Market Research Report:

Access Requirements:
the Growing Demands of Remote and Mobile Users

Excerpts below are from Cahners In-Stat Group’s report entitled Access Requirements: the Growing Demands of Remote and Mobile Users (Report No. MD98-14MD, September 1998). The report was written by Fran B. Firth, Senior Analyst for the Mobile Data Information Service.  

The statistics and analysis included here are not endorsed by Intel and are given for informational purposes only.  Intel does not endorse any forecast herein. 

• Key Research Findings

• Methodology and Demographics

• Wireless Data Implementation Will Take Off

• Barriers to Widespread Adoption

• Demand for Remote Access Is On the Rise

Key Research Findings

A tremendous opportunity exists for vendors of remote access products and services. The number of remote and mobile workers that need to communicate with corporate computers and networks continues to escalate, driving this demand. Additionally, data from this study shows a strong endorsement of wireless data services. For the first time, business professionals, especially people that travel, indicate steadfast plans for implementation.

This report details the remote access requirements of three groups: business travelers, remote office workers, and telecommuters. For the most part, telecommuters and remote office workers act alike and are fairly satisfied with their remote access solutions. Both audiences operate from fixed pre-determined locations and do not experience the same difficulties of mobile users. Business travelers are harder to support because they can be in any number of places. But this group is the most important for wireless data providers to target.

To ascertain user requirements for remote access products and services, Cahners In-Stat Group conducted a total of 303 interviews via telephone. These interviews were split equally among three target groups:

• Business travelers - defined as traveling a minimum of two overnight business trips per month
• Telecommuters - defined as telecommuting from home a minimum of two days per week
• Small or remote office workers - defined as working in a remote or satellite office location with no more than 50 employees at the site

Each respondent was prequalified to ensure that they remotely access corporate computers or networks while in a remote or mobile location. While no formal quotas were set, Cahners In-Stat Group surveyed people with various job titles that worked for small, medium, and large companies.

Not only do remote access users want the option of wireless remote access in the future, more than half of the users surveyed actually plan to use both wireline and wireless technology two years from now. In addition, the number using wireless exclusively will jump from a fairly negligible 1% to 9% by 2000. In total, nearly two-thirds of the current remote access users plan to use a wireless data connection in the near future.

 

 

 

From a user perspective, overwhelmingly, the biggest barrier to using remote access centers on speed issues. If users have to continually struggle with the amount of time it takes to send or receive data, they will never fully embrace remote access technology. The fact that respondents were most vocal about speed issues on a verbatim basis and cited greatest dissatisfaction with this factor cannot be ignored. They are used to fast speeds when in the office and expect the same will be available when they are mobile.

Overwhelmingly, all segments of users predict an increase in their usage of remote access over the next two years. Specific reasons supporting this belief include:

• Business growth/business expansion
• Increased job-related travel
• Increased usage within the company overall
• Improved productivity

Three out of four respondents predict the number of remote access users within their organization will increase. Users estimate an average of 30% of employees in respondent organizations currently remotely access corporate computers or networks from their homes, remote offices, or while traveling on business. The heaviest users of remote access include people in management, sales, and field service positions. Data from Cahners In-Stat Group’s Remote Access and the Rise of the Corporate VPN study further support these findings. That study of corporate decision makers for remote access products/services predicts a 53% increase in the number of remote access users between 1998 and 2000. Vertical industries predicting the highest growth in usage are healthcare and finance.