iPass Global Mobile Workforce Survey Results Q4 2012:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

(view the infographic)

This quarter’s iPass Mobile Workforce Report examines mobile device preference, as well as the barriers and distractions that mobile workers encounter. Compared to last year, more mobile employees reported that they are encountering barriers to successful mobile working. And the amount of time mobile workers spend on technology distractions such as social networking is slowly trending up.

The universal device has also finally arrived—the one device to rule them all—the smartphone. However, it isn’t what many thought leaders in the technology industry predicted. While the smartphone is the most often used device throughout the day it won’t replace a tablet or laptop, but it is set to replace your wallet and keys as Near Field Communication (NFC) technology ramps up.

In a continuation of last year’s analysis of mobile worker health, this quarter’s report also looks at the amount of time employees spend online and for how long they typically disconnect. Here are some of the key findings:

• More employees use their own smartphones for work and they rank connectivity cost as the least important factor when choosing a mobile network—creating the potential for a “bill shock” response by enterprises that don’t have cost control policies as part of their BYOD plan.
• Mobile employees ranked their smartphone as the most important item in their lives, after their wallet and keys.
• The iPhone remains the top smartphone in the enterprise with 53 percent market share among mobile workers, up from 45 percent in 2011.
• Android passed BlackBerry over the past year to become the second most popular smartphone operating system in the enterprise.
• Despite the billions Microsoft has spent revamping and marketing its mobile operating system, the Windows Phone continues to rank last out of the major mobile devices among mobile workers. Just five (5) percent of mobile employees said they currently own a Windows Phone handset.
• Microsoft’s standing may improve next year, as eight (8) percent of mobile workers believe they will get a Windows Phone device before the end of 2013.
• The iPad remains the dominant tablet in the enterprise with 54 percent of mobile workers either owning one or planning to obtain one by the end of 2013.
• 58 percent of mobile workers expect to rely more on tablets in 2013 than they currently do.
• 52 percent of mobile workers said Wi-Fi is their mobile network of choice, compared to 38 percent who favored 4G/LTE.
• 16 percent of mobile workers have both a corporate-provisioned smartphone and a personal smartphone.
• Mobile workers cited the deluge of work email as their top technology distraction, followed by technical issues with their computing devices. Social media was the next biggest source of distraction.
• 25 percent of mobile employees said technology distractions cut into their lunchtime and 14 percent said they disrupt their exercise routines.
• One in three mobile employees followed the U.S. election earlier this month on their smartphone or tablet. Interest in the election is global; at least one in five mobile workers in Europe and Asia Pacific were also tracking news on their mobile devices.

IN THIS REPORT

• Introduction
• Section 1: Android Overtakes Self-Assured BlackBerry in the Enterprise
• Section 2: BYOD Continues to Grow
• Section 3: The Connected Weekend
• Section 4: Cloud Usage on the Rise
• Section 5: The Universal Device—the Smartphone
• Section 6: Survey Methodology
• Conclusion