Businesses Should Close Mobile 'App Gap'

Businesses have made the leap into the brave new world of mobile devices and the use of personal mobile applications in the workplace, but they're still not moving fast enough to develop and deploy the mobile apps they need, a new study shows. They may think think they're "locked and loaded" and ready for the next skirmish. But if they check their ammunition clips, they'll find they're still only shooting blanks when it comes filling the "app gap."

It's not for lack of belief in mobile, though. A study of 600 organizations found that 95 percent have employees whose use personal mobile devices for work and who trust that mobile technology will improve business outcomes and applications. The study was sponsored by Progressive Software, a global software systems provider.

In fact, 92 percent of organizations believe that adopting mobile apps will not only give them a competitive edge, but believe that that failure to adopt such apps will put them at a competitive disadvantage.

Despite the proliferation of mobile devices, application use and beliefs that mobile technology will benefit business, only around a quarter (29 percent) of respondents have already begun a formal mobility project, though 42 percent plan to do so in the next year. In addition, only around half (51 percent) of organizations interact with their employees using mobile apps and even fewer (45 percent) use mobile apps to interact with customers.

As organizations make plans to fill the app gap, they face some roadblocks. According to the research, perceived risks to implementing formal mobility strategies include security (54 percent), the additional investment required (48 percent) and the need for ongoing support (47 percent).

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In addition, more than half of companies (56 percent) are concerned that they lack the skills to develop an appropriate application and application interface across myriad mobile devices and platforms.

"There’s little doubt that providing employees with the ability to work across mobile devices can increase a business’ productivity and collaboration," said John Goodson, senior vice president of products with Progress Software. "In an effort to increase operational efficiencies across the enterprise, IT organizations need to rely on trusted development environments that provide them with the security and control they’re used to with the ability to easily develop apps for multiple mobile operating systems."

Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.We're also on Facebook & Google+.