BYOD, mobile app management among top tech trends for 2012

Joining others in trying to predict what's to come in 2012 in terms of enterprise technology, news provider CIOL recently released its list of areas that companies figure to prioritize during the next 12 months. It's no surprise that various aspects of mobility will be top trends.

According to CIOL, among the areas that organizations will focus on next year will be getting a handle on the bring-your-own-device mobility model and developing better smartphone and tablet offerings through mobile application management.

Though many have already showed signs of moving in this direction, many more companies are primed to embrace consumerization and BYOD in 2012, the report stated.

That's because employees today have more access than ever to robust mobile technology through devices they enjoy using. What's more, the prices of consumer smartphones and tablets will begin to drop as more are introduced to the market and competition heats up.

These two factors, the report stated, are leading a widespread shift in enterprise computing habits.

"In today’s cloud era, the PC-server environment will undergo a change transforming the future of business by redefining the workplace," the report stated. "However … [companies] will need to mindful of challenges such as security risks and managing the life cycle of mobile applications and devices, right from procurement to de-commissioning stages."

In terms of apps, companies figure to increase their use of mobile application management next year to ensure their employees are using devices effectively and properly. The practice could also help IT departments in building applications that employees are sure to leverage.

Specifically, usability will become a key buzzword for mobile application development next year, according to CIOL. Companies will want the apps they develop to be user-friendly so that more employees will be inclined to leverage them to access enterprise data to complete daily tasks.

"[W]ith enterprise applications like CRM, business intelligence, ERP, etc. becoming accessible on mobile devices," the report said. "Customers are increasingly looking at infusing the element of usability for enterprise applications as well to garner higher and faster adoption of such applications in a corporate environment."

According to a separate report from Visiongain, another trend that could take hold next year is the rise of mobile cloud computing. The firm's recent market analysis forecast the mobile cloud market to reach $45 billion by 2016 following annual growth of 55.2 percent.