What IBM says were the shifts in enterprise mobility throughout 2016

As companies continue down the road of mobile enterprise application development to improve their software infrastructure, many are left wondering if it is the correct step to take. "What makes a good enterprise software?" and "How can I take advantage of the newest trend?" is on the minds of many businesses constantly.

We sat down with Phil Guido, General Manager at IBM Global Technology Services, North America to learn more about the latest trend. Namely, how an enterprise app can be done successfully, and other additional things to consider that can greatly complement the software you desire.

ADM: As 2016 comes to a close, what shifts have you seen when it comes to enterprises adopting mobile strategies?

Guido: The last year has continued the trend towards enterprises baking mobile into their overall strategies, simply because mobile-first organizations are competitively positioned to reach more people and markets, and can more quickly adapt to changes and trends within their industry.

From what we’ve seen, mobile is becoming a more critical part of an organization’s IT strategy, which means enterprises are considering what they need to do in order to make mobile possible and cost effective – who they need to hire, what other technologies they need to implement, and the most efficient way to integrate mobile into their existing systems.

After seeing the benefits of mobile on marketing, sales, customer service, IT, and beyond, more enterprises are exploring their options and taking the steps to ensure they have the right tools to make mobile a central part of their strategies. In fact, a recent IBM study found that over the next year, 77% of executives plan to complete at least five enterprise mobile initiatives, with a third planning to spend at least $15M on mobile.

ADM: In your experience, how can enterprises ensure that their mobile strategies will be successful?

Guido: When it comes to implementing mobile strategies, enterprises face the challenge of deploying solutions that solve customer needs while still being cost effective, not to mention compliant with industry regulations and easily integrated with their existing IT systems.

We’re seeing enterprises turn to new technologies like the cloud, particularly hybrid cloud, to free up resources and improve their IT environments overall. This provides businesses the flexibility to incorporate mobile strategies in two ways – first, the cloud is more cost-effective so there are more resources and flexibility to implement mobile. Secondly, hybrid cloud solutions are agile, so businesses can quickly deploy real-time, personalized mobile offerings that use technologies like predictive analytics and big data and adapt to new trends and capabilities. The cloud is enabling enterprises to achieve ambitious mobile strategies which in turn, is helping drive digital transformation all around.

ADM: In addition to the cloud, what other emerging technologies should developers and enterprises be looking at when planning their mobile strategies? How can developers take advantage of these technologies?

Guido: We make the full value of IBM’s capability available through the cloud.  This means developers are able to utilize Watson IoT, cognitive analytics, and of course high value IBM software that is all available through the IBM cloud and our services. These are the types of technologies that developers can use to build high-value services and/or products for the end-user.

Take the retail industry as one example.  The shift to mobile in retail has led to a large volume of data on consumer behavior and spending habits. We provide the tools so that developers can quickly analyze that data sitting in the cloud, ultimately resulting in the ability to build automated systems to send personalized offers directly to consumer mobile devices for products or services that they are more likely to purchase.

The introduction of these technologies to IT infrastructures that can be utilized by the developers building new, high-value products and services is the cornerstone of the digital business transformation.

ADM: Can you share examples of companies that have been successful in incorporating a mobile strategy?

Guido: Because of growing demands from more digital-savvy customers, banks must modernize their technology environments to deliver a better banking experience to customers across multiple channels, while lowering their cost base. IBMsigned a five year deal with Citizens Financial last year to help them achieve this, by transitioning its back-end technology infrastructure to a managed services environment.

Using a hybrid IT approach, IBM is integrating automation and predictive analytics technologies to standardize and streamline many of Citizen’s IT systems and processes, including online and mobile banking. This will allow Citizens to shift its IT resources to more innovative, higher-value services, such as developing new online and mobile offerings in response to customer demand.

ADM: What mobile trends do you expect to see in 2017 among enterprises?

Guido: Mobility remains a key client entry point for digital transformation and a catalyst for growth. We understand the value of high-level agility, and the technologies that will support that into 2017 – AI, cognitive, predictive analytics, automation, IoT. Developers at enterprises will continue to use these technologies to create mobile apps that leverage an “as a service model” (e.g., bundled end point hardware, accessories and workplaces services), integrate predictive and preventative management functions (e.g., self-help and self-healing support services) and, ultimately, improve customer loyalty.

We’ve created tools and methodologies to ensure networks are efficiently maintained, regardless of workloads and applications, to ensure those goals come to fruition.