Enterprise Mobility Trends 2024

By TechDogs Editorial Team

Overall Rating

Overview

Do you remember the 2106 biopic, The Founder? It shows the story of Ray Kroc, a struggling salesman from Illinois who meets Mac and Dick McDonald, two brothers running a burger operation in Southern California in the 1950s. Kroc was impressed by the brothers' system of making food and saw the potential to create a multi-billion-dollar empire. Can you guess what the franchise was later called?

Yes, we’re talking about the iconic fast-food chain McDonald’s!

So, why are we mentioning this movie here? Well, every enterprise starts small – like McDonald’s did. However, to grow into a successful brand, business leaders need to adapt to the changing times. Without Ray Kroc’s intervention, McDonald’s may just have remained a regional brand in California. In the modern world, no matter where you are, there’s a McDonald’s delivering delicious food within 20 minutes. It also boasts super-efficient process management that streamlines its workplace functions – from taking customers’ orders to delivering on time!

So, what did Ray Kroc bring to the table that took McDonald’s from a burger joint to a fast-food industry leader?

The simple answer is enterprise mobility management!

When it comes to managing enterprises, the real way to keep Lovin’ It is by managing enterprise mobility. So, ready yourself as we dive into the top 5 Enterprise Mobility Management Trends of 2024!

Before we dive into this happy meal, let’s start by understanding what Enterprise Mobility really means. You can always read about it in depth in our explainer here: Enterprise Mobility Management.

If you’re reading this, we bet you already know the basics of enterprise mobility but here’s a refresher anyway. EMM or enterprise mobility management refers to the management of various mobility solutions implemented by businesses to increase revenue, lower operating costs and maximize business performance. This involves applying cutting-edge technologies to business functions, such as using IoT sensors, smartphones and other intelligent devices, to facilitate a strategic approach towards success and sustainability.

Enterprise mobility aims to enhance the flexibility of the organization while ensuring the security of its remote and mobile devices to provide employees with the devices they need for enhanced mobility. Last year, businesses adopted EMM trends such as developing tailored apps, adopting multi-layer security, Wi-Fi 6 and the emergence of AI and wearables.

So, what’s new this year? Read on to learn about the top 5 Enterprise Mobility Trends of 2024!

Trend 1: Custom Cross-Platform Enterprise Apps Will Improve Workplace Mobility

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In today's competitive business landscape, off-the-rack mobile applications cannot meet the specific mobility needs of organizations. Hence, last year, we saw some businesses collaborating with leading mobile app developers to deploy robust and scalable custom mobile applications. This trend will continue in 2024, as businesses will now explore developing custom cross-platform enterprise apps tailored to their specific mobility needs.

In most modern workplaces, laptops, PCs and smartphones have become a part of the infrastructure. If you’re reading this at the office, look around and you’ll see these devices that have now become common in workplaces. Hence, businesses will need to develop custom apps that are compatible across these devices, to offer employees enhanced functionality, seamless cross-platform switching and security irrespective of device form. This is why business leaders will look towards cross-platform app development approaches to build enterprise apps that can run seamlessly across multiple operating systems.

As of 2023, nearly 46% of mobile developers were utilizing cross-platform frameworks like Flutter, a number expected to grow further by the end of 2024 as companies prioritize cost-effective app development solutions, according to research by Statista and industry reports. However, as cross-platform applications need less development time and costs it is expected to see major adoption in 2024. Furthermore, businesses will leverage Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), or web applications that can provide a native app-like experience on all devices from a single codebase. This will also allow offline app functionalities and offer engaging experiences to users across devices, leading to a robust cross-platform enterprise app ecosystem in 2024 and beyond.

TechDogs’ Takeaway: Businesses will soon need to rethink their app deployment strategies to boost enterprise mobility. First of all, businesses should start by identifying the outcomes to be achieved through the enterprise applications, such as improving cross-team communication or streamlining backend processes, to effectively guide the custom cross-platform app development. Next, since a cross-platform approach saves development time, businesses can invest time in fine-tuning their applications using platform-specific features and guidelines. This will maximize its performance, security and user engagement – no matter the device or OS used. Finally, by leveraging cross-platform frameworks such as React Native and Flutter, development teams can tailor their enterprise app development approaches without compromising user experience or security. #CreateCustomCrossPlatformApps

Trend 2: BYOD And EPD Approaches Will Enable Better Employee Mobility

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Most businesses already have comprehensive strategies for enterprise mobility and we bet one major aspect would be the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) model. Many organizations have so far allowed employees to bring their personal devices to work after configuring them for security and compliance. In 2024, along with BYOD, the new trend of EPD (Employer-provided Devices) is also gaining traction.

In the BYOD approach, the IT department installs the firm’s applications and provides access to the business cloud on employees’ personal devices. This way, users retain the freedom to select a device of their preference and convenience, while the business retains control over its corporate data and software usage. In 2024, businesses are increasingly adopting the Employer-Provided Device (EPD) or Corporate Owned, Personally Enabled (COPE) model, with 28% of firms already providing mobile devices to at least 20% of employees, allowing them to retain personal freedom while ensuring security, as noted in a study by Oxford Economics. This way, while the business owns the devices and is responsible for usage costs, such as mobile data and software updates, employees are free to use them as personal devices during non-working hours.

The EPD approach will allow employees to contribute even when away from their offices as they can still access critical business data on corporate-owned devices. Philippe Winthrop, VP of corporate strategy at VeliQ, a mobility PaaS solution vendor, says that it is not important who owns the device. He highlights the same by saying, "Stop worrying about struggling with BYOD and instead think of how you're going to enable mobility in the workplace. It doesn't matter at the end of the day who owns the device. Go download your Facebook app, go tweet away and download Angry Birds. Just act responsibly." This new approach to device ownership will strengthen enterprise mobility in 2024!

TechDogs’ Takeaway: One of the most critical aspects of enterprise mobility is giving employees flexible access to the business ecosystem while maintaining security. While the BYOD approach works, businesses should look at implementing an EPD/COPE model that ensures data security while allowing employees to use their personal devices. This balances both employee productivity and satisfaction. Next, investing in robust mobile device management (MDM) tools is critical as it will allow IT teams to efficiently oversee COPE devices to minimize downtime and optimize employee productivity. Lastly, it is important to conduct employee training to maximize the potential of EPD strategies and enable the workforce to leverage the devices for both business operations and personal usage. #BestOfBothWorlds

Trend 3: Generative Artificial Intelligence Will Redefine Enterprise Mobility Strategies

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Businesses across industries are expanding their tech stack to stay ahead of the curve. Yet, when it comes to replacing traditional processes with automated, smart technologies, there is only one technology that businesses need to keep an eye out for this year – any guesses? Well, in 2024, we will see smart and automated enterprise mobility by leveraging none other than generative A I!

The biggest potential for generative Artificial Intelligence to redefine enterprise mobility is by simplifying the enterprise mobile app development process (Trend 1). In a time where enterprise applications are the main source of unifying business operations, streamlining communications and enhancing employee engagement, GenAI has appeared as a boon. Soon, enterprise applications will leverage generative AI to deploy in-built chatbots that deliver a more personalized and intuitive experience for employees.

Most of all, generative AI is helping enterprise applications understand the user’s behavior, needs and preferences, allowing applications to be synced on every device that the employee uses. Whether you’re working on your desktop at the office or the EPD-provided laptop (trend 2), generative AI will help enhance the experience while upholding security and data privacy. The use of GenAI in enterprise mobility is validated by Paul Maker, CTO of Aiimi, an AI and data firm, saying, "Companies that can leverage Generative AI effectively are likely to gain a competitive advantage, but this will require technical and subject matter experts to work together and validate use cases." Hence, this year, businesses are expected to experiment with generative AI and validate diverse use cases to drive better outcomes for enterprise mobility.

TechDogs’ Takeaway: Businesses are always looking to leverage AI for enterprise mobility and this year, with the use of generative AI, they will see major success. However, they will also face a few technological challenges along the way. To counter them, businesses should prioritize robust data protection measures that safeguard the sensitive enterprise mobility data that are processed by generative AI systems. Next, focus on creating tailored AI-driven mobility solutions that address specific mobility needs, leading to enhanced productivity and user satisfaction. To do this, the generative AI tool must gather feedback through user behavior, analyze it and iterate in a way that streamlines the user experience. Lastly, with Generative AI set to remain in the long run, businesses must plan for seamless integration into existing mobility systems, such that it can address scalability needs for the future.

Trend 4: Businesses Will Focus On Increased Security For Enterprise Mobility

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While mobile devices, virtual technologies and digital workspaces continue to enhance enterprise performance and employee productivity, they also come with unique challenges, particularly regarding security. This year, like previous years, businesses will focus on improving the management and deployment of security policies to safeguard enterprise mobility outcomes.

The introduction of a new enterprise mobility strategy almost always expands the enterprise attack surface – be it the introduction of BYOD or remote access for employees. This means the enterprise must put their employees, end nodes and devices under more scrutiny, as corporate data becomes vulnerable to breaches or unauthorized access. Hence, in 2024, businesses will replace the traditional security approaches with flexible mobile application management (MAM) to secure enterprise applications on end users' corporate and personal devices. With the rising adoption of Employer-provided Devices (Trend 2) and generative AI (Trend 3), the spread of business end nodes and data will increase, leading to higher potential security risks.

In 2024, a novel approach for securing enterprise mobility will be via blockchain. It has lately been adopted by various enterprises and will soon be deployed in business functions to improve transparency and accountability for data security. Moreover, AI-driven anomaly detection will be leveraged to understand the employees’ working patterns, behavior and topology to discover security incidents. “Very few companies actually protect data – they only protect the systems, such as databases and warehouses, where data is stored. The problem is that data never stays in one place for very long,” says Dan Draper, Founder and CEO of CipherStash about the mobile nature of data. Hence, businesses will look to bolster data security in an increasing “mobile data” world.

TechDogs’ Takeaway: Enterprise mobility will always be a challenge between balancing data security and the convenience of data access. Hence, businesses should deploy comprehensive solutions that remotely monitor and manage both employee and corporate-owned devices to enforce security policies. Moreover, IT teams must ensure data encryption on all devices along with additional layers of protection against unauthorized access, such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Finally, it will be critical to regularly educate newcomers in the workforce on mobile security best practices, including the risks of using public Wi-Fi, phishing, unauthorized access points, etc.

Trend 5: AR/VR Wearables Will Extend The Scope Of Enterprise Mobility

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While we covered wearables as an enterprise mobility trend last year, a lot has changed since then. The use of Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality has received a major push as the Metaverse is being adopted by various businesses. Hence, this year, businesses will also need to extend the scope of enterprise mobility to the virtual arena opened up by such virtual interactive platforms.

Enterprises across the globe are utilizing AR/VR solutions to increase engagement rates and leverage virtualization technologies for day-to-day processes. According to Jacob Lowenstein, who led the AR development and product strategy for Samsung NEXT, says, “AR interfaces are particularly useful for visualization in various forms, including data and analytics as well as more practical tasks like furniture placement, cosmetic tryouts, toys, building models, training materials and more.” Threekit, a visual commerce platform, validates this trend by saying that AR product experiences are 200% more engaging compared to their non-AR equivalent

However, the new AR/VR paradigm has created an unprecedented vector for enterprise mobility and businesses need to protect the data generated in such virtual realms. The VR enterprise training market is projected to soar to $12.6 billion by 2025, with more industries adopting VR for immersive training, a trend driven by the rising integration of AR/VR technologies to improve employee engagement and technical proficiency. As the training resources can be accessed from various locations, businesses must rework existing strategies to bring AR/VR into the scope of enterprise mobility management.

TechDogs’ Takeaway: It is beyond a doubt that businesses will adopt AR/VR sooner rather than later, which will require a major redefinition of enterprise mobility approaches. Thus, businesses must prioritize data security and safeguard private user data in AR/VR applications. Moreover, to protect users who remotely access the business ecosystem from AR/VR platforms, it is critical to implement end-to-end encryption. Finally, businesses developing enterprise Metaverse with AR/VR technologies should prioritize security to enhance customer interactions and collaborative workspaces. In a nutshell, to ensure the security, privacy and mobility of AR/VR users, its adoption must be viewed from an enterprise mobility mindset.

Conclusion

Organizations are becoming more remote, global and collaborative in recent times. This has raised several challenges that have been tackled with the use of mobile devices to improve access to business data, applications and services. Hence, enterprises that truly want to empower their employees must increase their productivity by removing obstacles that limit them from working remotely or being effective in the workplace.

In 2024, businesses should focus on developing custom cross-platform apps, augmenting BYOD with EPD approaches, using GenAI, assessing AR/VR-driven processes for mobility and enhancing the overall enterprise ecosystem security.

We hope that our compilation of the top 5 Enterprise Mobility Trends for 2024 will help you bring enhanced mobility, productivity and security to your enterprise!

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Enterprise Mobility Enterprise Mobility Trends Business Mobility Mobility Trends Technology Trends Enterprise Mobility Strategy Mobile Device Management Mobility Management

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