Moving your business to mobile

📱 The Next Decade of Mobile: Why Businesses Need a Mobility Strategy Now

A significant technological milestone was reached on January 9, 2017: the 10-year anniversary of Steve Jobs’ introduction of the first iPhone. The last decade has seen an explosion in mobile device development, with the iPhone frequently setting the industry standard.

Despite this consumer enthusiasm, the evidence suggests that business adoption of mobile technology remains comparatively low. Research from Gartner showed that only 23% of surveyed employees were provided with mobile devices by their employers, compared to 75% who received at least one PC.

Gartner Principal Research Analyst Mikako Kitagawa noted that it is surprising corporate usage of smartphones and tablets is not higher, even when personally owned devices are included. While the cost of providing mobile devices can escalate, the potential productivity gains often justify the extra investment.

With a new decade of smartphone supremacy underway, 2017 should be the year businesses adapt their IT solutions to better leverage mobile capabilities.

🚀 5G Communications on the Horizon

While 4G networks still feel recent, the next evolution of wireless technology—5G—is quickly approaching. 5G is anticipated to be far more than just a speed boost; it is being pitched as a revolution in connectivity.

Speaking at the CES tradeshow, Qualcomm CEO Stephen Mollenkopf stated that “5G will be a new kind of network, supporting a vast diversity of devices with unprecedented scale, speed and complexity… affecting entire economies and benefiting entire societies.”

Regarding availability, Dr. Syed Faraz Hasan from Massey University recently noted that many countries were expected to begin rolling out 5G in 2018. However, reports indicated that device manufacturers, such as Nokia, were aiming to accelerate the process, with equipment potentially appearing sooner.

🛡️ Prioritizing Security with Increased Mobility

While the benefits of workplace mobility are clear, the transition is not without its challenges. The rapid growth of the mobile market has created new security vulnerabilities that cybercriminals are quick to exploit.

The IT security firm McAfee noted a troubling increase in mobile security issues in 2016, a trend likely to continue. For any New Zealand business increasing its mobile use, a sophisticated security strategy to combat mobile malware and ransomware is essential.

Robust protection for network access, greater visibility of all connected devices, and close management of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies are the core elements of a modern mobile security solution. Utilizing dedicated IT support is key to ensuring operations run smoothly and securely, allowing your team to maximize their smart devices without compromising data integrity.

Imagetext Integrated Solutions’ mobility solutions offer tremendous benefits to New Zealand organisations. Get in touch with the team today.