As it is very sensible to use a private cloud environment for management, security, and other aspects of mobile applications, it can be expected that mobile devices will soon be the driving force in cloud computing, and vice versa. However, getting to that point will require investment and planning.

A number of companies have already started moving in this direction. For instance, the December 2011 survey of 3,645 IT decision-makers in 8 countries revealed that about a 3rd of the responders believe providing information access to different devices is their main motivation for implementing cloud computing. The survey also proved that cutting costs was only the third most popular reason for resorting to cloud.

Brokerage sales firm Marcus & Millichap is currently in the process of acquiring a Content Management System from SiteCore, which will be implemented in the company’s VMware-based private cloud.

One of the challenges encountered by Erie Insurance is the decision on whether to create a Web portal that can adapt itself to any device that connects to it, or to develop a device-specific app. The firm decided to use both approaches instead. For example, customers who use the iPhone can submit photos of an auto accident using the First Notice of Loss app on the iTunes store, with the photo being stored on Erie’s back end servers. But the company also has a web portal that can do the same thing using any mobile device.

According to Juniper Research, the market for cloud-based mobile applications can be expected to grow almost 90% from 2009 to 2014, with ABI Research reporting more than 240 million business customers will have access to cloud computing services through a mobile device by 2015, and the numbers could only increase from there.

As a matter of fact, some would go so far as to state that the sheer number and variety of mobile devices in a given enterprise means that the only means of management would be a centralized method such as a mobile cloud. Any other way of management would not be able to scale effectively, if at all.

To read the entire article, please click on this link http://cloudtimes.org/2012/09/02/mobile-cloud-strategy-revealed/