Mobile devices are going to be the future of internet usage and business all over the globe. It is time to consider the transformational power of mobile within enterprises. The focus now is “individual enterprise” defined by four main characteristics- new business value, analytics, mobility and empowerment.
“Information platforms, tailored to each employee’s specific needs, can dynamically reconfigure workflows to get the right information (and only the right information) to the right people at the right time in the right place. This is the Individual Enterprise”
Just as the Internet did before, mobile networks—and the devices that exploit them—are radically changing the way we interact with the world. In the GCC, everything from how we transact with merchants, educate students, and entertain ourselves is moving to mobile platforms with stunning speed. Just as the Internet before, many businesses in the region are profoundly underestimating the full and lasting impact of this revolution.
We see the evidence of the mobile transformation all around us. Over ten times more smartphones and tablets are sold every day than babies are born. The average person checks their smartphone 150 times a day, or nearly once every six minutes.The market for wearable devices is also projected to grow at least fivefold over the next four years, with analysts noting that smartphonesalready account for more than half of all mobile phones in the GCC.
The business world is well aware of this mobile shift. In IBM’s most recent C-suite study, 84% of CIOs rated mobile solutions as a critical investment to get closer to customers, while 94% of CMOs ranked mobile apps as crucial to their digital marketing plans. Yet most of the mobile applications they’re considering are customer facing, and that’s only half of the equation. While businesses have been quick to embrace mobile and analytics as a competitive differentiator, they have struggled with its full implications.
We believe the time has come for organizations in the Middle East and across all industries to look beyond the crowds descending upon the consumer and consider the transformational potential of mobile inside the enterprise.
Defining the Individual Enterprise
Information platforms, tailored to each employee’s specific needs, can dynamically reconfigure workflows to get the right information (and only the right information) to the right people at the right time in the right place. This is the Individual Enterprise—wheneach employee has the power to use mobility solutions to quickly acquire new skills, collaborate with colleagues, and make more informed decisions in real-time.
Earlier this year, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said he does as much as 80% of the work running one the world’s most valuable companies from his iPad. With this in mind, companies like Apple are now working with IBM to develop cutting-edge applications catered to businesses. In the Gulf, we see further opportunity for the expansion of mobile business platforms as experts predict smartphone penetration to rise from its current level with mobile devices being a main driver of overall internet usage in the future.
From initial case studies, we see four key characteristics that define the “Individual Enterprise” today:
Creating new business value
The faster response times enabled by mobility make the Individual Enterprise significantly more nimble than its predecessor. After all, time-optimized decision making improves outcomes—for example, last-second pricing decisions optimize margins.
Powered by analytics
The value of analytics is amplified by mobile, not only by providing more precise information about time and place, but through its ability to break down large decisions into a series of smaller ones that can more accurately hone in on desired results.
Designed first for mobile
Mobility redefines possible operating and engagement models, shifting the design of enterprise systems to focus on the experience of the end-user. Building apps with time, location, speed, temperature and ever more situational dimensions makes possible an anywhere-anytime environment for business.
Unleash empowered employees
The Individual Enterprise evolves from managing employees to optimizing ecosystems; from assigning ‘a person for the process’ to creating ‘a process for the person’. By dynamically reconfiguring workflows around the individual, mobile combined with analytics can empower employees to make better, context-rich decisions based on situational awareness.
Building Blocks for the Individual Enterprise
In working with partners from across the Gulf, we have found that creatinga true“Individual Enterprise”requires organizations to have a solid foundation from which to increase productivity and empower their employees. These organizational building blocks include:
Security – Secure systems deliver the trust and confidence necessary for the enterprise and individuals to embrace mobility.
Connectivity – ‘Always-on’ mobile networks facilitate a continuum of information and services throughout the enterprise.
Resiliency – Persistent availability of connections, data and services are essential to business continuity.
Orchestration – Processes and enterprises become configurable around workflows and situations in real-time.
Insights and learning – If mobile enables the Individual Enterprise, advanced analytics powers it. The new breed of apps that ingests, analyzes and manages context-rich data are needed to produce actionable insights and better informed decisions.
Organizations in the Gulf that architect their business and information systems with this model in mind will unleash the full potential of their employees, evolve their business models, or even createtotally new ones—thus realizing the full transformational benefits of mobility.
