Korea IDC Highlights Infrastructure Lowering Entry Barriers to Enterprise Mobility
Customer Information Data Management in Service Industry Emerges as New Demand Sector

According to a recent report from Korea IDC (represented by Hong Yoo-sook), an IT market analysis and consulting firm, the domestic EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) software market is projected to record 14.3 billion won in 2015, representing 14.1% growth compared to the previous year, driven by strong BYOD trends and increased corporate mobility utilization. Additionally, this market is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7% through 2019, forming a market size of 26 billion won by 2019.

As smartphone adoption enters a mature phase, corporate mobility utilization is expanding, and there is a growing trend of reviewing EMM software adoption as a mobility-based technology. While the proportion of EMM software in the enterprise mobility market is not large compared to the mobile device market size, it is expected to show meaningful growth figures. With device infrastructure in place, market interest is shifting toward mobility software.

▲Domestic EMM Software Market Forecast, 2015-2019 (Unit: Million Won) Source: IDC, 2015

Lee Young-so, Senior Research Fellow at Korea IDC, stated, "With high adoption rates of mobile devices and the spread of BYOD, EMM software adoption among domestic companies will continue to increase." He added that for enterprise mobility strategy initiatives, companies will first purchase light versions of EMM standalone products that allow selection of necessary functions.

Lee explained that large enterprises that have already adopted and are using EMM, or those that have implemented various mobility solutions such as applications and security in their internal systems, will prefer integrated service forms such as mobility suites rather than selecting individual software like MDM (Mobile Device Management), MAM (Mobile Application Management), or MCM (Mobile Content Management) as standalone products.

Lee further noted, "In the early stages of EMM software market formation, focus had to be placed on MDM, which could distinguish and manage authorized users among various mobile devices flowing in due to BYOD, but such corporate demands began to change." He analyzed that starting from 2014, as mobile became a core channel in service areas at customer touchpoints such as O2O services in retail and mobile payment in financial sectors, the need to manage data related to customer information increased, expanding customer requirements for EMM software from MDM to MAM.

Concerns Over Supplier Revenue Decline Due to Excessive Competition

Meanwhile, the report suggested that despite expectations that mobile solutions, including EMM, will have positive impacts not only on corporate productivity and efficiency but also on business activation, without clear verification of ROI, companies will inevitably be reluctant to make new investments. Accordingly, it anticipated increased opportunities for entry into service sectors such as finance and distribution, where immediate returns can be expected from implementing mobile in business. Additionally, while the diffusion speed may be somewhat slower compared to the service industry, attempts to utilize mobile in production and operations within enterprises are expected to increase progressively. The report recommended that EMM software suppliers need to steadily secure technology and sales capabilities.

As various mobile devices flow into enterprises, each company is pursuing mobility strategies tailored to its systems and policies. EMM software has high growth potential as a gateway for enterprises to transition their core infrastructure to mobile. However, behind these expectations, there are demands for customization and management capabilities to meet diverse customer needs, and software price declines due to intensified competition are expected to burden suppliers.