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By Tony Kontzer on 2010-07-19
In her first post as Editor In Chief of CIO Insight, Susan Nunziata made no bones about her bullishness for the future of mobile computing in the enterprise. We'll go one step further here, skipping right over laptops and tablets, and offer you a future where smartphones are the computing platform of choice. Few people would argue with the fact that today's smartphones are powerful enough to deliver 95 percent of the functionality a typical information worker needs during the course of a workday. Devices such as the iPhone or BlackBerry, or any of those powered by Google's Android operating system, make it a snap to manage email, communicate via text message, check the latest posts on social media sites, browse the latest news, or even prepare documents. As cloud providers such as Salesforce.com and NetSuite and Google and Amazon refine access to their services from mobile devices, traditional IT vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle and SAP will follow suit with improved mobile apps for their growing array of cloud-based applications. The need to be tethered to a PC could become a thing of the past sooner than you think. Here are the nine business drivers that will push corporate IT departments toward adopting mobile computing-focused strategies:
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TCO Networking Costs
This calculator shows the cost of adding additional servers, including networking costs. It assumes a cost of $500 per 24 port switch, and $50 for cabling per server. |
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- Growth of Cloud Computing
As cloud providers scramble to develop apps for the most popular smart phones, the idea of "having critical data at your fingertips" is taking on a lot more weight. - Fearlessness of Youth
The information workers of tomorrow — today's young people — worry much less about security or privacy, the chief obstacles for mobility (and cloud computing). - The Apple/Google Effect
The runaway success of the iPhone and Android mobile platforms is causing traditional IT vendors to ramp up commitments to mobile devices. - 21st Century Lifestyles
Today's information workers demand the flexibility to balance work, home and leisure, and nothing enables that like a good smartphone. - Rise of Social Networking
Two trends in social media — expanded access from devices and increased use for business communications — pretty much tell the story. - Fewer Battery Woes
Laptops may be approaching all-day battery power, but phones are easily charged in the car, much quicker to power on and off, and less likely to catch on fire. - Reduced IT Workload
With companies looking to drive costs ever-lower, the fact that information workers can probably handle a lot of their own smartphone support is a huge benefit. - Faster Networks and Chips
Make no mistake: The faster and more powerful our mobile devices are, the less we'll need desktop or mobile PCs. - The Lugging Factor
Yes, laptops are mobile, and iPads are inarguably business-chic, but the mobile worker is sick of literally carrying the office with him when he can have it all in his pocket.
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