8 mobile trends for 2015

A major trend is cost, says a DMI survey. If agencies continue using three or four devices per employee, the total price of ownership is going to get prohibitive.

Shutterstock image: mobile working from a laptop.

What: "Top 8 Enterprise Mobility Trends for 2015," from DMI

Why: With "mobile first" marching orders, many CIOs in the federal government have to strategize how to equip employees with technology that will improve productivity.

Sam Ganga, executive vice president of commercial division at DMI, said the influx of so many devices can cause a problem.

"The question becomes what are you going to do as the CIO to set yourself up for the future? Are you going to buy 25,000 desktops, or are you going to buy laptops? Are you going to buy laptops and also tablets, or are you going to provide virtual desktops?" Ganga said. "The options now have become so many that the CIO has to have a very clear, concerted strategy to make sure that he or she does the analysis to know what the end state needs to be."

If agencies continue to consider using three or four devices per employee, Ganga said their total cost of ownership for technology is going to be extremely high.

"What will inevitably happen for the majority of users will end up with a laptop, tablet and a phone -- and that total cost of ownership cannot be sustained," Ganga said.

The report also found that the increase in different types of devices and the types of information being accessed and stored on those devices has opened up organizations to a new set of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Organizations are not just worried about keeping their email safe on mobile devices, they also are concerned with safeguarding more sensitive data, like financial dashboards, that can be accessed and read on devices.

Verbatim: "It's time to rethink how we see computers for work. Do we really need a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, and accessories to get the job done? Assess the types of jobs your employees are performing and how you can reduce the number of devices that employees need at work and in the field by relying on mobile technologies."

Full report: Read the whole thing here.