Australian CEOs fall behind on mobile tech

According to new SOTI research, around 40% of Australian businesses are not investing in mobile technology.

The global study found that many CEOs and leaders do not understand the importance of mobility as a business tool.

Around 70% of CEOs within transportation and logistics companies do not comprehend the importance of rugged handheld devices in the field, despite the pivotal role they play in service delivery.

In addition, only 38% of Australian remote workers (40% globally) feel IoT is critical to business success.

“As the future becomes increasingly mobile, devices and tools are being embedded with software, sensors and connectivity at a rapid pace,” said Carl Rodrigues, CEO and founder of SOTI.

“All around the world organisations prepare to take greater advantage of mobile technology, but there are numerous challenges they need to overcome.”

For instance, strict rules for the use of unsanctioned apps are not being enforced, with nearly half of those surveyed reporting that although their organisation had the ability to block unsanctioned apps, they chose not to enforce it. This issue is most significant in Brazil (55%) and Australia (50%).

Employees also have high levels of concern around the potential damages and loss of information. One-quarter of Australian respondents are worried they may lose their job if something goes wrong with the device they are using, while more than half are worried about losing precious information.

“The research highlights a lack of integrated mobility tools to secure, support and enable their front office, back office and workers in the field. Many organisations are using mobility for the basics but do not know how to implement the next level of mobile integration to transform their workforce,” said Rodrigues.

“This has left businesses with a piecemeal approach to their mobile operations — a disconnected set of point solutions required to perform business-critical operations. However, at this juncture, it’s very much a sink or swim time for businesses. Ignoring the endless possibilities innovation brings could prove disastrous for organisations who fail to jump on board. Leaders must act now to stay ahead of the pace of change, or risk finding their business adrift while the competition rides the wave of the mobility tsunami.”

A summary of the report ‘Are you Managing the Mobility Tsunami or Struggling in the Next Technology Tidal Wave?’ can be found at http://www2.soti.net/mobility_tsunami.

Image credit: ©Serg Nvns/Dollar Photo Club

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