I have recently published a report on enterprise mobility in India. Improving mobility infrastructure, including networks and devices, and business and workforce demand are fueling the growth of mobility within organizations. Mobility is being used not only to connect with customers, but also to connect with suppliers, partners, and employees. A few key takeaways from the report are that:

  • Interest in advanced mobile-enabled applications is increasing. There is a great impetus among enterprises in India to move beyond only mobile-enabling basic applications such as email, IM, contacts, and calendar. Twenty percent of enterprises plan to mobile-enable advanced applications like location-based services in the coming 12 to 24 months, while 37% of enterprises want to mobile-enable customer relationship management.
  • Mobility is among the top enterprise priorities for 2012 and investment is set to rise. For business decision-makers at enterprises and SMBs in India, provisioning mobility is one of the top three priorities in 2012. As a result, investment in all aspects of mobility — such as mobile devices, applications, middleware, and services — will increase.
  • The workforce wants employers to support mobility at work. The consumerization of smart mobility devices like smartphones and tablets is beginning to have an impact on the enterprise front. More than 60% of employees want to use smartphones at work.

More than 90% of SMB and enterprise companies surveyed in India believe that there is a solid business case for mobility. However, there are challenges — including security, cost, and the need for a remote help desk — that are preventing these companies from mobile-enabling applications on a companywide scale. As more than three-quarters of organizations either buy or plan to buy solutions from telecom operators and/or systems integrators (SIs), these vendors must address the challenges of their existing and potential customers. My report delves deeper into the areas of investment, opportunities, and challenges facing Indian organizations today. Further, the report provides recommendations to help vendor strategists at telcos and SIs to address their customers’ pain points.