Mobile technologies appear to be seeing substantial proliferation across the globe, as businesses race to take up the devices for everything from communications to remote working.
In fact, this year could see usage climb higher than ever before, thanks to growing device shipments and data traffic continuing to rise. Challenges remain, however.
Mobile growth is likely to take many businesses off guard – especially in areas such as security. It's crucial that, along with IT frameworks, companies put security methodologies in place.
Significant global device growth
Total worldwide devices shipments, which include PCs, mobile phones and tablets, are estimated to hit 2.5 billion units this year, which is an increase from the 2.8 per cent seen in 2015.
Mobile phones alone are expected to reach 1.9 billion units this year, growing 3.5 per cent. Gartner noted that cheaper smartphones will continue to present attractive options for consumers and negate a need to increase device prices.
Smartphones are set to see growth at the low-end.
Coupled with growing device usage will be a rise in mobile data traffic, according to a new report from Cisco. Traffic grew by 69 per cent in 2014 across the globe, and it's expected to increase tenfold until 2019, expanding at a combined annual growth rate of 57 per cent.
What's more, network speeds will also climb, making it easy for businesses to access the information required regardless of whether or not they're connected to WiFi networks.
The issue of security
Security is likely to remain a key issue in the near future as devices continue to grow in usage – and this needs to be addressed.
As with many new technologies, staff will be unfamiliar with the necessary security practices – which often include setting up passcodes, remote device wiping and even having IT departments manage the devices.
Failure to put security measures in place could lead to significant data breaches – in which valuable or sensitive information is exposed to parties outside the company.
As noted above, an ITIL certification from a training organisation can go a long way towards effectively managing new device trends – especially when it means a new way of working.
ITIL gives employees best-practice knowledge that can be utilised time and again across new IT projects, and even in other areas of the business. If you're interested in finding out more about ITIL, speak to ALC Training today.