Making devices work with internal systems and supporting the increasing number and variety of mobile hardware outranks even security concerns for IT managers, according to iPass and MobileIron’s 2013 Mobile Enterprise Report.

While 45 per cent of the 477 executives surveyed said they plan to integrate Windows Phone 8 devices going forward, only 34 per cent would support BlackBerry 10. Tablet adoption has now become mainstream in companies and has to be factored into IT management decisions, the report said. Although less of a concern, 55 per cent of the companies surveyed reported some form of security issue over the past year, primarily with lost and stolen phones.

Despite the availability of free wi-fi across many of the countries surveyed, mobile data was found to cost enterprises $96 (£61) a month for each mobile worker. The number of devices per person, expensive data plans and the increasing numbers of mobile workers are all contributing to this. 57 per cent thought their mobile data roaming costs would rise in 2013. 55 per cent make use of wi-fi apps for work purposes.

“BYOD is more than just shifting ownership of the device to the employee,” said Ojas Rege, VP strategy at MobileIron. “It has a number of implications for which a strategy needs to be defined in advance of implementation. This becomes even more critical as enterprise mobility evolves from securing email on mobile devices to delivering apps and content to employees anywhere at any time.