Mobile

The enterprise has always driven adoption of new technology through product and solution development. Much less discussed, however, is the influence the public has on technology usage by the enterprise. But one look at the rise of social media, and it’s clear that it’s a two-way street. Earlier we found this to be the case with social media such as Facebook  and Twitter—both technologies whose adoption by B2B continues to be driven first by employee usage outside the workplace, then inside the workplace.

Another example is the next generation of smartphones, such as the iPhone 3G S. The iPhone has single-handedly changed the landscape not only of mobile devices, but of how social media is being used. Since the launch of the new iPhone, for instance, mobile uploads to YouTube have risen more than 400%. And though it is still primarily for personal use, it’s “trickling up” to the enterprise slowly but surely. Oracle, for instance, has adopted the iPhone internally for its enterprise use, as have a number of other large organizations. The rapid response of other mobile device manufacturers to create similar user experiences led Forrester to declare in May’09 that the term “smartphone” was dead, since all phones are quickly becoming smart. And I think the impact is going to be huge.

Mobile applications have long been developed for smartphones—here’s a list of the top 10mobile apps —and already there are a number of mobile applications being made for iPhone by companies like Oracle, SAP, and Sybase. There are also a host of next-gen iPhone competitors like the Google phone and, most recently, the Palm Pre . With more platforms to choose from, I expect to see more enterprise IT support for the devices, and by extension, more business-ready applications being developed.

A couple I’m excited about are those that take the most advantage of the video capability that will soon come standard on these devices. 12seconds  is a great example: an application that lets users easily record and share quick video updates. Though this obviously has potential for personal use, imagine it being used at a trade show to quickly capture and distribute an exciting new solution (or a scary new competitor). Or in brainstorm meetings to capture that dramatic inspiration captured on a whiteboard. 

Your employees are quickly getting used to having access to the Internet and Internet applications wherever they are. It seems to me that harnessing this potential should be a priority for the distributed B2B enterprise. What do you think? Is the iPhone 3G S crucial new technology or a workplace distraction? I predict we’ll have to live with it regardless—how do you think it will change enterprise mobility?

Suggested reading:

• Ian Fogg, “The ‘Smartphone’ Is Dead: Long Live Smart Phones and Smart Gadgets,” Forrester, May 15, 2009.
• Noah Elkin, “Mobile Applications: Moving Beyond Apple,” eMarketer, June, 2009