Tackling Ubiquitous Enterprise Mobility

In-house WLAN remains the most popular wireless technology with enterprises today, with an adoption rate of 55% — nearly double that of the second-most popular technology, public WLAN networks. Augmenting what the in-house connectivity 802.11 technologies provide, cellular data services are currently in use by nearly 30% of enterprises in North American and European markets. While not a majority of the market, Forrester sees the combination of public cellular and Wi-Fi technology as the harbinger of a new mobile network that will be a combination of short-range unlicensed technologies operated by their users and users' IT staffs and carrier-based solutions for connectivity outside of the enterprise. The emerging combined network presents a challenge to IT professionals and vendors alike. IT must corral the multiple services on users' devices and assure quality of service, and vendors must anticipate what type of network to account for in devices and other hardware. Vendors stand to gain by preparing offerings that cater to the multi-network future, while enterprise IT operations professionals must enter the fray of mobile operations and tame the hydra of networks before them.