MDM and Android see uptick in enterprise interest, Citrix tells

MUMBAI, INDIA: About 51 per cent of organizations say they are changing management processes to better manage those working on any device from anywhere. Organizations are most focused on measuring the impact that mobility has on productivity and employee motivation. According to a global survey commissioned by Citrix, 71 per cent of enterprises believe mobility is a top priority for their business and 63 per cent believe it to be the greatest factor in helping their organization gain a competitive advantage.

Of the organizations surveyed, approximately half have implemented technologies to support mobile devices, with 48 per cent using mobile device management (MDM) and 47 per cent using mobile application management (MAM). Organizations are also recognizing the need to provide Windows apps and desktop to mobile workers, with 41 per cent of businesses using or planning to use application virtualization and 40 per cent leveraging desktop virtualization. In addition, file sharing, sync and storage have been or will be implemented by 40 per cent of companies to support mobile users.

Commissioned by Citrix to produce insight into mobility strategies of businesses around the globe, The Citrix Mobility in Business Report polled a total of 1,700 senior IT decision-makers across 17 countries.

Respondents were asked about the advantages and challenges of implementing mobile initiatives, their current policies toward mobile devices and the impact that the consumerization of IT is having on their businesses. The report outlines results from the research and sheds light on the perceptions of mobility, its importance for companies and its perceived impact for improving flexibility, productivity and agility.

Among other notable findings regarding mobile strategies it spotted that the top two mobile initiatives for businesses are increasing development on mobile apps and increasing adoption of secure file sharing and collaboration tools. Improving network performance and access is the third most important mobile initiative. 

Also, BYOD is quickly becoming the norm, with 71 per cent of companies allowing, accommodating and encouraging the use of personally owned devices. Of these companies, 76 per cent estimate that more than 100 unidentified devices access their networks each day. Worldwide, organizations report a daily average of 425 such connections, with the highest figures from businesses in Brazil (994), Canada (649) and Japan (618).

The research reveals that enterprises are embracing a variety of mobile platforms. Android is by far the most popular platform according to respondents, with 72 per cent saying they support or are planning to support Android this year, and another 65 per cent seeing an increased use of Android in their organization. Apple iOS remains popular, with 54 per cent supporting or planning to support the platform, and 48 per cent seeing an increase in its use from last year. Microsoft Windows 8 has become more popular than Windows Mobile, with 46 per cent of companies supporting or planning to support the full-featured operating system, compared with 32 per cent for the mobile version. BlackBerry still retains a significant presence, supported by 35 per cent of companies, though only 18 per cent have seen an increase in its use since last year.

Globally, the most popular mobile apps being demanded by employees are sales, CRM or database related, with 48 per cent reporting such a trend. Other popular apps include employee intranet portals (46 per cent), messaging applications (43 per cent), social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (43 per cent), and file sync and sharing platforms (41 per cent).

Further, exactly half (50 per cent) of organizations surveyed said that the acquisition of mobile apps would be a mixture of in-house development and off-the-shelf purchases, while a quarter said they would rely purely on off-the-shelf purchases for mobile apps. Nearly one in five (17 per cent) organizations said they would acquire applications strictly through in-house development, while 8 percent were not sure how they would acquire applications.

The survey also shows the barriers organizations are facing when implementing their mobility initiatives. Organizations reported an average of three main barriers preventing formal support for mobility initiatives, the most common being a lack of security controls for new devices and clients (38 per cent), legacy systems unfit for mobile purposes (37 per cent) and challenges supporting multiple mobile operating systems (36 per cent).

The "Mobility in Business" report was compiled by Vanson Bourne on behalf of Citrix, with the aim of creating a global snapshot of mobility in business across the globe. Responses came from IT leaders in the UK, USA, Canada, China, India, Brazil, Russia, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan.