New research forecasts explosive growth in enterprise-class dedicated device fleets

The study from Esper and 451 Research shows Android leading the pack in operating systems

Image: Unsplash

For enterprise companies, a growing concern for many deals with enterprise digital fleet deployment. To put it simpler, how will large companies manage and update large numbers of devices that are integral to their business.

It includes teams that have large numbers of smartphones for employees, or kiosk owners looking to update all of their tablets to the latest operating system.

Now, Esper, a platform built for Android enterprise device management, has commissioned a new study from 451 Research that looks to shine a better light on enterprise-level digital fleet deployment in 2022.

Specifically, this study looks at "dedicated devices" meaning single-purpose tools like IoT devices, tablets, medical sensors, and PoS terminals. The study targeted companies with over 500 employees in various sectors, including retail, healthcare, restaurants, government, and more.

One of the biggest takeaways from the study looked at the importance of dedicated device fleets for both business strategy and customer experiences. 50% of the respondents said they are actively executing formal strategies. The other 50% are currently in the planning and research stage.

In addition, device fleet sizes and budgets are increasing. Almost half of those surveyed noted that they currently manage over 1,000 devices presently. Additionally, the report notes that some of those surveyed expect to reach 10,000 devices in the next three years.

 Image: 451 Research

As you can see above, budgets are also increasing for these companies. While many are only looking at slight increases, 9% are still expected to grow their budgets by a significant amount. Only a total of 6% expect their budgets to stay the same or decrease.

When it comes to the actual operating systems these companies are using, Android comes in as the most popular. In the study, it was revealed that 41% of the companies used Android-based systems, while 26% used Windows. iOS came in slightly behind Windows at 24%, and Linux falls way behind at 8%.

Esper explains that its focus on Android, and seemingly other companies as well, is that Android is open-source and allows for more customization. Others in the report also note Androids' lower total cost of ownership.

Overall, the study is an interesting look at what 2022 and beyond has in store for large companies that maintain a fleet of digital devices for work. The study dives into other aspects of digital fleet deployment, as well.

If you are interested in seeing the full results, you can download a full version of the report.