The days of being tied to one’s desk for 40+ hours a week are long gone. In fact, even having to meet in one central location for a meeting has become a thing of the past thanks to a concept called enterprise mobility.

Let’s face it, mobility has always been a fundamental part of businesses with the help of IP and SIP communications and other multimedia desk phones, however, such equipment only makes it possible to connect when in the office.  In order to meet the advanced requirements of an enterprise, mobility must be taken to the next level. And in the wake of the mobile evolution, enterprise mobility has taken a new form and importance.

Enterprise Mobility is becoming increasingly important as businesses attempt to leverage mobile communications to stay connected. As enterprises move to mobile and virtual workforces, the right communication tools are necessary to simplify enterprise mobility.

The use of smartphones and tablets are especially beneficial for enterprise mobility keeping employees connected whether at the office or when working off-site remotely. With IP communications on the rise and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets becoming an everyday commodity, the push to the mobile workforce is now easier than ever before.

But the idea is not to move every SMB or enterprise out of the office, rather the concept is to create the alternative of having a mobile work environment to keep employees connected and working no matter where they are located.

While enterprise mobility is most beneficial to those who travel, employees on-the-road are not the only ones who can take advantage of mobility options. With the constant battle for time in the workplace, being able to provide employees with tools to work while on-the-go is one of the biggest assets a company can possess.

 Whether you have a meeting across the country or down the street at a local coffee shop, the ability to remote, call, or log-in to your work server, is not only advantageous for your productivity, but also for the overall well-being of your company.

Giving employees the option to work from home, or remote-in when away on business, makes for a happier, more productive staff. As technology continues to advance, mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops are making it that much easier to make the most of enterprise mobility. But once you have the device, obtaining the proper software can help companies take their employees a step further to ensure they are making the most of their virtual environments.

While mobile devices are extremely beneficial in enterprise mobility, they aren’t the only way to take advantage of enterprise mobility. Software offerings are also beneficial to creating a mobile environment outside of the office.

A recent Enterprise Communications and Collaboration Market Analysis report published by Synergy (News - Alert) Research Group stated that the fasted growing segments in 2010 were videoconferencing, telepresence systems, enterprise social networks and collaborative workgroup software. This is a clear indicator that businesses are indeed adapting to enterprise mobility.

The report also noted that videoconferencing and telePresence grew 35 percent year over year and, for the first time, represented a double-digit percentage of Enterprise Communications (News - Alert) & Collaboration spending.

Other segments that clocked in strong growth included IP Phones, IP-PBXs, Presence/IM Servers, Web Conferencing, and Videoconferencing Infrastructure (MCU and non-MCU). As an indication of shifts in spending, sales to Room-Based Video Conferencing systems exceeded those of PBX (News - Alert) sales for the first time.

Stay tuned to the Enterprise Mobility Channel, exclusively on TMCnet for all the latest enterprise mobility news, software and devices to simplify your virtual work environment.

Stefanie Mosca is a Web editor for TMCnet. Previously she worked as a freelance copy editor for Digital Surgeons LLC. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of New Haven. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell