According to a survey conducted late last year, the use of mobile business applications in top enterprises is set to skyrocket through 2009. The survey, sponsored by Mformation (News - Alert), claims that almost 60 percent of managers in top U.S. enterprises already use smartphones as strategic devices. But does this mean CIOs will actually pay for more mobile device management?

Mformation provides mobile device management (MDM) solutions to more than 40 global mobile operators, serving hundreds of millions of consumer and enterprise customers worldwide.  The company has focused on delivering mobile device management solutions since 1999. Its MFORMATION SERVICE MANAGER is the most comprehensive MDM software suite available today, and provides MDM solutions to mobile operators such as Bell Mobility, Bharti Airtel, T-Mobile (News - Alert), Sprint Nextel, and Vodafone.

 

Here is a look at their survey's findings:

 

* More than half of managers using company-supplied mobile devices and nearly one-third of staff, with 56 percent reporting increased usage among managers and 60 percent reporting increases in staff usage.

* Mobile email, Internet and calendar applications are already pervasive, with more than 90 percent of companies using them, and businesses are also set to significantly increase the use of new mobile applications such as sales force applications and company file share systems.

* By 2009, enterprises will significantly expand the rollout of mobile VoIP (from 27 to 70 percent), instant messaging (from 58 to 80 percent), push-to-talk (from 35 to 55 percent), and picture/video messaging (from 35 to 63 percent) applications.

* 81 percent of respondents report significant productivity increases from current mobile investments, with more than one-third of these reporting increases higher than 20 percent.

* Four-fifths of CIOs interviewed look for improved management of mobile devices, applications, and data to accelerate the productivity trend, and more than 8 out of 10 US CIOs believe the mobile operator should take the lead in providing these device management services.

 

Mformation goes on to predict the need for more mobile device management. This means that most enterprises are going to look to two sources for device management: The carriers and RIM.

This is where device management providers like Amtel (News - Alert) come in. Although not affiliated with Mformation, the findings directly point to the need for companies like that provide feasible mobile device management solutions for enterprises concerned with this increasingly important issue.