Looking ahead, MNS software products are likely to lead revenue growth. According to report author and analyst Michael Arluck, “the MNS software market is beginning to blossom and move beyond the military and higher education verticals where it has flourished in recent years. Two sectors with particularly healthy outlooks are commercial and healthcare”.

Arluck continues, “In the commercial vertical, MNS software sales have begun to accelerate as end-users begin to expand employee coverage and learn to leverage MNS technology for more routine business continuity functions such as IT outages and supply chain disruptions. In healthcare, MNS software has also proven to be particularly useful in situations where medical staff need to communicate confidential or otherwise sensitive information between doctors, nurses and other critical care staff”.

According to the study, MNS software adoption rates among Fortune 500 firms were an estimated 20% in 2010, and have been forecast to grow to 40% by the end of 2015. In addition to increased adoption rates among commercial end-users, software suppliers are likely to continue to benefit from revenue growth from existing customers who look to add personnel to their contact databases and send more notifications on a regular basis.

There are substantial variations in the types of applications and usage patterns of MNS software from any one industry to the next. Suppliers that are able to better understand these unique needs and customise their offerings accordingly will be best positioned to take advantage of the growth opportunities available within this market.