IDC: Companies must embrace mobility

Even with all the cost concerns and data security headaches smartphones and tablets can create, companies must still embrace enterprise mobility or risk being "swept aside," according to a new report from IDC.

Advances in mobile technology, including seemingly endless improvements to devices, the rise of mobile applications and access to fast mobile networks, have combined to accelerate the importance of enterprise mobility, the report stated. In today's business climate, companies must leverage such technology or otherwise fall behind the competition.

"Today, we're seeing what we could call a 'perfect storm' created by the evolution of different areas of technology combining to fundamentally, and drastically change how organizations can use enterprise mobility to support business goals and strategies," IDC associate vice president of end-user and mobility research Tim Dillon said, according to the IDG News Service.

This trend is also combining the work and home lives of mobile professionals, Dillon said. This can be seen through consumerization, where one device is utilized for both business and personal tasks.

The spread of mobility is also reflected in the number of connected device endpoints in the market. According to recent Compass Intelligence research, endpoints for both machine-to-machine and connected devices will reach nearly 90 million in four years.