The number of businesses actively providing employees with remote access to corporate business systems and other services has trebled over the last 12 months, increasing from 20% in 2005 to 65% in 2006.
An additional 30% of businesses will also become active in mobile during 2006, leaving just 5% with no plans to mobilise parts of their enterprise.
The numbers come from a Quocirca study for O2 that aims to better understand how mobile is being deployed by companies and integrated into the wider IT infrastructure. The growing appetite for mobile is not just in the form of familiar email applications (which have increased in penetration from 10% in 2005 to 21% of companies in 2006,) but also includes remote access to other business and internal administration systems, which are being deployed by 70% of companies.
Interestingly, respondents to previous O2/Quocirca surveys have struggled to articulate the drivers behind their investment beyond the need to mobilise their workforce. Now, more business-focused factors such as competitive advantage and customer service, were cited by over 50% of respondents.
Ben Dowd, General Manager Business Sales for O2 UK commented: “Businesses are taking mobile seriously and it’s become a strategic business issue. In turn, this is having a marked impact on the things companies want from their service providers. The need for tactical advice on products is dropping away fast, and is being replaced by a much greater need for strategic business advice to solve real business problems and bespoke solutions which the mobile industry needs to respond to.”
Coincidentally, O2 has just restructured its own business sakes strategy to emphasise a more consultative approach to sales – -”O2 is one of the first operators to move away from the standard mobile industry tactical voice-driven approach to mobile, to one that focuses on achieving a competitive advantage and providing effective solutions”.
Interestingly, respondents to previous O2/Quocirca surveys have struggled to articulate the drivers behind their investment beyond the need to mobilise their workforce. Now, more business-focused factors such as competitive advantage and customer service, were cited by over 50% of respondents.
Ben Dowd, General Manager Business Sales for O2 UK commented: “Businesses are taking mobile seriously and it’s become a strategic business issue. In turn, this is having a marked impact on the things companies want from their service providers. The need for tactical advice on products is dropping away fast, and is being replaced by a much greater need for strategic business advice to solve real business problems and bespoke solutions which the mobile industry needs to respond to.”
Coincidentally, O2 has just restructured its own business sakes strategy to emphasise a more consultative approach to sales – -”O2 is one of the first operators to move away from the standard mobile industry tactical voice-driven approach to mobile, to one that focuses on achieving a competitive advantage and providing effective solutions”.
Ben Dowd, O2: “Mobile is become a strategic business issue”