Mobile Workforce Survey Results Q1 2012:

Understanding Mobility Trends and Mobile Usage Among Business Users

Executive Summary

(view the infographic)

Technology and data consumption are evolving faster than mobile networks are able to adapt; what we at iPass are calling “Mobile Darwinism.” The survivors of this evolution will be those who are able to quickly and continually adjust to change. Adaptation will not only be required by the network providers and device manufacturers – look at the decline of Palm and more recently Nokia and RIM/BlackBerry as examples of those who could not adapt – but by enterprise IT departments that rely on mobile services for their workforce. Mobile employees are now using more and
higher resolution data consuming devices, using them more often, and in more places. It’s now Darwin vs. “More-More-More’s” Law.

This quarter’s iPass Mobile Workforce Report provides insights into the trends and habits of today’s mobile workforce. Some of the notable findings in this quarter’s survey include:

• The mobile stack (average number of devices carried by a mobile worker) has grown to 3.5, up from 2.7 in 2011.
• 64 percent of mobile workers now carry a tablet, rising to nearly 80 percent within the next six months according to respondents’ buying predictions.
• LinkedIn is the social network of choice for 79 percent of mobile workers, followed closely by Facebook at 76 percent.
• 67 percent of mobile workers now use social media for work.
• 92 percent of mobile workers believe their smartphones should be enabled for both work and personal use.
• Respondents felt that the laptop was still the most effective device for multi-tasking (62 percent). Smartphones (51 percent) and tablets (36 percent) were only effective in combination with another device for multi-tasking.
• Mobile workers are becoming less satisfied with their mobile service. 87 percent were satisfied in 2011, while only 62 percent in 2012.
• 61 percent of a mobile worker’s day is within range of a Wi-Fi network.

In this Report

• Introduction
• Section 1: The Growth of the Mobile Stack
• Section 2: The Multi-Tasker’s Dilemma
• Section 3: Mobile Network Satisfaction
• Section 4: Proliferation of Wi-Fi Across the Workforce
• Section 5: Rise of the Social Enterprise
• Conclusion

Mobile Workforce Report Q1 2012: Introduction | Section 1: The Growth of the Mobile Stack | Section 2: The Multi-Tasker’s Dilemma | Section 3: Mobile Network Satisfaction | Section 4: Proliferation of Wi-Fi Across the Workforce | Section 5: Rise of the Social Enterprise | Conclusion