Technology is in a constant state of evolution. Every day some new product or service brings promises of revolutionizing how we live and work. However, only a few, like mobile technology, live up to those claims. From the moment Dr. Martin Cooper placed the first call from a 2.5 pound handheld mobile phone in 1973 at Motorola to Apple’s introduction of the iPad in 2010, mobile technology has gradually reshaped our expectations for communication and access to information.

In the last decade, consumer lust for all things mobile has caused the size of the mobile market to expand with unprecedented speed. According to the International Telecommunications Union, at the end of 2011, there were 6 billion mobile subscriptions – that’s 87 percent of the global population.  IDC predicts that by 2014 there will have been over 76 billion mobile apps downloaded resulting in an app economy worth an estimated thirty five billion in the same year. The impact of this demand for mobility has not just affected the consumer sector; it is also transforming the enterprise.

Employees have no desire to leave their devices at the doors of the office. Customers expect fast answers to questions wherever they are. Mobile has ushered in a revolution that requires businesses to serve up information, business services and social interaction on demand and on the go, across a variety of screen sizes and devices. Businesses must respond to these demands and adapt to the continued influx of mobility or risk obsolescence.

Companies that get mobility right can experience higher levels of employee productivity, improved customer engagement and even faster innovation cycles. Get wrong and it can become a confusing tangle of devices, technologies and new security concerns. IT leaders are racing to become knowledgeable about mobile and find a balance between control and support for innovation. They are struggling to differentiate vendor offerings.

This month on Services Angle, we are shedding some light on that struggle with our focus on enterprise mobility. We will look at trends, best practices, challenges and of course what’s going on in the market that is impacting IT leaders. If you have questions about enterprise mobility, Services Angle is where you need to be in October.