Small and Medium Businesses Go MobileSmall and Medium Businesses Go Mobile

Who needs a company headquarters today? The reality is that employees spend a significant amount of time outside the office, so the smaller the headquarters, the better.In fact, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) found that smaller companies plan to reap the benefits that mobility offers, such as improved productivity, quicker response time, and more satisfied employees. The organization, which promotes the needs of a variety of resellers, asked more than 500 U.S. companies about their mobility plans. The organization found that seven in ten businesses view investments in mobile technology as a key requirement for their future business success.

In fact, mobility functions have already made their way into many small and medium enterprises. The survey showed that three out of every four companies now have individuals who telecommute, and nine out of ten have employees who regularly travel on business. To support this significant, and growing, percentage of employees take advantage of mobile functionality, corporations have instituted formal telecommuting policies. As a result, seven percent of those surveyed have employees who work from home at least one day per week.

Because so many employees are now working remotely, small and medium businesses need additional telecommunications tools. CompTIA found that 44 percent of the respondents plan to invest in smart phones during the next 12 months. In addition, these companies are trying to make sure that their connections are connections. As a result, about one in three plans to purchase Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology within the year.

Communication technology has been changing dramatically during the past few years. Increasingly, small and medium businesses are recognizing the need to deploy new technologies. If a business is not willing to make such investments, it seems like its competitors are likely to, so support for mobile workers has become a necessity rather than a luxury.

How much does your company invest in mobile technology? What new technologies are you examining? Why are you making these changes?