mobileWith the number of active cell phones reaching 7.3 billion this year, according to Silicon India and Gartner predicting that tablet shipments will outstrip PCs by 72% in 2016, is it any wonder that organizations are looking at their mobile technology strategy as they embark on 2014?
According to Dr. Hossein Eslambolchi the Chairman and CEO at CyberFlow Analytics you have a recipe for growth or disaster depending on how how prepared you are for this technology within your enterprise. The same goes for meetings and events – so planners pay attention to what is just around the corner!
Here are the six predictions by Eslambolchi to help you stay ahead of the curve:
  • Over 90% of companies will have to support their employees BYODs. IT departments are going to have to support numerous phones and tablets. No longer will they be able to dictate hardware preferences from a support standpoint.

    Same will hold true at meetings. If you are going to invest in mobile apps, you will need to know what BYODs need to be supported and that the apps can run effectively on all platforms. You may need to rent iPads for those attendees who do not carry smartphones or mobile devices.

  • Enterprises will need to assign a Chief Mobility Officer. This individual will be responsible for mobile, cloud and social initiatives across the company.

    You will need prepared to do the same with your meetings. Whether it is a staff person, volunteer, or committee it is incumbent on you to keep on top of changes within the mobility marketplace.

  • Cycle time for innovation will be cut by 80% this year. Companies must implement change quicker than ever before.

    This means your meetings need to be nimble and ready to make innovative changes on a real-time basis. Changes, additions and actions can be communicated easily through tablets, video wall rental units or digital signage.

  • Video will consume 95% of Internet traffic by the end of this year. Beside viewing video on tablets, employees and attendees will be viewing  them on 4K plasma displays for maximum resolution.

    With video consuming such a large share of bandwidth, you need to be prepared to understand the Wi-Fi capabilities of a venue, in particular during peak times. Most likely you will need to invest in a Wi-Fi network array rental unit in order to keep up with your video demands.

  • Architecture will be customer-centered — building the process, system and apps around those needs. Same can be said about events — they need to be more attendee-centered building the speakers, exhibitors and conference equipment rentals around their needs.
  • Li-Fi will explode in 2014 and beyond. If you are unfamiliar with Li-Fi, here is a brief description of the process: Data is transmitted through LED light equipment rentals. The light bulbs flicker on and off up to billions of times per second to a receiver on a iPad or laptop equipped with a camera that can see the light and decode the flicker into data.

    Although it will not replace Wi-Fi because of its limits in service range, the ability to deliver up to 100GB/s of bandwidth is very attractive and it will be explored and eventually marketed in meeting venues.

SmartSource Rentals is your national total technology solutions provider with 20 locations to serve you.