The enterprise mobility management (EMM) software market continues to grow. The market grew 26.9 percent, from $1.4 billion in 2014 to $1.8 billion in 2015, according to a new IDC report, Worldwide Enterprise Mobility Management Software Market Shares.
[Download the report: IDC, Worldwide Enterprise Mobility Management Software Market Shares, 2015: Consolidation of Vendors and Market Share Changes the Landscape]
Enterprises are witnessing a major shift in “mobile computing as standard de facto activity among the mobile workforce, as opposed to outlying or special use case scenarios,” said the independent analyst firm.
But one of the major EMM stories of 2015, according to the IDC: the rapid rise of VMware AirWatch.
AirWatch accounts for 16.5 percent of the total EMM software market, the largest market share of any vendor today. IDC calls AirWatch a “top-tier vendor” with a “phenomenal growth rate,” increasing market share from 11.4 percent in 2014 to 16.5 percent in 2015.
[Read the press release: Global Analyst Firm Ranks VMware AirWatch the Largest Enterprise Mobility Management Vendor in the World for the Second Consecutive Year]
That’s in part because the AirWatch EMM platform isn’t designed to fit just one type of organization, said the IDC. In fact, AirWatch adds value to companies across a variety of industries, including enterprises with massive deployments.
The huge VMware ecosystem of partners and products has also served as an accelerator for AirWatch. Integrations with other solutions, such as the new VMware Boxer email app, have extended AirWatch EMM capabilities to satisfy an even larger user base.
These types of integrations are key, according to the IDC, because EMM is no longer just a tool to simplify IT operations. EMM is also a solution to rapidly deploy and manage new mobile apps, a way to centrally manage security threats and a means to improve end-user experiences.
Another factor in AirWatch’s rapid growth: “EMM is starting to emerge as an enterprise IoT platform,” according to the IDC. AirWatch is already a proven Internet of Things (IoT) platform, managing thousands of smart Coca-Cola Freestyle soda machines across the country.
“People-connected mobile endpoints” won’t be the only devices in the enterprise mobile fleet for long. As more “things” become smart, connected and valuable to specific work roles, enterprises will quickly need a way to manage these new types of endpoints.
IDC also notes that EMM is not just for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets but also for laptops and PCs, and as such, more businesses are looking to EMM for a complete, unified endpoint management solution for end-user computing. AirWatch, again, is a leader in this space, integrated with the VMware Workspace ONE platform.
Additionally, IDC called out the AppConfig Community, led by major EMM providers like AirWatch, as a significant development in the market. The community’s app configuration standards not only remove barriers to mobile app development and deployment but also help EMM providers move past basic device and app security to focus on providing more strategic value to customers.
Curious what’s down the road? Download the report to learn more about the state of the EMM market and where EMM is heading.
