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.