Despite Worker Demands, Security and Cost are Forcing IT
Organizations to Delay Formal Mobility Strategies
BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
New research shows that despite the adoption of mobile devices and the
use of personal mobile applications in the workplace, organizations are
not moving fast enough to develop and deploy mobile
applications for staff, customers and partners. As a result,
companies are missing out on the business advantages and creating a
so-called "App Gap." The study of enterprise IT organizations worldwide
was conducted by independent market research firm, Vanson Bourne, and
was sponsored by global software company Progress
Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS).
"The App Gap"
The Vanson
Bourne study, conducted between December 2012 and January 2013,
found that 95% of the 600 organizations surveyed have employees who use
personal mobile devices and applications for work and who trust that
mobile technology will improve business outcomes. In fact, 92% believe
that adopting mobile apps will not only give them a competitive edge but
that failure to do so will also put them at a competitive disadvantage.
Despite the proliferation of mobile devices, application use and beliefs
that mobile technology will benefit business, only around a
quarter (29%) has already begun a formal mobility project, though 42%
plan to do so in the next year. In addition only around half (51%) of
organizations interact with their employees using mobile apps and even
fewer (45%) use mobile apps to interact with customers. As organizations
make plans to fill the App Gap, they face some roadblocks. According to
the research, perceived risks to implementing formal mobility strategies
include security (54%), the additional investment required (48%) and the
need for ongoing support (47%).
In addition, more than half of companies (56%) are concerned that they
lack the skills to develop an appropriate application and application
interface across a myriad of mobile devices and platforms.
Mobile Tech Adoption and Confidence In Its
Advantages
More than 90% of respondents believe that mobile operating systems like
iOS and Android will likely become more dominant than traditional
desktop ones.
Furthermore, the research indicates that 95% of businesses expect that
this increased need for mobility will lead to the greater adoption of
enterprise collaboration tools like document management and customer
experience management applications that drive productivity and sales. In
addition, the belief that mobile technology improves business is strong.
90% believe adopting mobile-enabled contextual applications will drive
new business opportunities.
What's Standing In The Way?
There is also evidence that suggests organizations believe that adapting
business applications to mobile devices will be too hard, as only 15%
say that their entire software portfolio can be easily tailored. To that
end, 62% would prefer to commission the development of mobile apps to an
established vendor versus 38% who say they would prefer to do most of
the work in house with a new, dedicated mobile application development
platform. Going forward, nearly two-thirds said that mobile access to
critical applications like CRM and ERP would be helpful.
Supporting Quotes
Graham Opie, director, Vanson Bourne said: "The research shows
that enterprises are embracing the concept of mobility, but there are
significant risks in doing so. There are many challenges in ensuring
that existing applications are mobile-compatible, compounded by the fact
that so few of those applications were designed to allow easy mobile
access. This explains why most are looking to fill the "app gap" with
either external providers or software platforms to help them easily
design, develop, and implement the mobile facilities they offer to
customers, staff and partners."
John
Goodson, senior vice president products, Progress Software said:
"There's little doubt that providing employees with the ability to work
across mobile devices can increase a business' productivity and
collaboration. In an effort to increase operational efficiencies across
the enterprise, IT organizations need to rely on trusted development
environments that provide them with the security and control they're
used to with the ability to easily develop apps for multiple mobile
operating systems."
Additional Resources:
Forrester Research, Inc. White Paper: Design
Mobile Apps From The Outside In
Blog Post: 5
reasons customers want mobility
About the research
Progress Software commissioned independent specialist technology market
research company Vanson Bourne to undertake the research upon which this
report is based. 600 interviews were carried out in December 2012 and
January 2013 with senior business decision-makers in the following
sectors; financial services, manufacturing, retail and supply chain. The
research covered USA, UK, France, Germany, Benelux, Nordics, Russia,
Singapore and Brazil. Results discussed in this press release are based
on the entire global sample.
About Progress Software Corporation
Progress
Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) simplifies the development,
deployment and management of business applications on-premise or on any
Cloud, on any platform and on any device with minimal IT complexity and
low total cost of ownership. Progress Software can be reached at www.progress.com
or 1-781-280-4000.
Follow Progress Software on Twitter: @ProgressSW
Progress is a trademark or registered trademark of Progress Software
Corporation or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and
other countries. Any other marks contained herein may be trademarks of
their respective owners.
Progress Software
Rick Lacroix, +1-781-280-4000
rlacroix@progress.com
or
LEWIS
PR
Marissa Ramey, +1-202-349-3788
progresssoftware@lewispr.com
Source: Progress Software Corporation
News Provided by Acquire Media
