Report: Smaller firms gaining competitive advantage with mobile strategies

Mobility is changing the way organizations operate and, with the consumerization of IT, more small and medium-sized businesses are encouraging employees to utilize personally-owned mobile devices in the workplace. Traditionally, companies in developed nations were more often to deploy advanced technologies, but when portable services are added to the mix the gap is closing quickly, according to an IDC report.

"To remain competitive and increase efficiency, SMBs in developing countries are leveraging workers' own technologies," said IDC's Ray Boggs. "Despite the potential security risks, these SMBs continue to allow employees to gain access to the company network and related resources through their own devices."

On a global scale, medium-sized organizations are more likely to support employee-owned smartphones, tablets and next-generation notebooks, although smaller firms are beginning to do the same, the report noted. By deploying bring-your-own-device policies, organizations can reduce the need for traditional communication platforms and deploy more advanced solutions like VoIP and unified communications.

By using these solutions, calls can avoid going to the office and be directly routed to employee mobile devices. This allows workers to move around the office or travel while still being in reach for customers or colleagues, according to experts.