Below are five reasons why Mobile BI is fast becoming a global phenomenon in businesses.
1. Colossal increase of smartphones and tablets in business
In the world today there are over 5.5 billion connected mobile devices from a population of 7 billion people. Therefore it’s no surprise that the rapid uptake of smartphones and tablets is having a profound effect in businesses.
As smartphones become cheaper and improve functionality they are opening up great opportunities for businesses to capture reliable data in an instant. Smartphones and tablets are no longer confined to the domains of business owners or senior management, they’re now commonly found across every work force – especially sales people.
So how does this account to the increase of Mobile BI? Easy, the data captured by a mobile workforce is a critical link in the BI chain. It drives the accuracy of data and vitally it uses the Cloud to connect back to your business systems.
2. The ‘there’s an app for that’ culture
Smarter phones have driven a culture change amongst businesses and consumers alike. The reason? Mobile applications. Today there seems to be an app for everything including Mobile BI.
According to research by ClickFox, 50 percent of people use an app on their mobile device ten or more times per day.The report also revealed that 73 percent of people use consumer mobile apps to help them with buying decisions. It’s now starting to affect the way in which corporations interact with stakeholders and the way decisions are made.
With app development spend soaring it’s pretty clear that mobile apps are here to stay. This also means that mobile analytics and mobile BI adoption rates will also rise. Gartner suggests that the majority of organizations already have some sort of Mobile BI in place.
3. Growth of mobile Internet usage
With faster mobile Internet speeds and more devices able to connect to the mobile network it’s inevitable that mobile Internet usage will grow. Advances to mobile Internet networks are a key driver in Mobile BI adoption because data is transferred quickly, reliably and in real-time to the end user so decisions can be made instantly.
Better mobile connectivity is also reducing the time needed in the office for a mobile worker. For a sales person this is especially useful as they can be out on the road selling instead of sitting at a desk doing administration. Also with Cloud usage increasing at a phenomenal rate an end user can be connected to their business data wherever they are.
4. More ‘free range’ workers
IDC predicts that the world’s mobile worker population will reach 1.3 billion (37.2% of the total workforce) by the end of this year. This trend for mobile working means changes are required in the way they work and access business information. This is where Mobile BI plays a significant part by providing information and reports seamlessly to every mobile worker.
5. Additional funding in the mobile infrastructure
Worldwide wireless and mobile infrastructures market will be worth $44 billion by 2015 according to IDC. This will mainly be driven by the development of 4G networks. This additional funding ensures that the mobile market progresses at a fast pace and provides a solid platform for future development of mobile applications such as BI.
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