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.