Mobile Device Management (MDM) and the BYOD argument rages on...

The rapid rise of BYOD

The consumerization of IT (CoIT) has rapidly impacted the use of mobile devices in the enterprise and SMB space in the last 3 years. The new BYOD demands, from workers wanting to use their own mobile devices of choice, hit the IT department for six. They didn't really know how to react when Board-level executives started bringing in iPhones and iPads and demanding access to the corporate network. This effect then rippled through the rest of the workforce, from Gen-Y, young upstarts coming into the workforce, to middle managers and road warriors; everyone wanted a piece of the BYOD action.

 

Initial IT resistance to BYOD

So, what did the typical IT department say and do? Well, the not uncommon phrase heard in 2009/2010 was "No way will user devices get into my network". The IT department worried mobile device management strategies, about having to implement new security policies, about the security of their corporate network, about the risks in corporate data loss (through lost or stolen devices); and, generally they tried to resist the BYOD onslaught. But the cat was out of the bag, the horse had bolted!

Then IT decided there were real benefits from getting out of device purchases and wireless management; and, that there were other employee productivity benefits. And help was on hand from multi-vendor, mobile device management (MDM) solutions from companies such as Good Technology, MobileIron, AirWatch, etc. The device manufacturers also stepped up with their own multi-vendor mobile device management solutions, e.g. like RIM's recently announced Mobile Fusion MDM solution. So, IT departments could now centrally support a mix of mobile devices running different OSs, such as Apple's iOS, Google's Android and RIM's BlackBerry OS.

BYOD means higher costs?

But hold on... there's now a strong argument being played out that BYOD means higher mobile device management costs, especially when factors such as MDM solution and helpdesk support costs are factored in . Indeed, the initial transition to BYOD can be painful as most users require some handholding - anything up to 30 minutes or more per user.

So, is the BYOD pendulum about to swing back again toward less complex mobile device management and the corporate purchase of standardized mobile devices, i.e. CYOD (choose your own device, albeit from a select set of brands/models)? If so, then we're headed back to the laptop-style corporate purchasing model where employees are offered the choice of 1 from 3 or 4 different laptops to choose from.

And, that means IT gets to implement and manage highly controlled, highly secure, mobile devices again!

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Smartphone Market Update - April 2012

So, most of the press activity in April, unsurprisingly, centered around mobility, tablets and the smartphone market (essentially with a focus on the Apple iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3). Analysts were sizing and forecasting the future tablet and smartphone market ; the press was gossiping about future product launches; and, device manufacturers were announcing either fantastic or dismal financial results.

Analyst views

The analysts, like Gartner, Forrester and IDC were arguing about the size of the tablet market, some of this coming down to their varying definitions; however, interestingly Forrester was also attempting to create a new tablet form factor category, i.e. tablet "frames", that sit within the office environment for workers to collaborate around.

However, all the analysts were predicting that the smartphone market would overtake sales of feature phones by 2014, although our view is that with the emergence of low-end smartphones, from players like Huawei and ZTE, this may help to accelerate this transition.

Press Gossip

Press speculation, in Apple's case, centered on the potential use of a "liquid metal" casing for the iPhone 5 and a potential device thickness of 8mm. Samsung rumors focused on the use of a new ceramic casing; the new quad-core chip for the Galaxy S3; and, the fact it will be running Android's Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

Manufacturers: Diversity of performance... Apple, Samsung and Nokia

Apple

Apple posted results significantly better than market expectations (with profits yoy nearly doubling to $11.6bn). Within these figures it appears that Apple sold 35 million iPhones in their Q1, although Apple iPad units didn't meet market expectations of 13 million. The short- to mid-term view must remain positive as Apple continues to exploit new markets such as China, where iPhone 4S sales surged five fold in the quarter; and, evidence from Europe that businesses are also investing in iPhones, with the BYOD trend continues. Analysts are also expecting a surge in Apple sales once the iPhone 5 is launched in June.

 

Samsung

Despite this sterling performance from Apple and putting their achievements into perspective, Samsung sold an incredible 90 million phones in Q1, 44 million being smartphones. This knocked Nokia off the top phone manufacturer slot and also overshadowed Apple somewhat.

 

Nokia

In contrast, Nokia reported very poor Q1 results, with revenues declining by 29% and an expectation that Q2 results will be poor. Essentially, they are being hit from two sides: by poor high-end smartphone sales of its Windows-based Lumia smartphones; and, a faster than expected decline in its feature phone sales. As an example of how badly Nokia is hurting, it suffered a 70% fall in phone units sold in China in Q1.

 

And don't forget the emerging players in this market, such as Huawei and ZTE. They may currently be small in the smartphone market, but they are gearing up to be major competitors in the future - so watch this space...

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