Several technologies have emerged in the past several years that have shaped how businesses complete daily and long-term tasks. According to ZDNet contributor Dion Hinchcliffe, five such technologies will continue to steer enterprise IT during the next half decade.

Hinchcliffe dubbed such technologies the so-called "Big Five," and he rightfully identified enterprise mobility as one. According to the expert, smartphones have helped to alter the computing habits of many companies as more and more employees have begun to conduct their business on the road.

Delivery patterns for technology are being shifted to the mobile space, collaboration and communication within enterprises are being drastically altered, consumerization of IT is taking hold and data is exploding, the report stated. All of those trends somehow relate to enterprise mobility.

All aspects of companies are buying into the trend, Hinchcliffe noted. Managers and executives are pushing for service delivery on mobile devices, easier to use IT solutions and improved access to better and collaborative capabilities.

"There is a growing realization amongst workers and management that technology, though increasingly complex in itself, can be wielded far more rapidly and efficiently than their currently parochial capabilities are providing," he wrote.

At the moment, most companies' mobile device management strategies and programs may still revolve around traditional platforms, such as Windows for laptops and the BlackBerry OS for smartphones. Hinchcliffe defined this model as being "largely built around an older generation of IT."

But that too may not be the case as enterprise mobility evolves. Increasingly, end-users and companies alike are recognizing the benefits borne from the use of Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile operating system. And though such platforms are just beginning to make in-roads at most companies, they will become more prevalent with more maturation.

"In the meantime, iOS and Android have a lot to learn and to build up to begin to match this world, though they are starting to make progress in this regard," the expert wrote.

For many companies, the consumerization of enterprise mobility has presented various challenges in terms of mobile data security and wireless expense management. Chief information officers are concerned about the security measures - or lack thereof - installed on personally owned devices. However, as many experts say, the issues associated with a bring-your-own-device strategy can be eased with a mobile device management solution to oversee and govern the use of consumer smartphones.