Nokia study finds UAE CIOs are among first in region to implement corporate mobility policies and standards

The survey found that corporate standards and policies for enterprise mobile usage were defined at 60% of UAE companies, versus an average of 49% in the three other countries that were part of the study - Egypt, South Africa and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

'These findings reflect the UAE's position as a regional business hub with many high-value knowledge workers and travelling executives' said Joe Devassy, Head of Enterprises Solutions, Nokia Middle and Near East. 'Offering the mobile workforce the same access to information and systems as office-bound colleagues will ensure productivity and effective business practice across the entire workforce.'

With enterprises seeking to gain a competitive edge by implementing productivity-enhancing mobile solutions, today's portable devices contain an increasing amount of critical information, which adds to the need for device management, security and support. While 77% of the UAE's companies surveyed said that mobile device management was 'very important' to their organisation's operations, the study showed that across all countries, 46% of companies had a device management system in place, while many of the remaining 54% said they were intending to implement one in the near future.

Device management solutions allow enterprises to provide better control and safety for their increasing number of smart devices, allowing improved efficiency and reducing the risk of device downtime. The system is managed through a web based application where modifications such as updating software, debugging, installing applications and tracking software versions can all be handled from a central point over a mobile network.

'Making corporate data more available is an important step forward for any business. More and more mobile workers are requesting fast, remote access to everything from email, contacts and calendars through to customer relationship management, resource planning and supply chain management systems,' continued Joe Devassy. 'Until IT departments take control by implementing a top-down strategy and overseeing the roll-out of devices and software, employees will inevitably take matters into their own hands by making ad hoc purchases of devices to support them in their work.'

More than 53% of the UAE's respondents said that uninterrupted and secure access was the major challenge to be addressed for the workforce, while 30% identified continuous support as a concern. Lost devices were identified as a major concern in terms of device management by 80% and protection of devices was cited by 63%, 53% of the CIOs interviewed also listed troubleshooting and configuration as a major concern.

'The results of this survey enable us to more accurately analyse the needs and requirements of mobile workers in the UAE and to gear our products more specifically to them.' said Joe Devassy. 'Corporate mobility is an important step for businesses here, and by delivering the right mix of products and solutions, we can empower these businesses to have the technology and tools for adapting to the modern business environment,' he added.

The study, which was carried out on some 150 companies across the 4 countries, was primarily a telephonic survey, and spoke to CIOs across various industry categories that have either recently implemented a device management strategy or are intending to do so in the near future. The survey asked objective questions about perceptions and challenges of using a device management system. 20% of respondents were based in the UAE accounting for some 30 CIOs.