Understanding The Critical Role Of Device Management And Security In Your Business' Mobile Strategy

Overview

In January 2009, Sybase commissioned Forrester Consulting to assess the importance of mobile device management and, in particular, mobile security and the associated issues that keep CXOs up at night.

While conducting in-depth interviews with 30 IT and telecom/network decision-makers at North American and Western European companies with 500 or more employees, Forrester found that these IT professionals:

• Anticipate that the number of mobile devices they support will continue to increase through 2010, despite the global economic recession.
• Recognize that mobile devices need to be managed and secured in the same way that PCs are today, although most admit that they don't do this yet.
• Are feeling increased pressure from C-level executives, line-of-business managers, and employees to support more mobile platforms and even personal mobile devices.
• Prioritize security as the No. 1 consideration when making changes to their mobility strategy.

Forrester's study yielded four key findings:

• Despite tightening budgets as a result of the global economic recession, 28 out of the 30 IT professionals we interviewed anticipate that the number of mobile devices they support will increase through 2010.
• Firms are increasingly embracing more than just one mobile platform, making it critical that they invest in tools that can support mobile devices powered by BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Mac OS X, and Windows CE.
• With the changing workforce, IT is feeling intense pressure from C-level executives, line-of-business managers, and employees to support personal devices and applications, making security a major concern.
• Companies are increasingly investing in mobile device management and security solutions that will help automate support tasks, streamline the operations of enterprise mobility, and secure the data.