For 2013, the word of the year is “mobility.” Enterprise users from around the spectrum have begun to appreciate the value inherent in having a workforce that can operate from anywhere at any time, and as such, several new trends are making themselves quite clear as likely to emerge in 2013.
With analyst reports coming in on several fronts, and many organizations already taking a look at the likely future of enterprise users in 2013, trends are beginning to emerge. The growth of the bring your own device (BYOD) doctrine, which saw acceleration through 2012, will likely carry on as the benefits become clear, but so do the dangers, thus allowing firms to better formulate measures to take fullest advantage of the benefits but also develop robust protections against the dangers.
An increasingly populated app store environment, coupled with the burgeoning HTML5 market, is only fueling the ability to bring outside devices into play and use them for work purposes. But with app designers seeing the incredible possibilities for revenue in the enterprise sector, many of them will turn to that sector to focus their development. More and more apps will likely come available for mobile devices, and more of them will have a focus on users' workplaces.
While mobile devices and their attendant apps are likely to see a big focus in 2013, it's equally clear that the cloud is gaining right alongside them. With the cloud gaining ground in collaboration tools, in filing, in security and on several other fronts, having a cloud presence is more likely than ever to be regarded as a necessity rather than a pie-in-the-sky ideal. That's also going to set the stage for increased demand in cloud and mobile device security systems, like those offered by MaaS360, to give those cloud systems the best protection they can get against intruders of any stripe.
Also expected to gain ground in 2013 is the issue of text messaging over the Internet rather than via traditional SMS, which, when coupled with the growth of mobile VoIP instead of standard voice traffic, is likely to play hob with mobile service providers, a major part of the mobile enterprise equation. Things will only get worse for mobile service providers as mobile shopping also gains ground, with Google (News - Alert) looking to bring carrier billing to Google Play thanks to a deal with mobile carrier billing company Bango.
But while it's a safe bet right now to bank on an expanding cloud, this in turn is likely to pose some issues. More cloud access, more mobile apps, more mobile enterprises all add up to one thing: an increasing need for bandwidth. Bandwidth is often in short supply, and though there are potential solutions in the wings thanks to technology such as small cells, a mobile bandwidth crunch may be in the making as more users turn to the service and weigh down the networks.
2013 is, of course, a blank slate right now, and just what technology moves are etched upon said slate are quite unclear as yet. But it's safe to say that a big part of what we'll be hearing about for the next several months to come will have a lot to do with the mobile enterprise, and give us all plenty to think about.
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