We attended 4 DAYS of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Below are some KEY highlights from Mobile Workforce Strategies.

Day 1

• Samsung announced the Enterprise Device Program (EDP). Two core components of the EDP: Monthly Security Updates and Two-year Device Purchase Program.

Samsung announced the enterprise device program to further business transformation. Starting with the Galaxy S7, Samsung has also announced the Enterprise Device Program (EDP). This program is designed to give businesses confidence in the purchase decision with respect to security and availability of the devices. There are two core components of the EDP:

Monthly Security Updates: With Samsung further reinforcing the platform with KNOX and committing to monthly security updates. With Android for Work, Samsung has invested quite a lot to make Android a trusted platform for people to use in the workplace.

Two-year Device Purchase Program:

Samsung recognizes the need for enterprises to have a complete device lifecycle management program in place. Enterprise customers are now able to take advantage of a two-year purchase assurance program for select device models, starting with the Galaxy S7, giving them the ability to purchase the same device model up to two years from the device’s market availability. This program will simplify how customers define their fleet of devices and manage their refresh cycles.

According to our MWS Q4 2015 business smartphone tracking, Personal Liable Android phone shipments grew faster than Corporate Liable but initiatives such as Samsung KNOX and Google's Android for Work are influencing corporate IT departments to adopt more Android smartphones as corporate devices.

We expect with the release of the Galaxy S7 and GS7 edge, Samsung’s traction in business smartphone will increase as the level of security offered by this pairing will be suited for even regulated industries.

Source: Samsung

Day 2:

• A sign of unity in the world of mobility, major EMM vendors joined forces: MobileIron, IBM, JAMF, and Airwatch have formed the AppConfig Community to establish a common approach for enterprise app configuration and security based on OS-native standards to simplify app development and deployment. Apple is also in support of AppConfig Community.

AirWatch, IBM, JAMF and MobileIron collaborate on a common approach to simplify enterprise app development and security based on native mobile OS standards. Working together, the members of the AppConfig Community will create tools, best practices and educational forums to enable developers and organizations to simplify app development and deployment and accelerate the adoption of transformational business apps.

We believe the AppConfig Community is important for both iOS developers and IT leaders who need to build, secure and deploy enterprise apps at scale. The AppConfig Community addresses a critical need that will allow developers to streamline their integration with EMMs, and will help offer customers a more consistent experience across mobile apps. With standards and best practices for business apps that work across EMMs, we believe AppConfig Community will help organizations simplify mobile and ultimately innovate through new business transformation.

Day 3:

• BlackBerry announced new professional cybersecurity services, provide enterprise security services via Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and also expansion of its partnership with Sharecare to provide actionable health information to millions of BBM users.

Accordingly to MWS latest Q4 2015 business smartphone quarterly tracking, BlackBerry business smartphone shipments dropped 61.3% YoY to reach only 0.6 million units in Q4 2015, a new record-low in its history. The Canadian company has been narrowing the target audience for its phones to financial professionals and government workers who demand a rigorous level of security (FYI - BlackBerry still holds approximately 70 government certifications and approvals, a number that is the highest among any mobile phone manufacturer), and BB has also renewed focus on software as smartphone sales keep falling. BlackBerry has moved further into the mobile device management space by purchasing Good Technology, Watchdox in 2015 and also the acquisition of U.K.-based company Encryption Unlimited, which the company says brings needed cybersecurity consulting experience to the organization.

Well, it says it all, BlackBerry seems to be finally conceding to the fact that it’s no longer the smartphone powerhouse it once was, as it continues to try to solidify its position as a company focused on enterprise security services.

BB launched new cybersecurity services at MWC 2016, further expanding its already established security portfolio by offering enterprise consulting. BB also announced that provide enterprise security services via Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and also expansion of its partnership with Sharecare to provide actionable health information to millions of BBM users.

Other key highlights throughout Day 1 -4

Day 1 -4

New additions to the Windows 10 family of devices for enterprises, there’s still life for Microsoft

Several new Windows 10 devices were recently unveiled at MWC 2016, few major launches targeted at the enterprise customers include:

• Alcatel (Fierce XL),
• HP (Elite x3),
• Huawei (MateBook),
• Trinity (Nuans NEO),
• Lenovo (Yoga 510 and 710),
• Panasonic (Toughpad FZ-F1, Toughbook CF-20)
• VAIO (Phone Biz),
• Samsung (Galaxy TabPro S).

The announcements in MWC are telling us that there is still hope for Microsoft in the mobile marketplace and as well as the business mobile marketplace and Window 10 is proving more attractive to firms than Windows 8 - particularly among larger businesses. We heard from Terry Myerson / Executive Vice President, Windows and Devices Group at MWC that the new devices launched we’re seeing at Mobile World Congress build on the strong momentum we’re seeing for Windows 10 – across the enterprise, with customers like the US Department of Defense, who will upgrade four million devices to Windows 10 in the next year.

We are expecting to see stronger growth in Window 10 smartphone and tablet devices uptake in the enterprise space in 2016.

Source: Panasonic

Day 1- 4

‘Enterprisification‘ is going to be the story for wearables, no doubt: Sony Xperia Ear, Estrus Detection System for Cattle by Fujitsu, Navigil smartwatch (heart rate monitoring) and Vuzix (video eyewear and smart glasses) all grabbed headlines on wearables products for businesses, i.e. agriculture, industrial and medical

As wearable technology matures, 2016 is the year wearables in the workplace get real—meaning that they have an actual impact on businesses’ bottom line and the day-to-day activities of enterprise employees.

In 2016, we are expected to see wider use in many verticals as technology advances, wearables are more manageable, users are becoming more comfortable with wearable technology, and more effort is being dedicated to developing useful applications that fit most enterprise mobility users.

Source: Vuzix