Chilean Firms Focus on Going Mobile: IDC Report

Chile leads Latin America in the use of mobile applications for business purposes, according to an IDC report on the regional technology market. ICT investment is rising like never before in Chile as a result of free trade agreements and favorable economic conditions, the report notes.

The high-tech analyst firm says  many businesses look set to invest in mobility solutions with CEOs turning to modern technologies to improve the productivity of their workforce. Moreover, mobility programs like Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) are gaining traction, with more and more businesses allowing employees to access office networks from their own mobile devices.

According to Patricio Soto, manager of telecommunications at IDC Chile, 59% of Chilean corporate firms are already allowing their employees access their office computer network via their personal mobile devices.

In the days to come, IDC expects more firms to adopt Mobile Device Management (MDM) platforms – applications that allow network administrators to keep an eye on employees’ devices – in order to launch BYOD programs.

In 2013, the number of businesses planning to bolster their mobility (mobile enterprise resource planning) increased 19% from the previous year, while mobile CRM increased by 26%.

Along with mobility applications, the number of mobile devices in use is also increasing sharply. Nearly two million Chileans are expected to buy tablet computers in the coming months. Given IDC’s predictions, ICT investment may exceed $8 billion this year.

Big Data is not as popular in Chile as it is in Brazil, but the analyst firm says that lately a large number of Chilean firms are showing interest in this technology. Several businesses, particularly those in retail sector, are devising strategies to capitalize on Big Data to increase their customer bases. But IDC says only a few Chilean firms disclose how they are benefiting from Big Data analysis.

“While the data generation is growing at 60% annually in the last year, we have not seen more than five projects that develop the Big Data,” said another IDC analyst Matthew Fuentes.

Cloud solutions are growing at a rate of 80% annually, with nearly 50% of large companies planning to invest in the solution in the coming year. A need to ease pressure on IT teams and an attractive payment model are the primary factors drawing businesses toward cloud solutions.