Get Ready for Wearables at Work. Survey of IT pros reveals drivers, benefits, and challenges of supporting wearables in the workforce

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1 - Samsung Tablet Photo - Get Ready for Wearables at Work Survey of IT pros reveals drivers, benefits, and challenges of supporting wearables in the workforce

2 Table of contents Introduction 2 The move to wearables is on 3 Being prepared for the challenges 5 Wearables at work: Real-world use cases 7 Leading the way in wearables with Samsung Gear 9 About Samsung 9 About the survey 10 GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 1

3 Introduction Wearable technology has decidedly left the realm of science fiction and landed squarely in the real world, where people are wearing wristbands that track their fitness activities, watches that do everything smartphones do, and eyewear that displays videos, maps, and more. And now the focus is shifting from consumer applications to business ones, where industry observers are predicting profound improvements in productivity and efficiency, as well as other benefits, for the organizations that support them. 1 Wearables are already starting to make inroads among some enterprise-size companies. 2 But is the work world at large ready for wearables? What are the factors that will drive or discourage their widespread adoption? What about the challenges associated with introducing wearables at work? In a recent Spiceworks survey of 187 IT pros in the U.S., they talk about business use of wearables, their views on the barriers and benefits to adoption, and use cases both actual and anticipated for their organizations. This white paper shares key findings from the survey as well as other relevant information to help organizations make the most of wearables in their work environments. The benefits are undeniably powerful, and the key to reaping them is being informed and prepared.! Wearables are already starting to make inroads among some enterprisesize companies - Tech.pinions GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 2

4 The move to wearables is on According to the survey, while the overwhelming majority of organizations (94%) are not currently supporting wearables, more than one third are planning to do so in the next 12 months. This tracks with other reports of growing adoption rates for tablets. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), for example, projects an adoption rate in the U.S. that will match that of tablets in And Fortune magazine recently predicted that adoption of wearables at work would outpace consumer adoption, based on research by Harris Interactive. 5 Likelihood of supporting wearables Within the next 12 months 38% Are likely to support wearables in the next 12 months Extremely likely Very likely Somewhat likely Likely Not at all likely Don t know 1% 1% 3% 33% 52% 10% GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 3

5 THE MOVE TO WEARABLES IS ON What s driving adoption? The overwhelming factor is employee demand, cited by the majority of respondents that already support wearables. And what benefits have organizations experienced (or, if they don t support wearables yet, what benefits do they expect to experience) from supporting wearables? The top three responses hands-free functionality (37%), enhanced communication/collaboration (33%), and enhanced mobility (32%) can be seen as interrelated. As Brent Lang points out in a Wired blogpost: From hotels to nuclear energy plants to hospitals, highly mobile workers in these fast-paced environments are using wearable communication devices to intelligently connect and collaborate with each other. He also notes that these are the devices that don t get in the way of doing work, which often leads to a desire for hands-free wearable devices. 6 The benefits of supporting wearables Hands-free functionality 37% Enhanced communications/collaboration 33% Enhanced mobility 32% Increased productivity 25% Increased efficiency 23% Increased accuracy 19% Improved end-user experience 18% Increased availability 12% Improved customer experience/customer care 12% Simplified management 7% Reduced costs 2% Innovation 2% Reduced hardware requirements 2% Other 3% None 18% Don t know 17% 50% 100% GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 4

6 Being prepared for the challenges While surveyed organizations recognized a variety of benefits from supporting wearables, they also associated a number of challenges with wearables. Forty-nine percent identified loss or theft of devices as the greatest challenge they experienced or would expect to experience with wearables. Other top challenges included end-user policy enforcement and security compliance/ requirements (both 35%). Challenges of wearable support Lost or stolen devices 49% Enforcement of end-user policies 35% Security compliance/requirements 35% Increased costs 32% Increased help desk calls/support time 32% Security breaches/threats 30% Ownership of personal data 25% Increased mgmt. complexity 25% Software/app compatibility 24% Device control 21% Device quality/reliability 21% Bandwidth 9% API security 8% Increased device volume 7% Other 5% None 3% Don t know 7% 50% 100% GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 5

7 BEING PREPARED FOR THE CHALLENGES For organizations that don t support wearables but are considering support, the question is whether the benefits outweigh the challenges. There s a strong argument to be made that they do if organizations are prepared to take steps to address the challenges successfully. As Steven Bjarnason, a certified information systems security professional stated in BusinessNewsDaily, It s a question of asking if your company wants to embrace [wearable technology] as a natural order of things without a plan, or understand in advance what the implications and costs are so that it can adequately deal with the security, safety, and privacy issues this technology potentially imparts. 7 in the event of loss or theft. And engaging employees in preparation of supporting wearables is critical; it s a good idea to train employees to both maximize the usefulness and mitigate the dangers of wearables. 8 Employee education is also key to addressing one of the other major challenges surveyed IT pros identified: end-user policy enforcement. Security expert Stephen Brown says that organizations need to educate their employees and create a culture of accountability so that they respect corporate policy. 9 Evaluating the security of devices is an important first step. Choosing wearables that can be locked, for example, will ensure that unauthorized users can t access their data! Evaluating the security of devices is an important first step in supporting wearables in the workplace. GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 6

8 Wearables at work: Real-world use cases When asked about use cases in their own environments, 45% of survey respondents said they would use (or were already using) wearables to enable mobile communication/ collaboration. Thirty-seven percent use them to collect real-time data/information, and 35% use them to run mobile/hands-free applications. Wearable use cases 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 45% To enable mobile communication/collaboration 37% To collect real-time data/ information 35% To run mobile/hands-free apps To track time/billable hours 25% To manage or track workforce 25% 6% Other 19% None 10% Don t know GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 7

9 WEARABLES AT WORK: REAL- WORLD USE CASES A smartwatch is a great example of how these use cases can play out. Organizations of all kinds can use smartwatches for mobile communication among employees especially with employees on the road, who can get timely information from a smartwatch when it s not advisable to use a smartphone (for example, while driving). More specifically, healthcare organizations can expect to see smartwatches impacting medicine, from patients wearing them for hands-free monitoring of vital signs to healthcare workers using them to get valuable data while their hands are busy working on patients. The survey also touched on using wearables as part of employee wellness programs. Twenty-six percent of respondents in the survey indicated their organizations offered wellness programs that reimburse employees for wellness items such as wearable devices. This is an area where smartwatches offer a clear advantage over other types of mobile devices. As one technology writer puts it, With a smartwatch you could glance at your wrist [to get statistics], and it can save battery power because you ll get the data on your watch instead of having to use a lot of energy to light up your phone s screen. 10! Organizations of all kinds can use smartwatches for mobile communication among employees especially employees on the road... GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 8

10 Samsung: Leading the way in wearables with Samsung Gear Samsung is a leader in wearables for the workplace. Its Samsung Gear watches, from the Gear Fit for tracking fitness data to the network-connected Gear S, made up more than 70% of the smartwatch market in the first quarter of Gear S benefits for business users include 3G network connectivity with the ability to call, text, , or use GPS even while away from a phone, as well as an always-on two-inch display with plenty of room for reading notifications, viewing pictures, and responding to s. About Samsung Business As a global leader in enterprise mobility and information technology, Samsung Business provides a diverse portfolio of enterprise technologies including smartphones, wearables, tablets, digital displays, hospitality TVs, printers and medical diagnostic equipment. We are committed to putting the business customer at the core of everything we do by delivering comprehensive products, solutions and services across diverse industries including retail, healthcare, hospitality, education and government. For more information, please visit samsung.com/business or follow Samsung Business via GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 9

11 About the survey Samsung commissioned Spiceworks to conduct an online survey in October 2014 to profile current wearable business practices and use cases, as well as to identify benefits of and barriers to wearable use in the workplace. A total of 187 interviews were collected from IT pros in the U.S. Half of the respondents came from companies with fewer than 100 employees. Another 35% came from companies with 100 to 499 employees, and 15% came from companies with 500 or more employees. Sources 1 The Next Evolution for Wearables: Business, Tech.pinions, October Wearables in business: Five companies getting real work done, ZDNet, June Small businesses, not huge companies, will lead the way for tablet growth, VentureBeat, March The Wearable Future, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Experts say adoption of wearables at work will outpace it at home thanks to improved safety, productivity, and collaboration, Fortune, October com/2014/10/29/will-the-workplace-lead-wearable-technology-adoption 6 Wearable Technology in the Workplace: Driving Real Business Value, Wired, April source=activity?#axzz3jvfusoon 7 Wearable Tech at Work Poses Challenges for Businesses, BusinessNewsDaily, June Big worries about wearables in the workplace: Could education be the best security measure?, AT&T Networking Exchange Blog, July enterprise-business/big-worries-wearables-workplace/#fbid=vv-aqvpwg35 9 Securing the New Device on the Block, Mobile Enterprise, November Killer Apps That Could Make Me Love the Samsung Galaxy, Forbes, September Samsung dominates as smartwatch market doubles in size, CNET, May cnet.com/news/samsung-dominates-as-smartwatch-market-doubles-in-size/ GET READY FOR WEARABLES AT WORK // 10