Half of mobile users have a smartphone

The popularity of smartphones can't be denied. Consumers and enterprise users alike have recognized the benefits of the devices' portability and computing for all tasks from booking restaurant reservations to viewing and editing sales reports prior to presenting them to the board of directors.

With each new market analysis released it's becoming increasingly evident that smartphones are now the mobile device of choice for people around the world. In fact, the latest report from research firm Nielsen revealed that half of all mobile phone users own some kind of smartphone, whether it's an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android-based device.

For companies, the rapid rise of smartphones has been a double-edged sword. While the devices allow employees to be more productive with remote access to enterprise email, data, apps and the like, they have also present numerous data security and cost challenges.

These issues have been compounded by the fact that many mobile professionals are now bringing their smartphones from home and utilizing them to complete work tasks.

“Mobile introduces a concept of ‘always on, always with you’ media consumption,” Jonathan Carson, general manager of digital at Nielsen, said, according to a recent ZDNet report on Nielsen's findings.

The research firm also revealed that the expansion of the smartphone market won't slow down any time soon. Moving forward, Nielsen said it believes that 60 percent of all mobile devices purchased will be smartphones.

"We should appreciate the scale and speed of all this taking place," Carson added, according to the news provider.

As the popularity and prevalence of smartphones increases, so too does the importance of mobile device management for companies' whose employees leverage the devices. Whether the smartphones are supplied by the IT department or personally owned by their users, and MDM solution will ensure that a company's mobility program runs smoothly and efficiently.

With MDM, IT administrators will enjoy a full view of all the devices that access the enterprise network. They will see which employees are running what mobile operating systems, as well as which mobile carrier is supplying services for the device.

Data security has consistently been at the top of IT departments' lists when it comes to mobility concerns. According to a recent Computer Business Review report, organizations should employ an MDM solution, implement a mobility policy and restrict access to certain data to resolve any security issues.