BLOG: Mobility to drive productivity in the year ahead
According to research firm IDC, spending on enterprise network equipment will grow by 8.7 percent in 2012 to reach US$39.4 billion, as companies increasingly turn to enterprise mobility. Today's retailers, healthcare service providers and government agencies need to cater to the intelligent consumers, who demand immediate information access to help them make informed decisions. This requires businesses and agencies to focus on connectivity and sharing of information intelligence. Enterprise mobility will be a critical part of this strategy.
Phey Teck Moh is Corporate Vice President, Asia Pacific, Motorola Solutions., shares how enterprise mobility will change future operations and service delivery across key industries in the year ahead.
Retail
The shopping experience will get more personal and even more interactive in the year ahead. As online shopping gains wallet share, stores need new and innovative methods to enhance and personalize the shopping experience for today's consumers. According to the annual Holiday Shopping survey in the United States conducted by Motorola Solutions, 63 percent of surveyed shoppers with smartphones downloaded some type of shopping application while 67 percent of shoppers cited a better experience in-store with associates and managers using the latest mobile technologies. Mobile computing devices are thus an ideal platform to share product and price information with in-store shoppers. With the new technologies, loyal customers can now be differentiated, recognized and rewarded as soon as they walk into the store. The year ahead will see greater adoption of retail mobility solutions, helping retailers manage sales and inventory from the warehouse to the shop floors. Store managers will desire to have real-time information on products and deliveries in their hands, empowering them to serve customers better. Likewise, the use of mobile point-of-sale solutions provides shoppers with the option of a flexible and secure self-checkout, ensuring a smooth and fuss-free shopping experience.
Healthcare
Mobility is also making headway in the healthcare sector. The ageing population in Asia means that there is a need to ensure tighter cooperation between acute care and community care. Placing accurate and timely information on the palms of healthcare workers, through mobile point-of-care solutions, will help accelerate the shift towards smoother healthcare service delivery in all stages of patient care. Management consultancy Accenture also reported recently that more than two-thirds of Singapore physicians surveyed believe that healthcare technology will reduce the number of unnecessary interventions or procedures, improving diagnostic decisions. In tandem with the move towards digitized health records, the use of mobile computers is expected to be a standard among healthcare institutions across Asia.
Government
E-government services are not new, but the year ahead will see these services moving on to the mobile platform, as the use of smart phones becomes more pervasive and mobile data becomes more affordable. Another prevalent trend is the rise of social network platforms and how they could transform citizen engagements for the government. At the back-end, mobile technology allows governments to capture information that can enhance citizen relationship, while facilitating accountability and recourse. In 2012, more government agencies are expected to leverage mobile applications that can help employees access information at any time and from anywhere, increase overall productivity and reduce costs of government operations.
2012 will see CIOs increasingly realizing the value of utilizing mobile-centric applications, interfaces and tools to elevate their business and service capabilities. As enterprises and governments continue to invest in solutions that increase revenue, reduce costs and improve operating efficiency, Motorola Solutions will continue to innovate and expand our offerings to meet the growing needs of today's organizations.