Mobile applications have changed the way we accomplish tasks in our daily lives. In fact, mobile has officially overtaken desktop as our main way of accessing the internet, with 87% of employers requiring employees to use mobile applications for work-related activities.
IT professionals and in-house tech guys tend to view their role as managing desktop devices with the ability to help with mobile when necessary. With this changing dynamic in the workplace, IT workers should view their role as managing the mobile experience just as much — if not more — as managing desktop devices.
As mobile app usage continues to soar, what does this mean for the future of the workplace?
Let’s take a look at the current mobile enterprise landscape, the challenges it creates for employees and how it will evolve in the future. Keeping tabs on this inevitable shift will help you set up your organization for success for years to come. Here are three key insights about the rise of the mobile enterprise:
1. Mobile Enterprise Apps Have A Lot Of Catching Up To Do
Think about the mobile apps you use for work. I’d be very surprised if you use your phone for pulling data, creating email drip campaigns or doing any type of development work. In all likelihood, you’re using your phone for email, chatting with coworkers or reading up on materials. Why is it that we have supercomputers in our pockets but only get "real" work done with our desktops?
The fact of the matter is that most enterprise software companies create solutions for desktop first. The desktop software is then translated into whatever can pass as a mobile app — and user-friendliness gets lost along the way. This leads to clunky, almost unusable mobile enterprise apps and creates a huge lost opportunity for employees to be productive regardless of their location.
Enterprise software companies need to invest more resources into developing delightful, mobile-first products. They need to be cognizant of the users’ end-goal and build mobile experiences conducive to the fastest, most efficient way for users to get there. Yet the industry hasn’t even scratched the surface. The current mobile enterprise landscape is virtually nonexistent, even though usable mobile enterprise apps would benefit every single employee. Developing mobile enterprise apps that are easy and efficient to use is a big step towards achieving new levels of productivity.
2. There Are Barriers To Adoption In The Mobile Enterprise Landscape
A big barrier to mobile enterprise application adoption is the lack of well-designed apps that prioritize the user experience. However, when the industry catches up and creates mobile-first products, there will still be a hurdle to overcome: compliance.
When employees access company data on their personal devices, how do employers monitor for compliance? Who owns data when it’s moving between applications? How do we keep data safe? These questions will require organizations to create a new standard for monitoring and educating their employees about compliance. It will also require software companies to create a transparent, consistent way of tracking data as it moves across applications.
While this new challenge poses a set of questions that we don’t yet have the answers to, it’s a natural result of technological advances. Compliance will certainly be an interesting topic to keep tabs on as the industry evolves.
3. The Future Of Mobile Enterprise Is Web-Based Applications
What do we know for sure about the future of the mobile enterprise space? In addition to employees accessing well-designed, easy-to-use work applications on their phones, these mobile applications will largely be web-based.
Web-based applications eliminate the need for employees to download multiple large enterprise applications that eat up space on their personal devices. Instead, they can use a single application (e.g., Chrome or Safari) to access many services. I envision organizations creating company portals — one "super app" that allows employees to access all of their work apps in a seamless, low-friction way. This will ensure that employees always have the most updated version of the app, eliminating the need for manual updates and creating a more succinct employee experience. It will also alleviate the pain of downloading something for work on a personal device — one single app for work, and they’re good to go.
Overall, there is a huge opportunity to shift the way we work. Mobile enterprise companies will soon be forced to step up their game and create products that allow employees to accomplish their work tasks in the easiest way possible and from any location. Once this technology advances, employees will be able to be just as productive on their phones as they are at their desks.
If you’re responsible for the success of others, keep an eye out for enterprise applications that prioritize their mobile experiences. These are the types of enterprise apps you want to integrate into your organization. Not only are they at the forefront of the industry landscape, but they’ll empower your employees to be productive from anywhere.
