Globally mobile; locally connected
Monday, May 21st, 2012 Karen Ambrose Hickey, Editor
Do you consider wireless Internet access (such as 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi) as important to your life as running water and electricity?
Are you globally mobile?
At iPass, we don’t define Globally Mobile to describe only international business travelers. It also describes the “always-on” mobile worker. Productivity is not necessarily more hours in the office, but accomplishing more. This quarter’s Mobile Workforce Report showcases mobile workers using more tools, methods and assumptions for ensuring ubiquitous connectivity wherever they are.
Nearly 74 percent of mobile workers surveyed prefer an unconventional workday, being online and connected at any time, from any place that they choose. To try to guarantee this connectivity, mobile workers are about “MORE”. However, this also means that they continue to be more productive with 56% of mobile workers sending their first email before arriving at the office.
Let’s look at the numbers and trends:
- More tools: This year 72% report having a tablet, up 76% from Q2 2011.
- More connected: 88% of mobile workers reported having internet access was nearly as important in their lives as having electricity and running water
- More addicted: 2% more mobile employees from last year, sleep with their smartphones nearby, up to 60%, and 91% check their smartphones during downtime for both business and personal reasons.
- More resourceful: 54% of mobile workers have paid an outrageous fee to access the Internet and 50% have hung around a retail store to find free Wi-Fi. Local access to be globally connected.
Mobile workers also have more assumptions about connectivity:
- Availability: 95% of mobile employees felt that their productivity was reduced without wireless Internet access and 62% feel that the ability to work remotely is a necessity.
- Seamless: Expecting a seamless connectivity experience, more mobile workers are getting “bill shock” with 34% admitting to getting a huge mobile data roaming bill
- Corporate access: 44% are frustrated that their corporate applications are optimized or don’t work on mobile devices
Without wireless Internet access, how much do you feel that your productivity is decreased?
Connecting locally in order to work globally requires a variety of resources within an enterprise, along with a mindshift. BYOD has been happening, but that expectation is now spreading to the connections themselves – combining the accessibility of free Wi-Fi with the security of enterprise networks – and making it happen on their mobile devices.
Read the free Mobile Workforce Report >>
Tags: enterprise mobility, mobile device, mobile workforce, Reports, wi-fi access
