THE MOBILITY ECOSYSTEMR E S E A R C H B R I E F

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The$Changing$IT$Landscape$!

Although!technology!is!in!a!constant!state!of!flux,!there!are!few!occasions!when!the!disruptions!are!so!

great!that!entire!business!models!are!transformed.!The!introduction!of!the!PC!was!one!of!these!

occasions;!providing!compute!ability!to!a!broad!population!allowed!for!much!greater!automation!and!

collaboration,!and!workflows!adjusted!accordingly.!

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Several!different!trends!have!combined!recently!to!produce!a!similar!disruption.!After!a!period!of!early!

experimentation,!it!is!clear!that!these!trends!will!reach!mass!adoption,!causing!today’s!IT!landscape!to!

look!markedly!different!from!the!landscape!of!ten!years!ago.!There!are!many!more!options!available!for!

building!solutions,!and!many!of!the!options!have!come!from!the!consumer!space!rather!than!being!

developed!specifically!for!enterprise!use.!

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As!businesses!adjust!to!these!new!models,!a!foundational!level!of!knowledge!will!be!required.!Without!

at!least!a!basic!understanding!of!unique!characteristics,!it!will!be!impossible!to!map!a!strategy!for!using!

new!technology!to!achieve!business!objectives!and!separate!from!the!competition.!Mobility!is!a!trend!

that!has!roots!in!the!consumer!space!but!is!clearly!rife!with!potential!for!businesses.!

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PC#Structured#Data#Warehouse#

On3premise#Servers#

PC#On3premise#Servers#

Structured#Data#Warehouse#

Mobile#Devices#

Cloud#Compu;ng#

Unstructured#Data#Stores#

Wired#Network#

Wired#Network#

WiFi/#Mobile#Broadband#

Backend(Systems( Connec0ons( Endpoints(

Current(IT(Model(

Emerging(IT(Model(

Evolu0on(of(IT(

Local#SoEware#

Internet3based#SoEware#

Apps#

IT#Management#Focus:#Internal#Systems#

IT#Management#Focus:#External#Systems#and#Services#

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A$New$Model$for$Endpoint$Devices$!

The!mobility!ecosystem!is!a!complex!one,!introducing!devices,!applications,!and!connections!that!may!all!

differ!from!those!that!a!business!is!currently!using.!The!ability!for!employees!to!bring!their!own!device!

into!the!workplace!has!created!both!challenge!and!benefit!for!companies,!but!BYOD!is!just!one!model!

that!could!be!used!within!a!larger!mobility!opportunity.!There!are!several!factors!to!consider!with!the!

technologies!that!are!now!available,!and!CompTIA!research!suggests!that!most!companies!are!not!taking!

a!structured!approach!in!this!area,!with!only!24%!of!companies!claiming!a!formal!mobility!policy.!!

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Many!firms!may!struggle!to!build!formal!policies!because!they!are!reacting!to!an!extremely!fastOmoving!

environment.!Most!efforts!in!mobility!are!directed!at!the!consumer!space,!so!as!employees!begin!

bringing!mobile!technology!into!the!workplace,!companies!may!respond!reactively!rather!than!being!

proactive!about!the!place!of!mobility!in!the!context!of!business!goals.!Gaining!a!thorough!understanding!

of!the!ecosystem—including!new!characteristics!along!with!limiting!factors—will!help!companies!make!

better!decisions!as!they!build!their!strategy.!

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Device+OS)e.g.$Apple,$Samsung,$Google$

Communica0ons)e.g.$Lync,$$Skype,$or$

Na7ve$func7on$

Public)Cloud)e.g.$Salesforce,$Dropbox,$or$

AWS>hosted$systems$

Private)Cloud)Systems$running$on$$

Eucalyptus$or$Openstack$

On8premise)systems)Internet)

3rd)Party)App)Procured$through$standard$app$

store$

Custom)App)Built$internally$or$

outsourced$

Mobile)web)Standard$browser$

func7onality$

3G/4G))e.g.$AT&T,$Verizon$

Wi8Fi)Carriers,$

Corporate$or$Public$Networks$

Many$Parts$to$Mobile$Ecosystem$

Peripherals)e.g.$keyboards$

or$health$monitors$

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Devices$$Although!the!device!itself!is!only!one!piece!of!the!larger!mobility!ecosystem,!it!receives!a!great!deal!of!

focus!as!companies!build!mobility!strategies.!Much!of!this!focus!is!merited—devices!are!the!core!

components!of!the!ecosystem!and!have!several!qualities!that!represent!a!major!shift!to!end!user!

behavior!and!IT!support!skills.!!

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First,!mobile!devices!are!less!open!to!configuration!by!the!end!user!than!desktops!or!laptops.!From!a!

hardware!perspective,!this!means!that!there!is!less!opportunity!to!modify!or!repair!equipment,!and!

there!are!different!skills!and!knowledge!required.!From!the!perspective!of!the!operating!system!(an!

intrinsic!part!of!the!device),!there!is!also!less!opportunity!to!make!modifications!or!install!corporate!

images.!!!

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The!operating!systems!on!mobile!devices!are!another!major!change!from!the!PC!landscape.!Microsoft!

Windows!was!the!dominant!operating!system!of!the!PC!era;!support!efforts!and!entire!business!models!

were!built!around!this!OS.!Now,!Android!and!iOS!own!the!lion’s!share!of!the!mobile!market,!once!again!

requiring!new!skills!and!knowledge.!

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Finally,!mobile!users!typically!feel!a!stronger!personal!connection!to!their!mobile!device,!which!can!

serve!as!a!camera!and!media!center!among!other!consumer!uses.!Maintaining!separate!PCs!for!work!

and!personal!use!was!a!workable!solution!for!many!people;!maintaining!separate!mobile!devices!is!more!

problematic.!Businesses!need!to!revisit!policies!on!personal!usage!and!ensure!that!employees!are!aware!

of!possible!personal!data!loss!if!

devices!get!wiped!when!they!

are!lost!or!stolen.!

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These!changes!have!created!

new!behaviors!and!ways!of!

thinking!around!endpoint!

devices,!and!the!rapid!mass!

adoption!of!mobile!devices!has!

led!to!a!perception!that!the!PC!

industry!is!in!rapid!decline.!

Although!PC!shipment!growth!

rates!have!declined!

dramatically,!most!industry!

projections!expect!overall!PC!

usage!to!remain!fairly!flat,!

driven!in!large!part!by!business!

needs.!PCs!are!no!longer!the!

dominant!device!they!were,!

but!they!remain!a!viable!piece!of!the!overall!solution.!The!challenge!for!many!businesses,!then,!is!in!

building!a!comprehensive!plan!that!includes!continued!use!of!PCs!while!accounting!for!the!different!

capabilities!and!drawbacks!of!mobile!devices.!

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Global#Device#Shipments#%%%%

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Ultimately,!the!decision!on!devices!may!not!be!the!most!significant!piece!of!a!mobility!strategy!as!

companies!integrate!existing!business!systems!and!build!new!safeguards!for!corporate!data.!However,!

most!decisions!around!mobility!will!be!at!least!partially!influenced!by!the!decisions!around!device!

responsibilities.!Traditionally,!employee!devices!(such!as!PCs)!have!followed!a!corporate<liable!model,!

where!the!company!procures!the!device,!sets!strict!regulations!around!usage,!and!takes!responsibility!

for!maintenance!and!continuing!operation.!In!a!pure!individual<liable!(or!employeeOliable)!model,!the!

employee!handles!procurement!and!upkeep!and!has!complete!freedom!of!usage.!Many!companies!may!

find!that!the!most!workable!model!lies!somewhere!in!the!middle;!the!acronym!COPE!(Corporate!Owned,!

Personally!Enabled)!has!come!into!play!alongside!BYOD!to!describe!approaches!where!the!responsibility!

is!shared.!

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Applications$$Companies!are!quickly!realizing!

that!the!mobile!device!is!simply!a!

platform!for!applications!and!

services.!Just!as!employees!may!

bring!in!their!own!device!for!work!

purposes,!they!may!use!their!own!

applications!for!creating!or!

transferring!business!content.!With!

the!scope!of!mobile!management!

expanding,!companies!have!shifted!

their!focus!from!Mobile!Device!

Management!(MDM)!to!Mobile!

Application!Management!(MAM),!

and!the!tight!interplay!between!

the!two!is!quickly!leading!to!a!

comprehensive!practice!of!

Enterprise!Mobility!Management!

(EMM).!!

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Just!as!mobile!devices!differ!from!

PCs,!mobile!apps!differ!from!

traditional!software.!To!the!end!

user,!mobile!apps!are!much!

simpler.!Rather!than!having!a!full!

set!of!features!and!the!ability!to!

perform!a!wide!range!of!functions,!

mobile!apps!are!more!focused.!

Procurement!is!also!much!simpler.!

App!stores!have!provided!a!viable!

platform!for!discovering!and!easily!

downloading!software,!and!inOapp!

purchases!and!advertising!allow!for!unique!pricing!models.!

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HTML5$vs.$Native$Apps$The!rapid!rise!in!mobile!usage!has!led!to!a!debate!over!

the!best!way!to!develop!for!a!mobile!audience.!HTML5!

is!the!latest!incarnation!of!the!language!used!to!code!

pages!and!applications!that!run!in!a!browser!and!offers!

the!promise!of!“write!once,!run!anywhere”!by!using!

responsive!design!techniques!to!customize!the!

application!to!the!device.!However,!achieving!this!goal!

requires!a!steep!learning!curve,!and!there!are!tradeoffs!

in!performance!and!user!experience!by!moving!

applications!into!the!mobile!browser.!

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In!contrast,!native!apps!can!be!written!specifically!for!a!

given!mobile!device!and!be!tailored!to!the!exact!screen!

size!and!architecture.!These!apps!also!have!some!

security!advantages!when!dealing!with!data!at!rest!and!

data!in!transit.!Of!course,!the!cost!of!development!is!

higher!as!apps!must!be!individually!configured!for!each!

mobile!platform.!

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While!native!apps!won!greater!market!share!in!the!early!

stages!of!mobility!adoption,!the!reality!is!that!most!

broad!mobility!strategies!will!have!some!elements!of!

both!styles,!depending!on!the!application!and!the!

intended!audience.!

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The!desire!for!mobile!apps!that!act!as!a!frontend!to!business!systems!or!provide!customers!with!

information!or!products!is!creating!demand!for!mobile!app!development.!These!development!efforts!

require!a!different!approach!than!desktop!software!development,!and!businesses!should!be!aware!of!

the!details!necessary!to!build!a!successful!mobile!app:!

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• Screen!size!and!screen!compatibility!is!one!of!the!biggest!differences,!as!desktop!applications!

handle!layout!automatically!based!on!resolution!and!mobile!apps!must!be!individually!

configured.!!

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• Generally,!desktop!applications!do!not!require!much!focus!on!memory!management!thanks!to!

ample!RAM!and!hard!drive!capacity.!In!mobile!development,!there!are!greater!limitations!and!

developers!must!pay!closer!attention!to!the!use!of!memory!and!caching.!

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• Network!usage!is!a!larger!factor!in!mobile!application!architecture,!since!mobile!devices!may!not!

consistently!have!a!high!speed!connection.!Additionally,!data!transfers!must!be!more!judicious!

since!many!users!have!fixed!data!plans.!

Beyond!any!custom!development!efforts,!companies!must!determine!how!they!will!address!installation!

of!generally!available!apps.!There!are!a!wide!range!of!options,!such!as!building!a!corporate!app!store,!

whitelisting!apps!for!employee!download,!or!taking!either!extreme!option!of!allowing!or!restricting!all!

downloads!on!employee!devices.!This!is!one!of!the!decisions!that!will!be!largely!influenced!by!the!

decision!on!device!responsibilities.!

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Connections$$The!last!major!component!of!the!enterprise!mobility!ecosystem!is!the!connection!between!the!device’s!

applications!and!the!systems!that!power!those!applications.!These!systems!could!be!in!a!corporate!

datacenter,!a!public!cloud,!or!a!private!cloud,!but!for!the!most!part!those!systems!will!be!handled!

outside!the!scope!of!a!mobility!initiative.!The!connections,!on!the!other!hand,!are!of!critical!importance!

to!having!mobile!devices!operate!properly!within!a!business!context.!

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Cellular!connections!(such!as!3G/4G!networks)!are!an!inherent!part!of!smartphones!and!optional!for!

tablets!and!laptops.!Companies!need!to!carefully!consider!how!to!handle!voice!and!data!plans,!since!

connectivity!is!a!crucial!part!of!maintaining!high!productivity!and!can!also!get!quite!expensive.!If!

companies!are!providing!devices,!they!will!find!that!complexity!in!managing!a!variety!of!plans!is!similar!

to!managing!a!variety!of!devices.!Without!the!bandwidth!to!oversee!details!on!an!ongoing!basis,!it!may!

be!best!to!stick!to!a!small!subset!of!plans.!The!major!carriers!(AT&T,!Verizon,!Sprint,!etc.)!are!the!best!

choices!if!devices!are!used!outside!a!limited!geographic!region,!but!local!carriers!can!provide!cost!

savings!if!operations!are!more!contained.!

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The!other!primary!connection!to!consider!is!WiOFi.!Inside!a!company,!WiOFi!networks!that!are!relatively!

young!may!still!not!be!robust!enough!to!handle!a!large!influx!of!devices.!If!there!is!not!sufficient!

networking!skill!inOhouse,!a!company!may!look!to!a!third!party!with!expertise!in!802.11!WLANs!to!

evaluate!or!architect!a!network.!Networks!can!be!made!more!robust!by!adding!access!points!or!

investing!in!higherOcapacity!network!hardware.!Outside!a!company,!the!business!must!decide!how!to!

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handle!corporate!data!traveling!on!public!WiOFi!networks,!which!are!becoming!more!prolific.!Encrypting!

data!or!requiring!VPNs!can!alleviate!the!concerns!with!public!WiOFi,!but!these!methods!may!require!

technical!knowOhow!or!be!cumbersome!to!implement.!Companies!may!simply!decide!to!restrict!use!of!

public!WiOFi,!either!through!software!or!in!mobile!policies.!

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The$Business$Impact$of$Mobility$!

Many!businesses!have!found!success!in!making!mobile!devices!a!part!of!their!day!to!day!operations.!

There!is!the!potential!for!improving!communications,!increasing!efficiency,!and!branching!into!new!

areas.!The!companies!that!have!seen!the!most!dramatic!results!have!been!the!ones!that!have!taken!a!

proactive!approach!to!mobility,!rather!than!simply!addressing!the!issues!that!arise!as!employees!bring!in!

their!own!devices.!

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Examining!workflows!and!discovering!

where!mobile!technology!might!play!

a!part!is!the!first!step!in!transforming!

business!operations.!With!a!thorough!

understanding!of!the!mobility!

options!available,!companies!can!find!

places!where!mobile!technology!

enables!a!flow!or!collaboration!that!

was!not!possible!previously.!These!

processes!could!be!for!internal!

employees!or!external!customers,!

and!there!may!be!new!workflows!

that!can!be!created!in!addition!to!

modifying!existing!flows.!

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After!deciding!on!processes,!

companies!can!examine!their!

workforce.!In!early!stages!of!mobility!adoption,!the!general!outcome!may!be!that!employees!simply!

extend!compute!capabilities!they!already!have,!such!as!adding!a!smartphone!and/or!tablet!to!a!laptop!

deployment.!In!later!stages,!there!is!opportunity!to!be!more!focused!or!deploy!devices!to!workers!that!

previously!had!no!compute!needs.!

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These!decisions!on!workflow!and!employees!will!ultimately!lead!to!a!decision!on!devices!which!is!

informed!by!business!objectives.!By!understanding!the!various!situations!where!mobile!devices!can!add!

benefit,!a!company!can!build!appropriate!policies.!These!policies!may!change!as!technology!and!

business!needs!change,!but!they!will!still!be!more!comprehensive!than!policies!built!in!a!reactive!

fashion.!

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The!introduction!of!new!endpoints!is!a!major!disruption!to!the!IT!landscape,!and!new!endpoints!will!

continue!to!emerge!as!form!factors!shift!and!wearable!computing!devices!enter!the!market.!New!

techniques!for!handling!mobile!data!will!also!drive!policy!change!and!open!doors!to!areas!such!as!

machineOtoOmachine!(M2M)!networks.!Overall,!mobility!has!become!a!crucial!part!of!IT!planning!and!will!

drive!even!greater!innovation!as!the!market!matures.!

Steps&to&Integra-ng&Mobility&

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