Dubai Internet City and Gartner Conduct Seminar on 'Mobility - What Enterprises and Consumers Need to Know'

Dubai: 20 September, 2006 - Senior Gartner analysts today presented their outlook on the consumerisation of mobility and its impact on the industry, at a seminar hosted by Dubai Internet City.

Gartner analysts outlined their view of the changes, technologies, devices and business models that are driving the continued growth of mobility across the world.

The event was hosted by Dubai Internet City as part of its mission to facilitate events and promote ideas that drive the growth of the IT industry.

Leif-Olof Wallin, Research Vice President, Gartner said: "It is hard to think of another product that demonstrates the consumerisation of IT better than the mobile phone. Mobile phones and services have become widely prevalent with penetration rates in some markets exceeding 100 percent. Enterprises must face up to the fact that consumers will use these devices for personal and business purposes."

Adding that consumerisation is a 'scary proposition' for many enterprises, he said: "Many enterprises are not prepared to deal with it. We are seeing two responses: one, where employees are using consumer applications like MSN, Google Talk and Skype within the office, presenting many IT policy and security dilemmas for the enterprise. The other is a more top-down approach where enterprises themselves are bringing in such no-cost applications to the workplace. All these developments are also changing the competitive landscape."

Jamal Abdulsalam, Executive Director of Dubai Internet City said: "Dubai Internet City is keen to hold events such as this Gartner seminar on mobility that can help regional enterprises get critical insights on IT trends. The seminar addressed some of the key mobility issues that enterprises in the region need to aware of."

The Gartner analysts highlighted the significance of holding the seminar in the UAE, which has the world's highest mobile penetration.

Stphanie Pittet, Principal Analyst for Gartner said: "The UAE has the highest mobile penetration rate in the world with 145 percent at the end of 2005, well ahead of countries like the UK, Sweden, Finland and Italy. Mobile connections in the UAE outnumber the actual population.

"This maturity, along with advanced technology and high purchasing power puts the country at the forefront of new mobile applications development, both in the enterprise and consumer space areas."

Key topics at the seminar included principles and technologies to deliver the next generation of mobile business propositions in 2011. The seminar also discussed the opportunities and challenges faced by top-level security managers, particularly Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in the evolving mobility scenario. 

Highlighting key trends that enterprises need to know when planning their mobility strategy for the next three to five years, Wallin addressed the changing business models in the mobile market and outlined how corporations are using mobility to deliver B2B and B2C systems and applications.

-Ends-

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© Press Release 2006