Gartner's Latest Thoughts on Enterprise Mobility and SMAC

ClickConnect Europe 2013

I had the good fortune to attend a session this morning at ClickSoftware's ClickConnect Europe 2013 with Gartner's Research Director Dr. Richard M. Marshall.  Here are some of the notes I took from the session:

• By 2017 Microsoft will sell as many mobile operating systems as Apple.  This is a bold prediction, but Gartner insists their projections are on track.
• Enterprise collaboration tools will be the source of "huge" productivity gains.
• By 2017 82% of handsets shipped will be smartphones
• Mobile security, mobile device management and mobile app management are only going to get more complex.  Recognize how each additional app adds to the complexity and develop a strategy now that will keep the TOC manageable.  No wonder the MDM (mobile device management), MAM (mobile application management) and EMMP (enterprise mobile management platform) vendors are getting all the investor attention this year.
• The Internet of Things (IoT) is a big deal.  Smartphones will be the end-points of choice for the connected device data.  Smartphones will enable you to view the meaning of connected device data and to act on it.
• Gartner is using a new phrase at this conference - The Nexus of Disruptive Forces (social, mobile, information and cloud).  They added the term "disruptive" for added emphasis.  I agree.
• The more people that work virtually or are remote and mobile, the more important it is to have social bonding between employees through collaboration tools.
• Gartner is also talking about different technology layers in an IT environment moving at different "paces" of change.  The system of record may have a very slow pace of change, but the top "Innovation" layer may evolve and change at a very fast pace.  This "Innovation" layer is well suited for mobile solutions and cloud based apps.  Having different paces, however, requires each layer to be abstracted from the other to permit different paces of change.  This is a good way to think about technology stacks and how to design and develop your IT infrastructure.

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Kevin Benedict, Head Analyst for Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud (SMAC) Cognizant

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Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and SMAC analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.