Mobile devices in workplace improving productivity

Smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly popular around the country as the "bring your own device" trend has taken off. Considering many workers are now able to use their personal devices for business purposes, productivity has been cited as a deciding factor fueling the expansion of the trend.

The International Data Corporation recently reported that enterprise mobile users in the global business community will increase to 1.19 billion by 2013, which accounts for 34.9 percent of the workforce. The IDC also reported that 65 percent of employees who use personal mobile devices for business said that they have greater productivity throughout the work week.

IDG Connect recently released its list of tips to mobilize a company's existing enterprise resource planning applications for maximum productivity. The No. 1 tip was to think innovation when choosing applications for mobile devices. A fresh approach to bringing desktop-based ERP applications to mobile devices is needed to make the transition as worthwhile as possible.

It's also helpful to think about the differences between a desktop ERP application interface and a mobile interface. For example, it's easy to toggle between different screens on a desktop, whereas a mobile application needs to fit more information on one or two screens. It boosts mobile efficiency to develop simplified screens that contain all critical information and function.

The source also recommended keeping data input to a minimum because most mobile devices aren't capable of holding the amount of data a desktop computer is.

Working with the features of the phone and going platform-independent are also significant aspects of successful enterprise mobility. Learning the ins and outs of a personal mobile device is a necessity in order to get full usage to boost productivity.

The last tip was to think practical. Users often neglect key practical considerations in mobilizing ERP applications, such as recovering data if a mobile device is lost or stolen.

While corporations are turning to the BYOD trend as a means of saving money and increasing productivity, mobile device management remains a paramount concern in the minds of executives, following an executive order recently issued by President Barack Obama that federal employers should cut down on the number of devices given to workers.

"Given the executive order that asked agencies to limit the number of IT devices they issue to employees, including mobile devices, we expect that future growth of mobile device use is likely to be of the BYOD variety," said Neal Campbell, CDW-G's senior vice president and chief marketing officer, in an email to eWeek.

Currently, the government, like private enterprises, is allowing an increasing number of employees to use personal mobile devices, with 44 percent using their own smartphones or tablets at work, according to CDW-G.