Mobile Platforms: Which one is right for the enterprises?
I attended an industry briefing on mobile computing by Gartner in Amsterdam in Feb 2015. This blog covers a part of the briefing. #
The mobile apps are everywhere. We take photos, pay our bills, speak with our friends and listen to our favourite music using mobile apps. The high engagement of general public with the mobile apps has made enterprises constantly explore what is next in mobile apps and platforms. Mobile commerce, which was in its infancy couple of years ago, has now taken off.
Mobile revolution started when enterprise started exposing their existing business processes using mobile apps by giving their staff and customers anytime anywhere access to their services by launching self service apps such as apps for flight check-in or emails. This was followed by enterprises offering their product and services by catching the moment in which the employee or customer finds himself or herself. For example, pushing the notification about traffic situation or flight departure information. We now see the emergence of creation of new business model with the help of mobile apps. The foremost example of this trend is Uber which has turned the organized taxi business all over the world upside down.
Android is beginning to hurt Apple
In Amsterdam, an audience of roughly 100 people, cutting across various industry segments, were present during a briefing by Gartner analyst, Nick Jones. Nick said that the growth of Android continues as it overtakes iPad or more appropriately iOS in tablets, despite of all the love for Apple devices in the rich countries of the world. A new iPhone model can cost as much as EUR 999 in Amsterdam while a low end Android phone you only pay 35 EUR in India.
IoT for enterprises is still in infancy
Trends to watch out for are the smart watches including the cheaper ones from Swatch, 14 nvm silicon that will make thinner laptop possible and 4k video where a single frame is 8 megapixel which could become new hardware device for mobile computing. The sensors, such as bluetooth beacons, will be constantly tracking us in the shops to change the lighting depending upon our shopping behaviour as a real business application of Internet of Things. Those who are worried about guarding the limited privacy, we are left with, can console themselves by knowing that we will be asked for permission to track us when we enter a shop.
Enterprises needs are different from consumer needs
Mobile app era is solely focused upon consumers. It seems that mobile ecosystem is not innovating enough for the enterprises. The gold standard in mobile computing, Apple, has limited range of hardware, high prices and very few features that let our employer control a part of mobile platform if we use a mobile device given by our employer. Apple gives no fixed time support commitment for their devices and offers no product roadmaps. IT planners in the large organizations have long used manufacturers roadmaps to plan the investments and decommissioning strategies of IT systems.
“Microsoft - The best computing platform for enterprise”
Gradually, after the introduction of Windows NT in 90’s, Microsoft learnt the rules of engagements with the large enterprises. Microsoft Windows mobile is a good mobile platform that meets the requirements of corporates. Windows based mobile devices cost just half the price of an Apple phone. However, Windows is not the most popular mobile computing platform and ends up at far third place after Android and IOS. Samsung has Knox, the enterprise version of Android, which is supported on a subset of hardware produced by Samsung. Knox from Samsung is an expensive platform and also a proprietary extension, which is a major hurdle for this platform to become popular.
Android for Enterprise
At present, Android has no admin feature even though a wide range of devices supporting Android makes it a compelling choice for the enterprises. Generic Android is going to offer a more secure Android in upcoming Lollypop release. Google has branded this initiative as Bring Android to Work where we can expect to see the following features directly quoted from their website:
A secure mobile experience
A dedicated work profile, hardware-based encryption and sharing restrictions ensure business data - calendars, contacts, files and apps - are separate and safe from malware while personal information stays private.
Easy to manage
IT has full control of all work related policies, profiles and data - from distributing apps to wiping business information - and the standard Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) framework delivers a consistent experience across all devices.
All the apps you need
Find and deploy business apps easily with Google Play and create apps quickly with the Android app framework. Seamlessly integrate with existing IT systems like Microsoft Exchange, IBM Notes and Google Apps for Work.
In this battle for enterprise domination, there is a clear loser even if there are no clear winners yet.
Blackberry is finally out
The corporate mobile platform of choice of yesteryears, Blackberry, has declined to the level of having negligible market share and therefore it is recommended to stop using it in the corporate environment. Other mobile operating systems such as Mozilla are too small to be taken seriously by the corporates.
Don’t subject your employees to poor UX
Nowadays people are tech savvy and many of them are workers at large enterprises. Security and control are the prime concerns about mobile platforms for corporates while user experience becomes a secondary priority. User experience is the primary driver of mobile app and platform adoption by the consumers. Uber made it very easy to book a taxi by using a simple app. Instagram made photo sharing and image manipulation fun. Popularity of a mobile platform can be attributed to its user experience and mobile app ecosystem around it. If we take all that in to account then Android Lollypop might emerge as a winner in enterprise segment too by closely following the Android’s lead in the consumer market.