Key Wireless Trends That Will Shape Enterprise Mobility In 2008

Mobile operations — a subset of IT operations that marries mobile devices, carrier services, voice, and access technologies — is emerging as a new category of IT professionals in 2008. A major driver of the advent of this new group will be the increased number and complexity of mobility-focused IT solutions entering the enterprise in 2008. The devices users want, the networks they access, and the applications they use will proliferate rapidly over the next several years, leaving IT with added management and security support burdens. Enterprises can successfully tackle these challenges if IT managers understand which trends are likely to become hot support and investment issues over the next 12 months. Carrier and internal network boundaries will begin to blur, devices will get more complex, and security solutions will need to become more flexible. To prepare for the emerging onslaught of mobility technology, enterprises must: 1) focus on faster, more ubiquitous networks; 2) hone in on devices with multinetwork capabilities; and 3) anticipate demand for externally deployed services, and meet that demand with secure, extensible access solutions.