An interesting view of mobile collaboration

I have been doing some research into mobile collaboration, and thought it was worth pointing out this very interesting webcast from analyst firm Gartner -- Profit from New Forms of Mobile Communication and Collaboration.

Analyst Nick Jones argues: "Even in the current economy, even though we are still coming out of recession and people are being cautious, I think [mobile collaboration] is a good opportunity. Added to which you probably can't resist the pressure for new devices, new tools such as social networking in the enterprise, so you're going to have to do it anyway." By allowing staff some freedom to use the tools of their choice, employees may discover applications which benefit the business as a whole, which may otherwise have been overlooked.

It was also noted that much of the innovation in the mobile space is coming from consumer brands, such as Apple, Google and Nokia, rather than established enterprise suppliers. And while older workers may be resistant to new technologies and working methods, younger staff expect to be able to use a number of new communications methods to conduct day-to-day business.

The webcast replay is here. The presentation slides can be downloaded here.