Published on the 13/10/2015 | Written by Newsdesk

Large organisations are immature when it comes to planning end-user computing initiatives, preferring to measure feedback instead of acting strategically…

Dimension Data said this is because these organisations are unsure of how to approach the concept of end-user computing as a cohesive strategy, and manage the proliferation of devices and their associated security risks.

At the same time, the company said organisations around the globe are considering a more user centric approach by introducing mobility concepts.

These are among the findings of the 2015 Mobile Workforce Report published by Dimension Data, which surveyed 730 organisations employing 1,000 or more staff in five regions and 11 countries across 14 industries. The research was undertaken to understand the challenges that CIOs are facing when it comes to adopting a user-centric approach to doing business, and provides insights into strategies and habits influencing end-user computing.

Of those organisations polled, 44 percent have incorporated enterprise mobility into a broader end-user computing strategy and have budget for end-user computing on multiple devices, while 13 percent have no end-user computing strategy in place.

On average, end-user computing is 28 percent of the IT budget. The research shows that almost two thirds (61 percent) of participants indicate that they are seeing ROI from end-user computing initiatives, with a further 65 percent seeing competitive advantage from their approach to end-user computing.

Neville Burdan, GM End-user Computing at Dimension Data APAC said the global workspace is changing along with where and how people work. “We’re seeing a growing number of organisations starting to embrace future forward working styles such as flexible time and the ability to work remotely, which includes accessing the corporate network.

“Dimension Data sees enterprise mobility as the concept of connected intelligence – always on, always connected, seamless availability of resources, people and information.”

Burdan pointed out that giving end-users access to information via company portals signals the right steps towards market maturity.

Other highlights in the 2015 Mobile Workforce Report include:

• Mobile IT management and Mobile Applications are top initiatives for 2016
• An overwhelming number of respondents do not have a comprehensive management solution for both phones and tablets (32 percent) or utilise a siloed approach to manage both PCs and smart devices (31 percent).
• Security is the single top priority component of EUC among almost half (43 percent) of respondents, followed by IT Service Management
• The CIO is the most prominent driver of strategic mobility initiatives within the business. However, they remain in a reactive state when it comes to end user computing, and are struggling to act strategically.

Meanwhile, while the modern worker expects access to anyone, anytime and anywhere, 82 percent of organisations stated that a key obstacle facing end-user computing initiatives is protecting company data and providing a good user experience.

“It appears that the proliferation of employee-owned mobile devices has placed the IT department in a reactive state when it comes to management and enablement, leaving CIOs unable to respond strategically. Nevertheless, it’s a vibrant and exciting time for end-user computing as organisations press ahead aggressively,” Burdan added.