Better Late Than Never: Why IBM And Cisco Hopped On the Enterprise Mobility Train

November 25, 2014

ibm-verse

How IBM and Cisco are Leading the Pack

Little by little, companies have been improving and creating technologies that give employees the luxury of ditching their office chairs and working on the move. These companies have quickly built traction, but the need for additional technology and resources in this industry has gone unnoticed. So when the big guys enter the field and spend a lot of money to rejuvenate their products for enterprise mobility, they’re making a statement everyone should pay close attention to.
Recently, IBM and Cisco simultaneously announced collaborative email solutions that not only heavily optimize for, but also rely on the use of mobile. With IBM’s Verse and Cisco’s Project Squared, the two tech giants acknowledged that going mobile is essential to keeping their businesses up to speed with the rapidly evolving work environment.

The Workplace As We Know It Is Changing

There are many reasons for people to dismiss the transformation from laptop to mobile. After all, who could imagine a world where Excel models and PowerPoint decks become automated and no longer consume a substantial portion of white-collar work? I can think of five other reasons to remain dubious. That being said, this trend is hard to ignore, and even harder when giants enter the space.
In the most basic sense, our habits in our personal lives can only differ so much from our experiences at work. Back in 2005, the only screens people stared at for over a minute in their personal lives was either the television and desktop monitor. Now that we approach 2015, you’ll never find me using a computer doing non work-related activities. I’m arguing that this extreme divide between behavior at the office and behavior at home cannot endure.
It seems that same rationale served as the driving force behind both Verse and Project Squared. When releasing Verse, IBM SVP Bob Picciano proclaimed that, “Mobile technology is not just impacting our personal lives, it’s profoundly changing how we work.” I wholeheartedly agree, Mr. Picciano.
I’m curious what else motivates founders to create mobile business solutions apart from improving efficiency or better aligning work with our personal lives. Chime in below!

Image Courtesy of IBM

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