If smartphones today have the capacity to deliver nearly all the functionality that the "typical information worker" needs, they are likely to become the first choice for enterprise computing in the future, predicts Tony Kontzer at CIOInsight.  

Many smartphones allow users to easily check email, send text messages, browse news and prepare documents. Meanwhile, cloud service providers are making it easier to get their services from mobile devices, and the major IT players are expected to enhance the mobile apps for their cloud-based offerings, he writes.  

"The need to be tethered to a PC could become a thing of the past sooner than you think," Kontzer writes. He presents a slideshow highlighting nine reasons that enterprise IT departments are destined to focus on mobile computing.

Some of the reasons follow well-traveled paths: Younger workers are accustomed to using mobile technologies; these technologies are becoming more popular all the time; and the workforce of tomorrow will demand them. 

Another reason is that smartphones present fewer battery headaches than laptops. It's faster to power smartphones off and on, and you can charge them while you drive. Plus, they are "less likely to catch on fire."

Smartphone users may handle many of their support issues on their own, reducing the burden on IT. And, there's less need to carry around a laptop when much of the needed data can be accessed via a smartphone, reducing the burden on shoulders.

For more:
- see Tony Kontzer's slideshow at CIOInsight

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