Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.
In late February, I participated in a panel session at the Mobile World Congress event titled “Mobile Enterprise: Maximizing Workforce Productivity in the Age of Consumerization.” Panel members included two software providers, a hardware manufacturer and a mobile network operator. We offered our perspectives on how to overcome the challenges of rolling out mobile enterprise solutions in the age of consumerization.
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It was an interesting and lively discussion – and one that keeps reverberating in my head because of the challenges of consumerization, an era in which individuals themselves implement personal technology solutions for their business and personal tasks, only seems to be intensifying as the year goes on.
Under this new order of business, IT organizations are either bypassed or, at the very least, no longer the mobility decision makers, which adds another layer of difficulty for IT departments that are already grappling with how to successfully mobilize their workforce.
Yes, these are difficult times and we are all struggling to figure out the best way to harness the energy and power of mobile. But it is also a time of opportunity. We need to think about how to use mobile technologies effectively in order to maximize workforce productivity.
With 4G around the corner, promising improved bandwidth and signal penetration, mobile connectivity will become much more of a seamless experience, allowing users to connect and collaborate as never before. Areas that are sure to be affected are workplace satisfaction, anytime-anywhere productivity, workforce retention, brand loyalty and time management. I hope to delve into some of these elements more intently in future postings.
Fernando Alvarez leads Capgemini’s recently launched Mobile Solutions Global Service Line.
