Member Article

Are You a Mobile Enterprise? Unisys-Sponsored Study Shows Tangible Business Returns from Formalised Mobility Strategies

Global survey of business and IT decision makers reveals that special class of “mobile enterprises” benefits measurably from superior planning and execution of mobility programs

London, UK – New research from Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) shows that enterprises worldwide are realising measurable business results by implementing formal programs for using mobile strategies and technologies to support their workers and reach customers more effectively.

The study shows a wide gap in success among organisations that have implemented comprehensive mobility strategies and those that have not. “Mobile enterprises” – defined as trendsetters with a mobility strategy and technology roadmap, clear success metrics, and an overall governance plan that integrates mobility – achieve demonstrably better results than organisations that have limited or piecemeal strategies.

“This study clearly shows that success in mobility requires a concerted, holistic approach encompassing strategy, business applications and formal measurement of results in addition to infrastructure engineering,” said Darren McGrath, global director, Mobility Solutions, Unisys. “A fully planned, cohesive approach can make mobility a true business enabler, while an incoherent program creates the risk of a jury-rigged solution with tactical rather than strategic value to the organisation.”

Unisys commissioned research organisation IDG Connect to conduct the global study, which surveyed nearly 450 business and IT decision makers in 13 countries worldwide.

Superior Measurement Points to Better Results

Three-fifths (61 percent) of study respondents say that their companies have mobile strategies in place. However, there are marked disparities in the way the respondents characterise the maturity of those strategies and policies:

21 percent of respondents characterise their company as a trendsetting “mobile enterprise.” 40 percent label their organisation as “mobile enabled,” with strategies and policies in place but no proactive governance. 28 percent call their organisation “mobile aware,” with pockets of mobile initiatives and some policies in place but with no overall strategy or governance. 11 percent say that their organisation is a “mobile void,” lacking any established strategy, policies or governance.

Overall, the respondents indicate that implementing mobility-based programs has benefitted their organisations. Fifty-three (53) percent of respondents say mobility has enabled them to create new customer channels and enhance customer interactions. Slightly more than half (51 percent) of respondents say that mobility has enabled their organisations to redefine business processes by allowing mobile access to information. In addition, 50 percent of respondents say that they have been able to enhance existing products with mobile capabilities.

However, organisations that classify themselves as trend-setting “mobile enterprises” put a higher value on the returns they’ve seen through their investments in mobility strategies and programs:

79 percent of mobile enterprises say that their organisations have been able to measure a return on investment (ROI) for mobility vs. only 58 percent of overall respondents. 84 percent of mobile enterprises report an increase in productivity over the past year through their mobility programs vs. 70 percent of all responding organisations and 52 percent of the “mobile void.” 75 percent of mobile enterprise respondents say that mobility generated new revenue for their organisations in the last year, compared to 30 percent of “mobile aware” and “mobile void” organisations.

The study results point to a number of factors that are driving these higher results for mobile enterprises:

65 percent of mobile enterprises say that they use a formal, technology-enabled process to measure return on investment. Just one-third of all worldwide respondents report doing the same. Another 32 percent of respondents are using formal but manual processes, while 36 percent are using informal, ad-hoc measurement processes. 16 percent are not measuring ROI at all.

“These results demonstrate that success in mobility is a function of careful planning, smart strategies and consistent execution,” said McGrath. “By taking a holistic, disciplined approach to mobility, organisations can increase the productivity of their people, grow revenue, unleash innovation and find new ways to serve their customers.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Darren McGrath .