New research from Gartner indicates that despite all the buzz about tablets, smartphones are still the number one priority for consumers – and by extension, for workers. Forrester has a new report out on the use of personal smartphones at work. According to Forrester’s research, 18% of workers are using smartphones for work – even if it’s not officially sanctioned by IT.
According to Forrester, 29% of workers polled do work outside the office and 55% of firms allow employees to bring in personal devices.
The top 5 most common uses of smartphones for work are:
- Voice
- Calendar
- Maps/Navigation
- Instant messaging
Additionally, Forrester identifies four segments of mobile employees:
- Mobile information workers – Workers that use mobile devices purchased by their employers.
- Task workers – Many of these workers use mobile devices for specific activities within verticals such as healthcare, retail and transporation.
- Mobile wannabe workers – Workers who work at desks but want to use smartphones for work. According to Forrester, wannabes account for 16% of all employees.
- Mobile Mavericks – Mobile information workers who purchase their own devices.
These categories are somewhat confusing, since so-called “mavericks” are officially supported by IT. It’s the wannabes that may be using devices for work without ITs’ knowledge or approval.
The research from both Gartner and Forrester is a reminder that although tablets use is exploding in the enterprise, there’s still a lot of untapped potential – both good and bad – in smartphones.
