Fostering enterprise mobility - is the smartphone the problem

Abstract

Enterprise mobility is about enabling an enterprise's workers access to applications, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, anytime and from anywhere using devices such as smartphones. However, while almost every US adult has a cellphone, it is not necessarily a smartphone. Furthermore, people may have older smartphones that don't effectively support apps such as mobile ERP. We build a theory of consumer technology adoption based on the notion of the 'whole product' mooted by marketing guru Geoffrey Moore in his best-selling book Crossing the Chasm. Our model focuses on product attributes as key drivers of consumer technology adoption. It differs from the UTAUT 2 which is a more user-centric adoption model. We show that for enterprise mobility to succeed more broadly, the industry must deliver a viable, extensible, and supportable smartphone serving both consumption and work-related purposes; and offer it at a lower price point than today's phones.