You know that mobile technology is becoming a big deal -- just notice how many iPhones and similar devices you see in use in your everyday life. Now there's evidence that such anecdotes aren't just isolated instances but part of a major technology shift, and that several significant turning points are occurring in mobile.
A recent Morgan Stanley study says that uptake of "smart" mobile devices like the iPhone is occurring five times as fast as the uptake of desktop Internet did -- and that the uptake of the iPhone and iPod Touch is the fastest adoption of any technology platform in history, going from 2 million users to 57 million in just two years, with strong continued growth predicted.
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That fast adoption means IT needs to think differently about managing mobile devices, and that mobile devices will be widely used for both existing and new kinds of services. It also turns out the the carriers can deliver the wireless networks needed to make this promise a reality -- at lower costs.
Mobile management in the era of user choice
The number of workers who work in the field more than half their days is already at 32 percent, according to a Business Data Services survey. By 2013 more than half of all enterprise employees will use smartphones, according to a Forrester Research survey to be released in January. Already, half of IT departments support two mobile platfiorms, and 9 percent support four or more, Forrester also found. And 42 percent of companies let their employees access e-mail, contacts, and calendar.
