Mobility programs centered on apps

The applications running on smartphones and tablets that provide professionals with anywhere, anytime access to enterprise email and data are quickly becoming the most important aspect of an organization's mobility program, a new report has found.

In fact, the Enterprise Apps 2011: Focus on Business Relevance study from InformationWeek Reports revealed that companies prize mobile applications over nearly all other forms of software.

"IT leaders see new priorities for their on-premises enterprise application strategies, with mobile applications, financial and performance management apps, and social-savvy CRM topping the charts," the report stated. "Business needs - not technology concerns - are driving a new level of commitment when it comes to enterprise software decisions."

Mobile application development, procurement and use are all important aspects of any company's efforts to leverage smartphones and tablets for a more productive workforce. With apps installed on their devices, employees can keep in constant contact through email, social media or instant messaging and can close a deal while out of the office because all the necessary data is at their fingertips.

Companies can deploy a mobile application management solution to gain insight into employees' use of applications. By having an idea what applications are being used by smartphone and tablet owners, business managers and IT administrators can determine how successful a deployment has been and whether a change must be made.

"IT has this incredible opportunity to make its relevance to the business obvious," Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Reports, said. "Corporate executives and managers actually crave the mobile applications, financial and performance management apps and CRM that IT is implementing."

According to the research, executive support, input from end-users and guidance from business leaders will all improve IT productivity and lead to better development of mobile apps. Furthermore, 30 percent of respondents said improving efficiency and cutting costs were their top priorities for app development. Innovation was second with 23 percent of respondents and 20 percent cited increasing customer satisfaction.

Overall, the market for enterprise mobility solutions and products is growing quickly, according to a separate report from Global Industry Analysts. The market, which includes device hardware, software and the contracts companies sign with wireless carriers, will reach $173.9 billion by 2017. The applications segment is expected to be the strongest of the market, increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 11.4 percent, GIA said.