Mobility Is More than Access – It’s Changing Business

How is mobility changing the business workflow at companies? During a meeting of CompTIA’s newest member community, the Mobility Community, at the association’s Annual Member Meeting, happening this week at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Seth Robinson, director of technology analysis and market research at CompTIA, discussed how Pepsi handed out iPhones to 4500 hourly employees that checked on soda machines as part of a pilot project.

The Pepsi employees used their phones to check in at remote locations through the use of QR codes and took photos of soda machines if they were damaged. Pepsi let the employees use the phones for personal use, which helped reduce loss and breakage, as the employees were less likely to be careless with their own personal phones. In the end, Pepsi saved six hours of labor per week per employee. That’s a big savings when you take into account the size of the pilot workforce.

IDC has estimated that the global mobile workforce will be 1.3 billion by 2015 – that’s 37 percent of the total workforce. CompTIA has been examining how mobility is becoming a game-changer for business. Robinson showcased some of CompTIA’s new mobility research hot off the survey work line.

CompTIA found that 58 percent of companies provide some devices and allow employees to bring their own. Just over a third of companies provide all devices for their employees. Another 8 percent of companies have their employees provide their own devices. The top devices provided by companies include laptops at 84 percent, desktops at 74 percent, smart phones at 69 percent and tablets at 48 percent.

More data from the survey will be available soon, but Robinson urged companies to rethink their business for mobility. Toward that end, they need to consider three main items: workflow, employee skills and devices.

Look for more details from CompTIA’s mobility study next month when the full report is available.