such as e-mail, Jones said.
One of the biggest issues the industry faces is the mobility/productivity myth. “There is no evidence that proves mobility improves productivity - productivity is behavioural and technology is an enabler, it does not solve problems,” said Jones.
With the increase in mobility, one needs to look at costs as well. SA is one of the top 20 countries with the highest mobile costs, and Jones pointed out that costs are typically 6.5 times higher for mobile calls than for fixed-line calls.
Organisations need to have a good enterprise communications strategy, which includes a view of the various vendors and how they are providing value, as well as a realistic idea of capital and expense budgeting, Jones said.
“When organisations are able to identify how mobile users are spending their time, they will know how to empower them, giving them more trust; which ultimately leads to greater productivity.”
Jones was a speaker at the ITWeb Business Communications event, which took place this week at The Forum, in Bryanston.
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