2013 Plans Should Include Microsoft Mobiles

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In its "Top Mobile Trends for 2013," released earlier this week, Juniper calls 2013 "The Year of Microsoft." The report says:

Juniper Research believes that 2013 will be the year Microsoft exploits their full potential as traditional computing becomes increasingly mobile... Microsoft's own ecosystem, encompassing devices such as the Surface Tablet and Xbox and services such as Windows, Office and Skype, is continuing to develop; development which Juniper Research believes will grow impressively during 2013. There are 1.3 billion people worldwide who use Windows, and 8 million developers building apps for Microsoft's devices, showing how huge the possibilities are for Microsoft in 2013.

The competition Microsoft will have to overcome is considerable, especially given both the strength of Apple and Google and its current lowly market share amongst mobile OS providers. In spite of this, users of Microsoft's PC services are keen to adapt to the same technology on different devices, especially given how easily they can integrate and share files across Microsoft devices via SkyDrive.

Considering the large installed base of Windows users, it would make sense that many of them (and their IT counterparts) would gravitate toward Windows mobile devices.

For those IT managers, it's wise to think about how the new devices will integrate into your overall environment. Are you thinking of purchasing Windows devices as corporate-owned assets? If so, you can take advantage of cross-platform continuity as you replace or migrate other end-user clients to Windows 8.

Perhaps you will not be making a business purchase, but you anticipate that some employees might bring new Windows devices into work. You'll want to read our recently posted blog, Integrating Windows 8 Into Your BYOD Strategy. It outlines the things to consider when adding Windows 8 to your BYOD plan, such as device management, supporting legacy apps, and managing multiple mobile operating systems.

Either way, don't let "The Year of Microsoft" take you by surprise!