European Enterprises Risk Failure as They Struggle with Mobility Basics

LONDON, September 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

European enterprises are risking failure as they struggle with mobility basics - with security and privacy concerns the main obstacles to overcoming Europe's strategic enterprise mobility gap.

A study, conducted by SOTI in collaboration with industry analyst firm Ovum, found fundamental failings and regional inconsistencies are playing havoc with European enterprises working to adopt mobility for strategic gains and derive value from mobile investments. Half of European businesses are failing to impose basic enterprise mobility management (EMM) - the cornerstone of a fully connected enterprise strategy. To ensure a seamless mobile experience, businesses require EMM to bring together people, applications, processes, devices and 'things' easily and securely. With a strong and clear mobile approach, the market in Europe is well-poised to fully capitalise on the strategic benefits mobility unleashes within today's connected world.

The study underscores a significant lack of progress and a failure to address the very concerns raised by respondents. While half of respondents say staff at their organisations are required to install management software to use devices securely for work purposes, 40 per cent state there is no such requirement. This would indicate that adoption of technologies such as EMM, which are crucial in enterprise deployments for security, enablement, and optimisation of mobile investments, have yet to be adopted on a mass scale in Europe. While this finding is striking, it signals a sizable opportunity for European businesses. Enterprises across Europe would not only be able to enhance the productivity and efficiency of their mobile workforce, but also drive profitability through greater competitive differentiation.

The findings, which have been detailed in SOTI's latest enterprise mobility study, reveal failure to address mobility basics. The research found that an overwhelming 61 per cent of European enterprises are making little or no progress in joining the digital revolution.

This research further uncovers a major mobility management gap amongst medium and large-sized businesses in Europe. This gap is between the vision and strategic understanding, as well as the central principles of mobility, and their execution of progressive digital initiatives.

With customers demanding a differentiated experience and employees needing more innovative ways of working, mobility is now at the centre of every business. Those enterprises unlikely to adopt the technology are risking failure, not just on return of their mobility investments, but in the future of their businesses altogether in an increasingly connected business landscape where customers demand mobile experiences and workforces are increasingly mobile.

Carl Rodrigues, SOTI President & CEO, says, "We are at a staging post, as progressive businesses take the high road toward a flexible and dynamic service model, where everyone and everything is connected."

Mr. Rodrigues further states, "The Internet of Things (IOT) is set to increase the mobility management challenge exponentially, as experts predict as many as 50 billion 'things' in use by 2020. Companies must embrace mobility to pave the way for IoT - if they don't, they will struggle to remain competitive in an increasingly connected world. Organisations of all sizes must overcome their security and privacy concerns with the enterprise tools to address these challenges and to implement a mobility strategy that will deliver business transformation, differentiation, and an elevated customer experience to ensure their future business success."

Adam Holtby, Enterprise mobility and productivity analyst, Ovum, adds, "Digital transformation is having a profound impact on how global organisations operate and will continue to operate well into the future. The need to embrace the digital age in a bid to differentiate and upend industries, as well as enter new markets for business growth, is critical.  Strategic enterprise mobility and IoT success have become a defining objective for many global organisations."

Mr. Holtby continues, "The growth in adoption of EMM solutions is set to continue on an upward trend, with the EMM market being one that Ovum expects to grow at a CAGR of more than 24 per cent to reach $11.5bn USD by 2020. As a result, mobility is impacting organisations in different ways, and it has become a key component of digital transformation efforts."

SOTI has made its European Mobility Management Gap white paper available free to download. As a global leader in enterprise mobility management, its solutions and services provide enterprises with the technology and expertise to overcome obstacles to becoming a mobile-first enterprise.

Notes to editors 

This research is based on a survey of more than 2,000 European businesses, with more than 50 employees, in Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK. All respondents hold positions as senior business leaders or senior IT managers. 

About SOTI Inc.  

SOTI is the world's most trusted provider of Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions, with more than 16,000 enterprise customers and millions of devices managed worldwide. SOTI's innovative portfolio of solutions and services provide the tools organisations need to truly mobilise their operations and optimise their mobility investments. SOTI's flagship product, MobiControl, allows enterprises to enable, optimise and secure their mobile workforce across all platforms to support corporate-liable and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. SOTI extends secure mobility management to provide a total, flexible solution for comprehensive management and security of all mobile devices and connected peripherals deployed in an organisation. For more information, visit http://www.soti.net.