Poor integration is threatening businesses’ potential in a defining year for enterprise mobility, a new global research report from SOTI, has found. More than half (57%) of global enterprises have invested in mobile technology or mobile security in the last year, and more than two-thirds (67%) said the mobile technology their organization had invested in had provided a positive return on investment.
However, SOTI’s A Defining Year: State of Mobility 2021 Report found that 56% of enterprise leaders admit their technology is either only partially integrated or not at all which is holding their businesses back.
Mobile-Technology Investment in 2021: Seizing Opportunity or Just Surviving?
More than three quarters (79%) of enterprise leaders agree their organization’s C-Suite realizes the importance of mobile tech much more now than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that it’s climbed up the boardroom agenda.
But, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. More than half (56%) said that their organization’s portfolio of mobile devices has grown but managing the increased number of devices is proving difficult, indicating these businesses might not have the right device management technology in place – or they have nothing at all. In fact, many existing tools don’t adequately help organizations troubleshoot device issues or help to manage the devices. This leads to increased downtime, a loss in productivity and likely a loss in revenue as well.
Meanwhile, 45% say that their organization is not using mobile technology to help it adjust well to the challenges of the post-pandemic marketplace. The challenge for these companies is to fully integrate mobile technology into their core workflows to capitalize on the technology’s potential to provide flexibility and intelligence across the whole enterprise.
The scope of this challenge is revealed in the answers given about aspirations and goals for the near future. More than two-thirds (68%) agree that their company needs better business intelligence to navigate future unforeseen issues. Two-thirds (67%) also think they need better tools to diagnose issues before they become a problem. Almost half (43%) would like to improve their ability to monitor data analytics.
Planning For a Post-Pandemic Marketplace
The pandemic, lockdown and subsequent changes in consumer behavior have accelerated the digital transformation of business by up to six years. Businesses are faced with the prospect of a post-pandemic marketplace that is more fluid, more digital, more dynamic and marked by a rise in consumer demands.
Shash Anand at SOTI, comments: Throughout the world, mobile and internet-connected technologies are even more integral to the way we live and the way we do business. For enterprises, this raises both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is to meet these changing customer expectations, adapt to an increasingly volatile socio-economic climate, and prepare for the future with the right technologies and the right customer experiences.
“The opportunity goes to the early movers – the ones who see mobility as an enabler, rather than an obstacle,” continues Anand. “But what these findings indicate is that there are still significant efficiency and cost gains to be made by better integrating these technologies into workflows, employee practices and the customer experience.”