Enterprise mobility management is an umbrella term, which includes any mobile solution that can help companies maximize profits, reduce costs, and increase shareholder wealth. Enterprise Mobility focus is on assimilating computerized and mobile devices into strategic models. 

With rapid changes in technological innovations, it is difficult to assume what the best way is for humans to interact. The traditional approach still heavily inclines towards face-to-face interactions, whereas the contemporary approach uses both IoT (internet of things) and user technology relationships to carry out effective communications. 

Enterprise Mobility Management 

EEM refers to a set of technology, processes, and people that partake in enterprise mobility. The practice helps increase access to digital assets along with maintaining full proprietary control. Here’s how EMM solutions support companies:

• It provides employees with devices and support required for mobility
• It manages company credentials and device-level access 
• The IT department can control access through it
• It ensures full security of mobile and remote devices

Top 5 EMM Trends to Watch out for in 2021

In such grave pandemic times, the only way a business can survive is by being able to adapt to such changing times. As per research¹, about 63% of responders believed that adopting mobility solutions is important to gain a competitive advantage in the current market scenario.

Mobility has become a necessity with smart devices being extensively used at workplaces. Organizations that fail to consider enterprise mobility at an early stage will find it difficult to sustain in the market. Understanding, learning, and adapting to enterprise mobility management trends is essential to stay competitive and remain in the market for a long time.

So, after extensive research and analysis, this blog singles out some significant mobility Trends that will rule 2021. Companies looking to improve their existing operations can look at these trends and make suitable changes in business processes.

1. BYOD Vs EPD (employee provided device)

The bring your own device (BYOD) model can help companies accommodate enterprise mobile strategy to continue business processes. The BYOD model allows firms to save money spent on hardware and software by encouraging employees to use their own mobile devices for work purposes. This is a great way for companies to cut down expenses, and plus the BYOD model facilitates more employee engagement within the company ecosystem. 

As per statistics², 31% of businesses have permitted their employees to use their own phones and laptops for work. And about 61% of businesses expect their employees to be available from home despite not owning a corporate-issued device.

Adopting BYOD model benefits organizations with improved adaptability and productivity along with decreased IT expenses.

To be BYOD ready, companies must:

• Configure all employee devices with enterprise-level security layers
• Use an operating system that would allow the in house IT team to monitor all devices 

2. 5G Cellular Networks & Wi-Fi Edition 6

The fifth generation of mobile internet connectivity offers reliable connections and faster internet speeds. Here’s what 5G promises:

• Better connectivity
• Increased data rates (up to 10 Gbps)
• Low latencies (around 1 ms)
• 90% reduction in energy usage compared to 4G

Although 5G adoption is very slow and in its nascency, firms worldwide have started preparing to include it at work. And while there are no specific applications that companies need to look out to use 5G, a stable wideband connection is enough to offer a competitive advantage.

Another element driving force that will shape EMM trends 2021 is Wi-Fi edition 6. Here’s what the new standard promises:

• An increase in network speed
• Optimized battery usage
• Improved the performance in crowded spots, especially offices

With better and faster connectivity, companies can seamlessly use different enterprise mobility solutions such as follows:

• Video-conferencing platforms
• Cloud computing systems for file storage
• Web collaboration software

 With 5G and Wi-Fi edition 6, companies can ensure remote work is accomplished at a faster rate even when employees are not connected to the on-premise business network.

3. AI-based Chatbots and Virtual Assistants

Using mobile devices at the workplace comes with many advantages and the biggest one is that it increases staff productivity. Delegating routine and menial tasks to artificial intelligence as well as the introduction of self-learning algorithms have helped reduce human workload and made AI one of the most important EMM trends.

Chatbots are tiny bubbles on websites that appear out of nowhere and ask if they can help you with anything. As AI-based software, they allow companies to automate several customer service processes. 

Chatbots are constantly subject to improvement. Chatbots ensure your workers can devote their time to create tasks that require focus and resourceful thinking by taking monotonous work off their shoulders. Chatbot applications typically serve B2B collaborations and customer support in general, but they can also be implemented in the banking, retail, and healthcare sectors.

Voice assistance is an important Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that will accelerate in 2021. The rising popularity of smart speakers is also likely to be introduced into the office environment in the future.

An excellent example of voice assistance is Alexa for Business, which began its journey in 2017 as a voice control system that only catered to conference services. Today, it has turned into a comprehensive solution, which allows firms to organize meetings in distributed offices using private Alexa-enabled devices. 

4. Wearable Devices

Wearables can be easily carried by anyone anywhere due to their compact size compared to smartphones and other useful gadgets. Therefore, wearable devices have gained a lot of popularity in the past and are all set to become one of the leading trends for enterprise mobility management solutions in the following years. 

A report by IDTechEx³ stated that the wearable market may surpass $150 billion annually by 2026.

Here are some essential reasons why companies should be prepared to invest in wearable app development and use wearable devices in the business ecosystem:

• Enhanced productivity: Wearables can present information, analytics,  and customer relationship management details in real-time. With these details handily available, companies can enhance employee productivity and improve business operations.

• Handling information Security Risks: Companies can easily integrate wearable devices with any enterprise-level security standards to protect business and employee data from attacks.

• Building safer workplaces: Wearables help in making effective communication at the workplace. By integrating different sensors in wearable devices, users can instantly collect data and send it to the primary data center.

5. Hybrid Cloud Technology

Hybrid cloud is a type of cloud computing environment that involves the following main entities:

1. Workload portability
2. Arranging and managing about two or more computing environments

It is a perfect combination of off-premise public cloud and on-premise private cloud.

In the past few years, several companies have utilized hybrid cloud technology to simplify business processes. As per reports⁴ Enterprises increasingly adopted hybrid cloud strategies from 51% in 2018 to 58% in 2019.

Some of the major benefits of adopting hybrid cloud technology are mentioned here:

• Better remote workforce support
• Better security and risk management
• Quick adaptability toward the market requirement
• Enhanced scalability and management of data

Conclusion

EMM is synonymous with remote working options and flexible working practices. The EMM trends 2021 show how the industry is rapidly developing. Our advice is that while enterprises should focus on achieving the goals set for 2021, they should also be prepared to adopt the latest EMM trends to increase business profits and streamline workflows.

Sources

1. Mobilebusinessinsights.com
2. Irp.cdn.multiscreensite.com
3. Idtechex.com
4. flexera.com