Mobile Virtualization - Coming to a Smartphone Near You!

1. Smartphones are the next PC: The fundamental role of a mobile phone is changing from being a communication device to an email appliance to a full-on computational device.  Users are now able to do things beyond checking emails/calendar/contacts with many already running a whole slew of applications such as CRM, inventory tracking, expense reporting, HR apps, etc. on their mobile phones.  So for all practical purposes, smartphones are the next generation PC - they won't have a keyboard or a mouse but certainly users will be able to do most of what they need from a mobile device.

Also, accordingly to the latest IDC reports, there will be more smartphones than PCs sold within two years.  It is fair to assume then that more applications, services and data will be consumed from smartphones than PCs.  As this happens, there will be an increased focus on security and manageability as smartphones become first-class and mission-critical devices.

2. SomeOldDude's Law:  Similar to Moore’s Law on x86 platforms, ARM processors are getting faster and cheaper by the day. Qualcomm, TI and others are already offering 1.5GHz dual-core ARM processors for mobile phones.  Most modern day smart phones have at least 512MB of RAM and that is likely to increase as well.  As evidenced today, users will use these devices for more than just checking emails or making phone calls.

3. Consumerization of IT:  The notion of an enterprise buying you a PC and a phone so you can work is becoming an old-school model since most of the millennial folks entering the work force now already have a laptop and a smartphone.  Often times, their personal devices are better than what the corporation provides them so expecting them to use outdated hardware/software is like sending them to Siberia in the middle of winter.  At the same time, many CEOs and CxOs are also bringing these devices to work because they like using them at home and actually prefer to use them at work as well.

It is no wonder then that many CIOs are seeing an increase in employee requests to use personal devices to access corporate content.  While corporate owned devices will not disappear any time soon, employee-owned devices will increase dramatically forcing enterprises to figure out a way to safely and securely provision the right applications, data, services and management policies onto employee-owned devices.

When you put all the above together, you will find that employees will want to run more enterprise applications on their powerful personal smartphones but enterprises will continue to worry about securing and managing enterprise content on these devices.  This is an area where virtualization can help in a significant manner.