“Productivity and Workplace transformation, Device Lifecycle Management, Mobile security and Sustainability are the four macro-trends in the mobile connectivity market of 2022 and beyond that we are detecting”, says Carolina Ramirez, Vice President Marketing of the FreeMove Alliance. “Our customers look for a partner they can trust with business process automation and device management for a more effective and sustainable mobile connectivity in the Next Normal, where the hybrid workplace, data protection and the green transition are at the top of the agenda”.
Workplace and devices: key insights
The Covid-19 pandemic has already accelerated the digital transition in the past two years, but today MNCs have reached a new level of awareness of the benefits of mobile connectivity in terms of workers’ engagement. The Next Normal includes a partial return to the physical office and a growing offer of remote working options. The “phygital” model is granted to succeed when rooted into reliable mobile networks and device management solutions.
“There is a growing focus on the areas of Productivity and Workplace transformation, because they have a direct impact on how successful organisations will be in their mobile connectivity strategies”, says Carolina Ramirez. “In the case of Workplace transformation, for example, market trends and new technologies are shifting the conversation from connectivity to productivity. Our customers expect to enjoy a seamless experience wherever they are”.
These areas are also dependent on a solid Device Lifecycle Management: the pandemic showed how problems easily arise on global supply chains and that devices are no exception. MNCs emphasise the importance of relying on solutions that facilitate mobile fleet management without adding any IT complexities.
Security and sustainability: an urgent matter
For enterprises that have a distributed workforce it is also crucial to keep their people always connected while protecting their strategic information. The adoption of personal devices (BYOD) for business uses and the rise in remote working during the pandemic can result in enterprises being more exposed to risks. More recently, the crisis in Ukraine has confirmed that cyber threats are real. “Our customers are aware of how strategic their data is and want their mobile connectivity to be secure“, says Carolina Ramirez. Education is key here, but a secure network coupled with state-of-the-art device management solutions are no longer an option.
Organisations are also stepping up their efforts on Sustainability. “Multinationals are taking their environmental and social responsibilities very seriously”, points out Carolina Ramirez. ” We have seen it in all the recent RFPs they are launching. Companies are truly committed to reducing their impact on the environment, just like mobile operators are. The members of the FreeMove Alliance have set ambitious corporate objectives to drastically offset their carbon emissions and we are ready to support our customers who want to be sure the mobile devices they dismiss will be recycled”.
A mobile services hub that empowers innovation
While responding to current trends, the FreeMove Alliance helps businesses anticipate and proactively drive innovation. “As the FreeMove Alliance, we co-create with our customers our roadmap and constantly monitor new technologies to assess their potential to improve our customers’ business goals”, says Carolina Ramirez. “Our members are best in class network operators in their own markets, so we focus our efforts in putting together their solutions and MNCs’ needs”.
ITSM solutions, API integration, and globalisation coupled with a centralised purchasing and coordination model are the key innovation drivers for customers in the mobile-first world. That is why the Alliance keeps focusing on automating the business processes that are crucial for MNCs to seamlessly manage their distributed fleets.
“In the last few years customers have been asking telco operators to focus on productivity, not just connectivity, and our members are developing solutions that cover business process automation with ITSM and API integration”, says Carolina Ramirez. “In the near future, we believe technology innovations based on 5G will become the main driver that accelerates these trends and takes the workplace transformation to a new level to further unleash the power of mobility”.
