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Increasing demand for mobile computing capabilities is forcing IT executives to fret about everything from device support and application development strategies to a whole new set of security concerns, with huge rewards awaiting those who tackle these issues most effectively.
Smartphone Addiction: A Workplace Epidemic?
Would you or your employees feel depressed, anxious or physically ill if you had to go a week without a smartphone? According to recent research from enterprise mobility services vendor iPass, Inc., the majority of us say we expect to show these physical or psychological signs of addiction if we had to put down our iPhones, Android smartphones or Blackberrys for a few days. The research finds these feelings can be the result of the increasingly blurry line between personal and business time and the fact that many of us are using our personal Angry Birds-playing devices for business reasons. Yet the 24/7 workplace culture, abetted by the ubiquity of mobile devices in our lives, is taking its toll. We aren't sleeping or exercising enough, and our physical health is suffering, which can hurt your bottom line. & Today's mobile employees are critical to the success of every enterprise, contributing 240 more work hours a year than their non-mobile counterparts,& says Evan Kaplan, president and CEO of iPass. More than 2,300 mobile enterprise employees took part in the research. For more about the survey, click here. Here are selected highlights:
RIM's BlackBerry Outage: Nine Ways to Restore Enterprise Goodwill
Research In Motion’s BlackBerry services outage, which left some users worldwide without Email and messaging for more than a day, was a public relations challenge for the company, and an event that some analysts say could have a dramatic impact on RIM's future. It remains to be seen whether RIM's plans for a host of new & superphones& running the BBX operating system will help it regain market share regain market share . Meanwhile, RIM tried last week to make things right by offering consumers free apps worth $100 and giving enterprise users a free month of technical support. The company also apologized profusely, saying that it let customers down. The outages left out in the cold those CIOs who have held the line on requiring RIM's smartphones and accompanying BlackBerry Enterprise Servers as the best enterprise options for secure corporate mobility. Here are our nine suggestions for things we’d like to see RIM do for its enterprise users to restore goodwill in the wake of its BlackBerry services outage.
iPhone 4S, 4, or 3GS: Which Should You Choose?
With Apple’s iPhone 4S already breaking sales records -- the company says it sold 4 million units in the first three days after the smartphone's Oct. 14 launch -- and Sprint added to the list of wireless carriers offering the handset, you're probably looking to understand the key differences in Apple’s line of smartphones. For many enterprises now, the question is not & How do we keep these things out of the workplace?& but rather, & Which one should we offer employees?& Currently, Apple is selling the iPhone 3GS, which it launched two years ago, as well as last year’s iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S, which launched on Oct. 14, is also out there for the taking. Making that decision requires you to look hard at some of the key things that might sway such a decision. Here, we highlight 10 factors that may help you make up your mind about which Apple iPhone should be deployed in your operation:
Apple iPhone 4S: 10 Reasons it's Worth Considering for the Enterprise
Apple was expected to show off two new iPhones at an event held in its hometown of Cupertino, CA on Oct. 4. One, the iPhone 4S, was believed to be a nominal upgrade over its predecessor, the iPhone 4, while the other, the iPhone 5, would deliver the revolutionary upgrades Apple loyalists were after. However, Apple instead unveiled the iPhone 4S and its new iOS5 operating system at the event, disappointing those hoping for a major device upgrade. However, with the Oct. 5 death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs coming hard on the heels of the product debut, the Twitterati were abuzz with speculation that the & 4S& was so named in honor of Jobs: iPhone 4S being shorthand for & iPhone For Steve.& Naming decisions notwithstanding, for CIOs, it might have been good news. For one thing, Sprint joins the ranks of U.S. wireless carriers Verizon and AT T in offering the iPhone 4S when it hits the market on October 14. And, as we’ve said on these pages before, iPhone 5 didn’t look to be an enterprise winner. Using rumors and analyst reports as our guide, it appeared that the iPhone 5 was undoubtedly designed with only consumers in mind. And in the process, CIOs, hoping to make their employees more productive, would have been disappointed. Such is not the case with the iPhone 4S, which includes some nifty new features via iOS5. On paper, at least, Apple’s latest handset entrant could be a winner for consumers and enterprise users, alike. Here are 10 reasons why.
The Mobile Workday: A 24x7 Phenomenon
They’re constantly connected, whether at home, a coffee shop or an airport terminal. These are our modern mobile employees, and they’re increasing their presence and impact upon the enterprise. Yet, despite the fact that they always seem to be on the job, a recent survey conducted by enterprise mobility service provider iPass sheds light on some surprising insights about this culture: More than six of 10 respondents say they’re experiencing better work/life balance now than they did before the advent of mobility tools, in spite of a long work day. There are even a growing number of workers who manage to find some time to unplug. “Even though mobile workers are putting in more hours, we are starting to see the pendulum swing back to the center on disconnecting,” says Barbara Nelson, CTO at iPass. The bottom line for managers is that most respondents feel that workshifting -- the ability to complete tasks whenever and wherever they want to -- enables them to increase their productivity and efficiency. More than 3,100 mobile enterprise employees worldwide took part in the ,survey which was conducted between July 1 and July 15, 2011. Here are eight highlights from the report, plus four best practices for your IT department on the effective oversight of your mobile workforce.
Android, iOS More Popular In the Enterprise Than BlackBerry
The use of smartphones running Google Android and Apple iOS platforms is on the rise in the enterprise, according to findings from The State of Workforce Technology Adoption: US Benchmark 2011 from Forrester Research. The study, which is based on Forrester's Q2 2011 US Workforce Technology and Online Engagement survey of 4,985 U.S. information workers, also reveals that half of those surveyed now split their work time between the office, home and other remote locations. The study was released Sept. 22, 2011, during Forrester's Content Collaboration Forum in Boston. “Looking out five years, Forrester sees three technology ‘trains’ impacting the future of workforce productivity, innovation, and advocacy,& said Matt Brown, vice president and practice leader at Forrester Research, during his opening remarks at the Forum. & All three of these trains have left the station: enterprise mobility, enterprise social, and cloud services for business.” Read on for 12 highlights from the report.
SideXSide: iOS Vs. Android in a Security Showdown
With the Rupert Murdoch phone-hacking scandal in full furor, we thought it was high time we explored the security of two popular smartphone platforms: Apple's iOS and Google's Android, In this SideXSide comparison, we take a look at the devices offered with those operating systems, the kinds of security issues currently affecting the marketplace, and the threats that have already been identified.
U.S. Smartphone Users: 35 Percent of All Adults
Android is the most popular smartphone platform, according to the latest report from the Pew Internet American Life Project. One quarter smartphone owners conduct most of their online browing on the the devices.
10 Reasons CIOs Should Hate the iPad 2
Recently, we took a look at Apple’s iPhone 5 and discussed why CIOs around the globe might take issue with the company’s upcoming smartphone. This time around, we’re going to examine Apple’s iPad 2 to see why the tablet, which is easily besting all others in total sales, might pose challenges for your operation. Admittedly, the iPad 2 is an outstanding consumer tablet. The device is well designed, it has all kinds of nice entertainment features, and its App Store is packed with applications that people of all ages can enjoy. But for the enterprise, the iPad 2 isn’t necessarily the best choice. Its focus on entertainment will raise red flags for CIOs who are are worried about productivity. Plus, there are other devices on store shelves now that deliver more corporate-friendly features than the iPad.
SideXSide: Android Tablets Ready for the Enterprise?
We break down the enterprise-friendly features of three Android tablets -- the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Cisco Cius, and the Panasonic Toughbook Tablet -- to help you determine if they’re right for your business.
Connecting a Multigenerational Workforce
At Graham Group Ltd., a Canadian construction firm that earns $2 billion in annual revenue, the focus is squarely on connecting employees in a more efficient manner. It’s no small challenge. The company has many 50- to 60-year-old engineers working alongside 20- to 30-year-olds.
10 Reasons For CIOs To Hate iPhone 5
The Apple iPhone 5, announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in early June, was reportedly due for its big reveal on Oct. 4. However, when the big day came no iPhone 5 was mentioned. Instead, Apple introduced an improved version of iPhone called 4S and announced that Sprint is in line to offer the iPhone. When Apple originally announced the new phone at its WWDC, the company stopped short of discussing hardware, instead choosing to focus its efforts on its operating systems and a new cloud-based platform, called iCloud . More details will be available when the company's new CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 5, at which point CIOs will need to determine if the device is right for employees. You'll want to examine the device itself, as well as the wider market, to see if bringing the iPhone 5 to your operation would be a benefit or a detriment to the daily goings-on in the office. As nice as the iPhone 5 might be for consumers, we're betting that the device will fall short for many CIOs. Read on to find out why:
BlackBerry Maker RIM Reports Revenue Down, Layoffs Looming
Research in Motion (RIM), maker of BlackBerry smartphones, shipped 500,000 of its new PlayBook tablets in its fiscal Q1 2012. Even so, the company reports a 12 percent decline in revenue from the previous quarter.
iPhone PIN Codes: 10 Most Common
It's time to remind your iPhone users to try a little ingenuity when picking their passwords. A new study reveals that many users are relying on glaringly obvious and commonplace PIN codes to protect their devices.
SideXSide: Android Smartphones at Work
Do you know your Froyo from your Eclair? Are you facing pressure from your mobile executives or business users to explore Google’s Android platform for your enterprise? Don't worry, we've got you covered with this SideXSide comparison of some of the top Android-based phones on the market today.
Will 'Mango' Update Make Windows Phone 7 an iPhone, Android Competitor?
Mango represents a substantial revamp of Microsoft’s mobile platform, which is struggling for adoption in the face of competition from Google Android and Apple’s iPhone.
Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Mango Update Will Be Major
Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone & Mango& will likely be a major overhaul of the software giant's iPhone and Android competitor.
Analyst: Amazon to Launch Android-Based Tablet in 2011
Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin, who spoke to sources in Tapiei where many computers are manufactured, said Amazon plans on releasing a 10-inch tablet, and possibly a 7-inch tablet later this year.
Dell Streak Pro Tablet to Target Biz Users
With a 10.1-inch screen and Android “Honeycomb” OS, Dell is targeting business users with its Streak Pro, reportedly available in June 2011.