The results gathered at a recent Software AG mobility webinar revealed that 38% of those surveyed are yet to consider their strategy, while 22% have only begun initial research. Of those companies that have developed a mobile strategy, 15% have fully deployed them in their firms, while a further 25% confirmed that policies were already developed but only partly implemented.
The survey also found that for those already underway, more than two-thirds are developing their strategy fully or partially in-house, with only 8% delegating total responsibility to a third-party. “This highlights the importance which the overwhelming majority attach to maintaining control over changes and updates,” says John Chasey, Director, Mobile at Software AG.
Reflecting the difficulties of predicting the precise direction of future device development, 60% plan to support all types of devices, with only 15% looking to standardise on a single device.
The survey also found that the move towards a bring your own device (BYOD) policy is gaining momentum, with 73% of respondents confirming that their organisations already have, or plan to introduce, such a programme.
“However, actual movement in this direction may be even more advanced,” says Chasey. “Our findings reinforce those of an earlier Symantec survey, where 60% of businesses confirmed they had a BYOD policy in place, yet more than 90% of employees reported they could use their own devices at work. This highlighted an expectation gap which must be bridged rapidly.”
The findings reflected a positive move towards the adoption of effective mobility strategies. “In a world with a bewildering number of operating systems and devices, a best practice approach will be all-embracing, with ‘develop once only’ technologies which can then be deployed rapidly and flexibly on any mobile device,” says Chasey.
“It is clear that businesses need to accommodate growing staff demands for greater flexibility in the use of devices for personal and business use. At the same time, it is important that the adoption of a corporate mobile approach saves the business both time and money.”