Best mobile operating system for business users
Traditionally, when mobiles first began to be used by businesses, company phone users looked at BlackBerry first before other manufacturers. However, those days are long gone. Now, with SmartPhones predominant, there are a range of operating systems to choose from, each of which offers its own features and uses (and potential problems for IT departments).
It was Apple, with the iPhone, that first started to break the BlackBerry business grip. As users began to use the phones in their life outside work, they saw how useful they could be within a working environment. Small businesses started their adoption first, but over time many large companies have started to use iPhones (and now iPads) within their communication structure.
Having broken BlackBerry’s business dominance, this has paved the way for other OSs to be utilised. Google’s Android is an obvious choice, having become the biggest OS by market share. It is easy to develop applications for, if there is not one already made for your particular business needs.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone has not yet been widely adopted, either by the public or business users. Whilst being visually appealing it does not have the same range of apps as the major players. However, it does have one distinct advantage – Microsoft’s business IT dominance.
The majority of businesses will be running Windows operating systems on their computers. With the upcoming release of Windows 8 there will be a greater integration between desktop, laptop and mobile devices, which will all be able to run the new OS in some form or another.
This seamless integration will be appealing to many IT departments. If they are upgrading their PCs to Windows 8 why not upgrade all of their mobile devices too?
As adoption increases so will the number of apps available. If business users start to use the OS, more business apps will be developed, making it increasingly appealing to other business users. This cycle could see Windows 8 becoming the predominant business mobile OS, but that is very speculative at this stage and will take some time.
And what about BlackBerry? There are still plenty of companies using them but more and more are switching to more flexible alternatives. RIM are promising a new revolutionary BlackBerry OS, together with better BB handsets, but it is slow in coming and in the meantime they are losing plenty of ground.
So which is best for your business?
For small businesses this will largely depend on personal preference. All of the different options will give you email and internet on the move and a good selection of apps.
Larger businesses may need more integration with their systems, specific applications, or a level of security that is only found on certain devices.
If your company is looking to change its mobile phones, please contact us for independent help and advice. We can ensure you get the best mobile phones for your needs as well as the optimum tariff for your usage.