The New Evolution in Mobility is Already Here

The Next Evolution in Mobility is Already Here

It is clear that the latest and biggest market in IT these days is in mobile devices.  Tablet devices are leading in Retail Sales compared to Desktops and Laptops.  Microsoft's recent foray into the Tablet/ Mobility market with the Surface recognises this fact.  The plethora of devices provided by a number of different vendors and their relatively low cost is changing how IT works.  During a recent visit to a local retailers website there were over 60 tablet devices listed all less than $1000 in price.  Over 1/2 were less than $600 in price.  That same retailer also has about 40 different smart phones on offer again most for less than $500.

Bring Your Own Device

This evolution in hardware means that there is an evolution going on in IT infrastructure.  Most corporate IT organizations have locked down desktop environments and for good reasons.  The greater the variety in devices and software you have to manage the higher your IT costs.  Because Hardware and Software used to be costly and these budgets managed centrally IT could enforce these controls but no longer.  If I had a nickel for every time I heard the following story I'd be a rich man...

A Sales Manager goes to his local retailer and sees a great Tablet Device for less that $600.  He says to himself "I can afford this on my own budget I don't need to get IT's approval".  The next day 30 to 40 sales employees all have a new Tablets.  Then the Sales Manager walks over to the IT Department Manager and says "It's done, I've got these 40 new devices and now you need to support these and by the way I want all my Business Applications to work on these new Tablets".  The IT Manager goes white and you can see his hair greying before your eyes.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is here to stay.  You can't do anything about this.  IT costs go up. 

Bring your Own Application

Now this leads me to the next challenge.  Each of these great devices has their own Applications Store.  Apple, Google and Microsoft all have one and they pretty much all work the same.  Download an Application for free, try it and if you like it then pay a few $ per month to continue to use it.

Suddenly these IT folks not only have a variety of hardware they have to support but also a variety of software to support.   Bring Your Own Application (BYOA) is here to stay as well. IT costs go up yet again. 

Enterprise Application Stores

The smart IT departments are fighting back.  They are developing their own Enterprise Application Stores to combat this trend and try to reduce costs and gain some control.  Gartner says that 25% of Enterprises will have an Enterprise Application Store by 2017.  But these Enterprise Application Stores will need to provide Applications that can work across a multitude of devices and Operating Systems for IT to easily maintain them. 

eSavvy's Response to these Trends

As you know eSavvy have been in the CRM space for number of years.  We were Microsoft's CRM Partner of the Year last year for Australia and Dynamics Asia Pacific Partner of the Year last year as well.  We are a loyal Microsoft partner and will continue to be so in the future.  We believe in the power of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and will continue to have this as being core to our technology strategy as a Systems Integrator.   But we do see a change in how people will use Dynamics CRM in the future.  Taking into account the above trends, customers will less and less want to be using Dynamics CRM over a desktop and more and more need to be using it with their mobile device of their choice (Tablet or Phone).  Microsoft recognises this as well.  They recently released versions of Dynamics CRM which supported multiple browsers and a version of Dynamics CRM for the iPad. 

There is a gap however.  The form factors provided by Microsoft don't suit the mobile phone space well (iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile) and the iPad version is restricted in the entities you can access and isn't very customizable.  It also doesn't allow you to go offline.  There is no support for Android Tablets as well.  Customers needed a mobility solution for Dynamics CRM which can be supported across multiple different devices and operating systems simultaneously.   Enter eSavvy Mobile. 

eSavvy have taken the extraordinary step of developing their own Mobility Application which integrates with Dynamics CRM.  Built on a new Technology called Titanium that mobile application allows you to manage the same code base across multiple different devices and operating systems and it allows you to take your data offline.  It becomes the ideal CRM client for that BYOD and BYOA environment that we have been talking about and becomes something that customers can include in their Enterprise Applications Store.  Best yet, the baseline application is licenced for free to eSavvy CRM customers. It will be released by eSavvy in the upcoming weeks with a webinar being presented in the next few weeks.  To find out more details and to subscribe to that webinar just send an email to info@esavvy.com.au

Enterprises need to include the terms BYOD and BYOA into their vernacular.  IT departments will need to develop strategies to address these trends.  eSavvy is positioning ourselves to be an asset in this regards and help IT departments reduce their costs. 

David Goad is the Managing Director for eSavvy – Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold Certified Partner. eSavvy is an award winning Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner staffed by some of the most experienced solution and technical architects in the Microsoft partner channel. We build and deliver relationship management solutions based on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform for large enterprises as well small and midsize businesses in Australia.