Computerworld - Strategic Guide to IT 2012

And more and more customers are using those mobile devices to access social media sites. In August

2011, more than 72.2 million people
in the U.S. accessed social network-
ing sites or blogs from their mobile
devices, an increase of 37% from
the previous year, according to
versions of desktop apps onto
mobile devices, is “reaching a
tipping point, where it makes a lot
of sense,” says William Clark, an
analyst at Gartner.
IT leaders are recognizing that
in order to be truly useful, mobile
apps can’t just be limited versions of
existing Windows or Mac OS
desktop applications. They
need to be developed from
scratch not only to work
within the constraints
of mobile devices’ small
screens, finite memory and
limited computing power,
but also to take advantage
of device features that
desktops typically lack, such as
multiple cameras, touchscreens and
multimedia communications and
animation.

Outward-facing mobile apps can help businesses get and keep customers, and please their business partners, by providing richer interactions with consumers’ mobile devices of choice.

At Erie Insurance, IT started off with an iPhone app that makes it easier for customers to report that their property has suffered damage

It would not be feasible for our agents to take pictures of an auto axle with a laptop.

RICH WARNAKA, DIRECTOR OF USER EXPERIENCE, ERIE INSURANCE

a study by ComScore. More than half of those users, nearly 40 million of them, access networking sites almost every day, ComScore found.

Clearly, devising a cohesive strategy for addressing both mobility and social media should be at or near the top of any IT executive’s to-do list for 2012.