Half of Federal IT Professionals Agree: PC Alternatives are Key to Productivity

Mobile device use in government is growing but government agencies must overcome security challenges, IT staffing needs, and the diversity of personal mobile devices to realize mobility benefits, according to a new study by MeriTalk underwritten by VMware and Carahsoft. The new report*, “Mobile Powered Government,” reveals that Federal mobile tablet use will near triple by 2013 and identifies how agencies are preparing to enable post-PC productivity.



In the midst of government mandates to reduce IT costs and Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel’s new Federal Mobility Strategy, government mobile device use is increasing. Federal IT professionals expect tablet use to climb from 7 percent today to 19 percent in 2013. Smartphone use is expected to increase from 35 percent today to 43 percent in 2013. To meet the increasing demand for mobile devices, the Federal workforce will need to add approximately 533,000 tablets and 355,000 smartphones in the next two years.



Federal IT professionals report that a mobile workforce is more productive, helps government achieve its telework initiatives, and enhances the employee experience. In fact, 49 percent of Federal IT professionals doubt that Federal agencies can be productive without PC alternatives such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The report also reveals that if the addition of smartphones enables Federal workers to be even 10 percent more productive (low relative to many smartphone productivity studies), the Federal government could add $2.6 billion in Federal productivity by 2013. In addition, 51 percent say that not having these technologies could impair government’s ability to attract and retain top talent.

Enabling post-PC productivity is not without challenges. Forty-three percent of Federal IT professionals cite having the IT personnel to support a multi-device environment as a significant barrier to implementing a mobile device policy. Other barriers include managing the diversity of personal mobile devices and platforms (39 percent), budget constraints (38 percent), and technical support (30 percent). “Between the tablet revolution and telework mandates, the Federal government is quickly becoming mobile,” said Craig P. Abod, president, Carahsoft. “To support the mobile workforce agencies need to manage a growing number of devices and offer solutions that enhance productivity without sacrificing security. As agencies adopt more mobility strategies they will need to look for tools that will simplify mobile device management while empowering employees.”

Federal IT professionals say new technologies are the key to overcoming mobility challenges and enabling post-PC productivity. Respondents identify identity management and access control as the most important tools to implement followed by messaging and collaboration, mobile applications, and desktop from the cloud. Federal IT professionals report that desktop from the cloud simplifies device management. Sixty-four percent see desktop from the cloud as a viable solution for their agency and 43 percent agree that it will simplify remote access. “A mobile government is the government of the future,” said Aileen Black, vice president, Federal, VMware. “Federal agencies are increasingly allowing employees to use personal mobile devices for work. Technologies such as desktop virtualization not only help agencies simplify access to telework, save on hardware costs, and enable increased user flexibility, they also simplify management processes. We encourage agencies to consider these technologies as they develop and roll out their mobility strategies.”

While tools such as messaging and collaboration can increase productivity for a mobile workforce, not all these tools are widely used by Federal employees. Ninety-five percent of government agencies offer shared calendars but only 55 percent report that shared calendars are widely available. Federal IT professionals also identified mobile applications as an important tool to implement to enable productive mobile computing. While 63 percent of agencies are using or assessing the use of mobile applications, only 17 percent say employees use agency-developed applications.

Mobility can also help agencies save on IT costs in accordance with Executive Order 13589 which calls for agencies to reduce their IT costs by 20 percent. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents say their agency is currently working on a plan to reduce costs related to issuing mobile devices to employees. Of the IT leaders currently developing a plan, 66 percent believe they can meet the 20 percent reduction in costs.



Despite mobile’s promise to bring greater productivity, 78 percent of Federal IT professionals report that mobility also brings security risks. To overcome the security challenges, 75 percent of respondents report that their agency uses encryption, 47 percent report the use of multi-factor authentication, and 46 percent use backup/restore.

*Mobile Powered Government is based on a survey of 152 Federal government CIOs and IT managers in December 2011. The report has a margin of error of /- 7.92 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. To download the full study, please visit http://www.meritalk.com/mobile-powered-government.php. About MeriTalk



The voice of tomorrow’s government today, MeriTalk is an online community and go-to resource for government IT. Focusing on government's hot-button issues, MeriTalk hosts Data Center Exchange, Cyber Security Exchange, and Cloud Exchange– platforms dedicated to support public-private dialogue and collaboration. MeriTalk connects with an audience of 85,000 government community contacts. For more information, visit www.meritalk.com or follow us on Twitter, @meritalk.