Mobility is a given; what's important is how you deal with it. This is the word from David Ives, GM of Karabina, who delivered the keynote address at the Enterprise Mobility Forum, in Sandton, last week.
The statistics all point in one direction, according to Ives - pervasive mobility. The International Data Corporation (IDC) Mobile Workforce Study predicts that 37.2% of the global workforce - 1.3 billion people - will be mobile by 2015.
Currently, nearly 80% of workers spend at least some time out of the office. Vital for businesses to note is that a vast proportion of this mobile work is being conducted on employees' private devices: 95% of information workers report that they work on at least one self-purchased device.
In this context, policy-based management is critical, said Ives. A wide variety of devices can be embraced by companies that use sound policies as the basis of their device management. "There is a lot that can be done on the policy side, so that when the devices access the network, policies are automatically pushed to that device, defining what the device is able to see and do.
"We are starting to see device manufacturers partner with policy-based vendors to manage policies for different user profiles, which define access to applications, data, virtualisation, and so on. There's a lot happening in that market that sees mobile device management as a subset of a policy basis," he explained.
For those who might think this is a first-world trend yet to hit in SA, the statistics show otherwise, he added. "The trends are showing that we're switching from feature phones to smartphones, and seeing more smartphones shipping to SA. This is a good thing."
However, particular challenges in SA could be holding businesses back. The World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report 2013 ranked SA at 117 out of 144 countries on the affordability of mobile data tariffs, and 89 out of 144 on the affordability of fixed broadband.
This lag has a number of causes, according to Ives, including legislative issues, as well as mobile operators capitalising on a less competitive market. Confusing and complex pricing systems also play a role, as does the tendency of South African consumers to stay with a mobile operator, out of complacency or the assumption that other operators will not be an improvement.
"Other countries are more competitive," said Ives. "Countries like Nigeria and Kenya see connectivity, broadband, and network readiness as a precursor to ICT readiness, which is a precursor to economic growth."
Lower data costs, and hence increased mobility, will mean big things for business, he concluded. "The mobile app market was $6 billion in 2012, but will reach $55.7 billion by 2015, according to the IDC. These apps are enabling people to submit expense claims quicker, work quicker, and will change the way people work with information in their business."
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