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Why mobile apps play in favor of Enterprise 2.0

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There are several IT trends which I believe play in favor of Enterprise 2.0 adoption. One of these trends, cloud computing, makes it easier for businesses to implement social software in times when the IT department doesn’t have time or resources to do much more than develop and maintain core enterprise IT such as ERP systems. Thanks to cloud computing, key Enterprise 2.0 capabilities such as micro-blogging are only a few clicks away from the business user. In addition, as organizations and CIO’s try to cut costs with outsourcing, cloud computing becomes a viable component in such a strategy, which in turn makes collaborating in the cloud more legitimate. 

Another and maybe even more important trend is mobility. We've been talking about the mobile Internet for years and years since the mobile phone and Internet reached mass-adoption during the late 90s. However, until quite recently it seemed to remain not much more than talk. The introduction of iPhone January 2007 changed things in a disruptive way. The mobile Internet is now a reality, and the game changer was the mobile app. 

Now we're seeing very rapid adoption of mobile devices and apps, something that we Swedes would call a "ketchup effect" - you know, when you've tried to get some ketchup out of the bottle for some time without succeeding, and then you suddenly get the entire plate filled with ketchup. 

According to market research by PEW Internet, 82% of american adults use cell phones. 35% of these have downloaded apps and 24% use apps. The past month 47% used social networking apps, 26% productivity apps and 21% communication apps.

Mobile research firm research2guidance said the worldwide market was $1.7 billion in 2009. During the first six months of 2010, it says the market reached $2.2 billions. The firm, which said that the trend should continue, suggested that the maturation of competitors to Apple’s store from the likes of Nokia and BlackBerry are the main drivers of the growth (source: IT Business Edge).

Consumer IT products such as iPhone, iPad and Android devices have quickly entering the workplace, and social and collaborative applications are really perfect for these devices. They've been quickly embraced as business devices, despite some initial resistance. As business people are starting to use SaaS social software designed for business use such as Yammer, Blogger, Google Reader, Google Docs and DropBox, their perception of social software changes and they not only understand the use cases but also change their behaviors and expectations on how to communicate and collaborate with others at work. 

It’s no coincidence that services like Yammer and DropBox are also available via apps on Android, iPhone and iPad. Many of the tasks which are supported by social software are well suited for situations when you’re mobile; things like updating yourself on what’s happening within your team or elsewhere, sharing information, signaling to others when it’s their turn to contribute, communicating, searching for information, locating expertise. I call these “micro tasks”, small things that are very easy and convenient to do when you’re not sitting down focusing on a bigger task, which is typically something you do while at the office or when you’re in a meeting. 

Simply put, mobility and mobile apps play in favor of Enterprise 2.0.

This post and comment(s) reflect the personal perspectives of community members, and not necessarily those of their employers or of AIIM International