There are many benefits to introducing a mobility strategy and migrating to mobile devices for general employee communications, but one of the most valuable in the long run is improvement to business continuity planning. However, according to InformationAge, 80 percent of small businesses are failing to merge their communications strategies with mobility efforts.

"Businesses are missing a trick and it's not just about saving money," said Martin Flick, CEO of Olive Communications, a firm that recently released a study on enterprise communications. "There's a clear opportunity to improve processes and enhance the working experience. As work is increasingly becoming a thing you do and not a place you go, IT leaders should grasp the opportunity and embrace the tools and systems that enable a more flexible and productive approach to work."

Olive Communications' study revealed that of the few businesses that have consolidated their mobile and fixed-line communications systems, 51 percent saw an improvement in business continuity efforts. Furthermore, 72 percent saw cost savings, 39 percent enhanced their customer service and 27 percent were able to introduce more flexible working arrangements for their employees.

Yet, of the companies polled for the study, a mere 31 percent have seriously considered converged communications systems already, with 59 percent of small businesses with less than 50 employees and 73 percent of firms with 250 to 500 employees being aware of the opportunity.

In order to make optimized decisions regarding communications systems and other efforts that relate to business continuity, it can help to bring on experts who will be able to assess company needs and recommend the best course of action to take. Business continuity consultants can eliminate concerns, ease worries regarding systems compatibility and ensure that any deployment goes smoothly.