The number of mobile users is constantly growing.  Are you ready?

Mobile workforce trends:

 There are 50 million mobile users—virtually all of them with cell phones—representing 41 percent of the U.S. workforce (“Enterprises Strive to Better Connect the Mobile Workforce,” December 8, 2006, Yankee Group).

 By 2009, IDC estimates there will be more than 878 million mobile users worldwide (“Worldwide Mobile Population 2005–2009 Forecast and Analysis, #34124,” October 2005, IDC).

Mobile solutions are becoming an IT priority:

Gartner surveyed 1,400 global chief information officers (CIOs) and found that “Mobile workforce enablement ranked third as a technology priority for calendar year 2006” (press release, “Gartner Survey of 1,400 CIOs Shows Transformation of IT Organization Is Accelerating,” January 2006, Gartner).

Companies must transform the way they deliver enterprise applications, services, and productivity tools to the mobile workforce (“The Mobile Workforce: How Enterprises Must Adapt to Survive,” August 4, 2006, Yankee Group).

Mobility is a potential software and services revenue opportunity:

Revenue for packaged mobile workforce management software applications, not including service revenue, was slightly less than US$225 million in 2005 and will rise to more than US$300 million by 2009 (Gartner).

By year-end 2006, the combined software and service market segment for mobile workforce application services reached US$1 billion, rising at a 10 percent average annual growth rate through 2007 (Gartner).

Sales of mobile devices are booming:

More than 57 percent of organizations currently fund mobile devices. This percentage is rapidly growing (“Mobilizing the Enterprise in 2006,” IDC).

Most of the industry’s attention continues to be focused on the highest growth application—wireless e-mail. Wireless e-mail will continue to pave the way for a broader range of mobilized personal productivity tools and e-business applications alike (“Mobile Business Application Access,” 2006, Strategy Analytics).

Sales of mobile computers (laptops, tablets, etc.) are growing:

Mobile computer shipments will approach parity with desktop-based units globally by 2010, and mobile computers will outsell desktop-based computers in many mature market segments, especially mature home market segments (“Mobile PC Scenario, 2007 to 2010: Trends and Drivers,” September 6, 2006, Gartner).

Seventy-five percent of organizations now support wirelessly enabled laptops (“Mobilizing the Enterprise in 2006,” IDC).