Report highlights rise of enterprise mobility

The recently released 2012 State of Mobility study from security firm Symantec reflects the increased reliance on mobile devices, like tablet computers, that companies have demonstrated during the past several years.

A poll of IT professionals reveals that 71 percent are now at least exploring the development of custom mobile applications. Another 33 percent have already released custom mobile apps or are currently in the process of doing so.

That demonstrates the pace at which enterprise mobility is moving, as many companies have moved beyond the early stages of deployment.

"We are impressed by the pace of mobile application adoption within organizations," says CJ Desai, the senior vice president of Symantec's Endpoint and Mobility Group.

Further evidence of enterprise mobility's newfound mainstream status is highlighted by the fact that 59 percent of respondents leverage mobile applications for line-of-business processes and tasks.

Healthcare is one industry that has especially taken to mobility and applications lately. A study from Research2Guidance shows that the market for health-related mobile apps will reach $1.3 billion in 2012, after topping $718 million last year.