Hitting Redial: Major Players Adapt To SMB Mobility Needs

Flashy smartphones were once considered toys for enterprise executives, but several major names in mobility are adapting their styles and recognizing that the SMB now has the same, if not more, mobile needs as their larger counterparts.

With that in mind, a host of mobility players are targeting the SMB space with solutions catered to their specific needs, and VARs are realizing that mobile solutions are top of mind for their smaller clients.

"Companies have gone out and researched these technologies," said Joe Brown, president of Accelera Solutions Inc., a Falls Church, Va.-based solution provider. "They ask us: What do we do about mobile users?"

Accelera offers solutions that enable mobile application delivery through Citrix Systems Inc. solutions. And while Accelera deals with everything from large enterprises to federal agencies, Brown said SMBs are really starting to gobble up mobility.

The problem is smaller companies have very limited IT resources that are already struggling to handle the number of projects on their plate, and oftentimes mobility solutions can be perceived as having too many moving parts and being too expensive.

Steve Beauregard, president of Santa Clara, Calif.-based mobility solution provider Regard Solutions Corp., said he has yet to notice a large uptake of mobility solutions in the SMB, but he said there is certainly potential there.

"It's definitely accelerated a little bit," he said, but noted that many SMBs avoid corporate mobility applications in favor of more consumer-focused applications.

Along with Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based Citrix, other marquee vendors are targeting the SMB in hopes that they go forth and go mobile.

Next: Getting Up To Date With Mobility