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6.4 Mobile Enterprise Solutions: From Supporting the Workforce to Improving Internal Operations 177

stantly on the move. Most realtors offer a photo gallery for Defining Mobile Enterprise
each property on your desktop or mobile device; but m-com- (Enterprise Mobility)
merce can do more than that. Let us look at two examples.
Mobile technology is rapidly proliferating in the enterprise. In
Example: Using Augmented Realty the previous sections, we introduced several business- oriented
Using augmented reality (see Chapter 2), some companies in examples, in what we survey “mobile enterprise applications”
Europe and the USA allow you to point your smartphone at or in short, “mobile enterprise.” This term refers to mobile
certain buildings in a city (e.g., Paris) and then see the prop- applications in enterprises (to distinguish from consumer-ori-
erty value superimposed on the image of the particular build- ented applications, such as mobile entertainment). Obviously,
ing. This technology is combined with a GPS to let the there are many mobile enterprise applications; examples are
system know your location. illustrated in Section 6.1, Figure 6.3.
HomeScan is an iPhone and McIntosh application devel-
oped by California-based ZipRealty.com that allows pro- A Working Definition of Mobile Enterprise
spective real estate customers to find, see, and download
properties in a mobile environment. For more about the Mobile enterprise refers to mobile applications used by com-
HomeScan app, see ziprealty.com/iphone. A more generic panies to improve the operations of the employees, facilities,
application is available from HomeSpotter. and relevant supply chains within the enterprise and with its
Several other mobile real estate applications are available business partners. For a comprehensive description of mobile
or being developed, combining Google Maps and Google enterprise including guidelines for implementation, best prac-
Earth with mobile applications. Note that some people object tices, and case studies, see Fitton et al. (2012). The term is also
to other people taking photos of their houses on the basis that known as enterprise mobility.
it is an invasion of privacy. For details, see searchconsumerization.techtarget.com/
Related to real estate, but used elsewhere, is electronic definition/Enterprise-mobility. For a large collection of
signature. A leading provider is DocuSign Inc. enterprise mobility and enterprise mobility applications, con-
duct a Google search. Finally, for a comprehensive guide to
enterprise mobility, see Sathyan et al. (2013). Also do a Google
SECTION 6.3 REVIEW QUESTIONS Images search for “enterprise mobility.” For Gartner’s analysis
(with figures) of enterprise mobility and the impact on IT, see
1. Describe some of the services provided by mobile gartner.com/doc/1985016/enterprise-mobility-impact-it.
banking. Many companies and experts believe that mobility can
2. List some of the benefits derived from e-banking. transform businesses. For a comprehensive presentation, see
3. Describe mobile applications in real estate. Fonemine (2014).

6.4 MOBILE ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS: The Framework and Content of Mobile
FROM SUPPORTING Enterprise Applications
THE WORKFORCE TO IMPROVING
INTERNAL OPERATIONS There are several proprietary frameworks for classifying mobile
applications. For example, AT&T Enterprise Business pro-
Although B2C m-commerce gets considerable publicity in vides categories such as vertical industry, healthcare, mobil-
the media, for most organizations the greatest benefit from ity, and mobile productivity. Also well known is Motorola’s
m-commerce is likely to come from applications within the framework.
enterprise. These applications mostly support the mobile
workforce employees who spend a substantial part of their
workday away from the corporate premises. Mobile Workers
The majority of enterprise mobile applications are included
in enterprise mobility or mobile enterprise (Fitton et al. A mobile worker is usually defined as any employee who is
2012). Enterprise mobility includes the people and technol- away from his or her primary work space at least 10 h a week
ogy (e.g., devices and networks) that enable mobile comput- (or 25% of the time). According to a new forecast from
ing applications within the enterprise. Enterprise mobility is International Data Corporation (IDC), the U.S. mobile worker
one of the top ten items in Gartner’s 2013 and 2014 strategic population will grow at a steady rate over the next 5 years,
technology lists. Mobile enterprise apps are gaining momen- increasing from 96.2 million in 2015 to 105.4 million mobile
tum in 2016 (see Weiss 2015). workers in 2020. By the end of the forecast period, IDC