More than half of network devices in 2012 will ship without a wired port, according to Morgan Stanley Market Trends, and the majority of these devices are being brought into the workplace. According to research commissioned by Avanade, a global business technology solutions and managed services provider, companies are embracing enterprise mobility and consumer technologies to help employees do their jobs in new ways. Avanade is working with companies to deliver an enhanced mobility experience to their employees and customers.
Avanade’s September 2012 survey of 599 C-level executives and IT decision-makers in 19 countries shows that the “bring your own device” trend continues to take hold, with more than six in ten companies (61%) reporting the majority of their employees now use personal computing devices in the workplace. Over half (54%) report the majority of their employees use smartphones for basic work functions such as reading email, web documents and calendar invitations.
But the research shows that tablets are quickly being adopted as key tools in a multi-device world. While one-third of companies (33%) report the majority of employees use tablets for simple work tasks, the exact same number of respondents – 33% – report the majority of employees use tablets for advanced business uses with enterprise applications such as customer relationship management (CRM), project management, content creation and data analysis.
“What the research shows us is how ingrained tablets have become in the workplace in less than three years since they hit mainstream,” said Mick Slattery, executive vice president, Global Service Lines. “Companies are recognizing the business value tablets can offer, and creating solutions and enabling access to business systems to capitalize on the opportunity. With the release of Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, there will be a new wave of enterprise-ready mobility solutions entering the workplace as employees increasingly use their personal tablets and smartphones to get their jobs done more effectively.”
Microsoft Windows 8 will usher in new smartphone features and tablet form factors, enterprise applications and services to improve business productivity and user experience. For example, one of the largest U.S. drugstore chains is working with Avanade to utilize Windows 8 tablets to enable mobile bedside delivery and consultation for medication prescriptions. This deployment will help reduce pharmacy costs and create a personalized, more convenient patient experience.
For Telefónica Avanade helped create a Windows 8 application called “Nomad Connection.” The application increased the level of service it brings to customers by enabling the purchase of on-demand Internet services including roaming services and automatically connecting that customer to the desired network. This application will come pre-installed on select Windows 8 tablets, so it will be able to manage the connection with Telefónica´s backend systems to facilitate customer operations using machine to machine communications.
“To take advantage of the value mobility brings to employees and customers, companies are redesigning the building blocks of their business,” said Slattery. “Avanade’s research reveals these leaders are modifying business processes like sales and marketing, and roles inside companies, such as HR staff, to make better use of mobile devices and other consumer technologies. Our work with customers and research studies show early signs that these changes are making an impact on revenues, profits and customer service.”