Enterprise Mobility: The Different Dimensions to Consider

By Cptech Writer

According to recent figures released by Safaricom (Kenya’s leading mobile operator), smartphones penetration in Kenya has reached 67 per cent. It is not clear from this figures how many of these are business mobile users but it is safe to assume that a good number of these owners also use or would like to use their personal device for enterprise-related activities.

So users are looking for ways to utilize their devices’ high capabilities in the work place to improve their performance in terms of productivity and efficiency and what employer would not support an initiative that ensures an increase to the bottom line. However, there is the challenge of providing support for so wide a range of device types and OSs while ensuring that the enterprise ecosystem remains secure.

Enterprise mobility is by no means one size fits all; the implication of this to any organization considering mobility deployment is that a thorough analysis needs to be done of the organizational requirements beginning with a clear definition of the business goals and objectives and a clear understanding of business processes, how employees work and how customers interact with the organization.

There is also the mobility ecosystem - within which are different mobile operators, device manufacturers, operating systems, software and application vendors – to be fully considered.  Understanding all this factors and the challenges therein, will result in a well-thought out mobility strategy to help the organization to minimize expenditure and maximize business benefits. 

Once the decision to mobilize is made, then the organization needs to address the questions of what, how, and who. These can be answered conclusively by focusing on 8 dimensions of enterprise mobility that are; Infrastructure, security, training, support, technology monitoring, applications, quality management and standards.

 

For example, some of the questions to ask would be; Infrastructure: How does our current infrastructure compare with that required for the mobility project? What is the cost implication of upgrading if need be? Security: Which system is robust enough to address our security concerns and challenges that come with mobility deployment? Training: What needs to be put in place for training and educating of all stakeholders to smoothen the implementation process? Support: How will we or the supplier ensure provision of round-the-clock support for troubleshooting and assistance to the users? 

Technology Monitoring: Considering the complexity and heterogenous nature of a mobilized enterprise, what are the provisions necessary for round-the-clock monitoring? Applications:  What applications and processes running in the organization need to be mobilized, for whom and when?  Quality Management: What quality assurance measures will be put in place to ensure that such a high value project is successfully implemented?  Standards: How do the solutions available in the market measure up in terms of scalability, compatibility to existing infrastructure, suitability to the applications planned and of course in cost and credibility? 

With all the relevant questions addressed conclusively, then the success of an enterprise mobility project is almost certainly guaranteed.

Enterprise Mobility: What is it?

By Cptech Writer 

Mobility by definition is the ability to move freely and easily from one point to the next especially in reference to people, information or gadgets.  Enterprise mobility on the other hand refers to the latest shift in how business information, application, infrastructure and technology are being deployed to both people and devices that are mobile. 

With Enterprise mobility employees can now access secure corporate data and perform their tasks away from their stations or outside the office using mobile devices and cloud services.  A field officer for example can be able to access client data while making site visits by simply logging into his company server via his tablet or phone and thus be able to make informed decisions on-the-go.  An employee on the other hand may upload a corporate presentation from his or her desktop PC to a cloud storage service, and then access it from a personal iPad to show at a client site.

This migration to a more mobile work environment has become the bane of many IT departments’ existence as they grapple with the challenge of devising a mobile strategy to manage the complexity that is Enterprise mobility.  Gone are the days when everyone worked in one location, on corporate-issued machines and were connected to a wired network.  Now employees are all over the place, wireless, using cloud services, personal device and mobile apps.  The decision making power has also shifted to employees who now get to choose what devices and applications they want to use. 

Enterprise mobility when deployed successfully can increase revenue and productivity through improved customer service delivery, efficiency and productivity. But there are major security and privacy risks that come with this as privately owned devices are allowed access to enterprise networks.  There is the risk of security breaches and loss of control of the infrastructure; For example, when an employee accesses a public Wi-Fi network at a shopping mall then this can expose a company’s intellectual property. There is also the risk of malware, viruses and hacking.

Enterprise mobility management (EMM) entails various aspects including security, application and device management.  Mobile devices can easily be lost or misplaced and that makes the data on it highly vulnerable. EMM security features integrate within the software mechanisms that help restrict access by unauthorized devices and computers to proprietary data and apps while protecting the data from malicious attacks. Remote-wiping of corporate data or apps from an employee's device if lost, stolen or once they leave the company’s employ is also possible. 

There are quite a number of enterprise mobility solutions being offered in the market from various vendors including Blackberry, AirWatch, MobileIron Citrix, Mobile Iron, Good Technology. Getting the best fit will depend on a number of factors including your organization’s requirements in terms of business processes, customer interactions processes and how employees work as well as the mobile needs of both your customers and the employees.

Stay tuned, for further and deeper exploration of this topic.