.KEYWORD emailall
.FLYINGHEAD EXPERT ADVICE
.TITLE How to develop your organization’s mobile strategy
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY Ryan Niemann knows a great deal about what businesses face when developing a mobile solutions strategy. In this important article he shares some valuable advice for IT managers scrambling for solutions. He addresses the new security and support challenges that arise as a growing number of enterprise workers take their email and corporate data on the go.
.AUTHOR Ryan Niemann
With the explosive growth of handheld devices and their use by mobile professionals, today’s enterprises face the unique challenge of providing remote connectivity between their users and the critical information found in corporate enterprise systems. There are no "do-it-all" mobile applications. The needs of enterprise business users vary widely. But PDA applications for individuals remain relatively constant. While on the move, individual users generally need access to PIM (Personal Information Management), such as personal and professional contacts, calendar, databases, and email.
.H1 Communication demands drive mobile email
The demands placed on personal productivity have reduced the communication cycles from days to minutes. A good example is the communication expectations with phone calls and voice mail. It was only a few years ago that the accepted time to respond to a phone call was a day or more. Mobile phones and services like Direct Connect have facilitated the need and expectation for immediacy. This holds true for email communications. It was only a few years ago that the accepted time to respond to corporate email was a day or more (if you even had email). Today that is obviously not the case any longer.
Whether company sponsored or acquired for personal productivity, using their Palm handheld as a mobile PIM is typically a starting point for many mobile enterprise users. Where it was unheard-of for an employee to purchase a desktop computer to increase personal productivity, it’s now common for enterprise users to purchase an affordable PDA and routinely manage corporate data and email. This is only made easier by wireless carriers introducing consumer available tools and related devices that augment corporate email in an effort to reduce churn (switching carriers) and increase ARPU (Average Revenue Per User).
.H1 New challenges for IT managers
The introduction of unsupported services and PDAs to the enterprise has many IT managers scrambling for solutions that address new security and support challenges. Many technologies have only rudimentary security facilities, and obvious security weaknesses such as eavesdropping are not addressed. Plus, the storage capacity of many mobile devices can rival a laptop (especially now that Palm handhelds include an SD slot), allowing users to easily store volumes of critical pricing, client contact, and detailed product information that can be lost or stolen. In fact, Gartner Research reported over 250,000 mobile devices are lost in airports alone each year.
Most companies have yet to provide multiple device support, forcing many users to spend countless hours configuring and troubleshooting their personal mobile devices. Further, as users depend more on their devices, emergency recovery is increasingly important. If the device is lost, stolen, or damaged, users need a quick path to recovery.
.H1 Developing your organization’s mobile strategy
Whether its mobile email or a complex mobile field service solution, most wireless experts would agree: deploy mobile solutions using proven methodologies and best practices. Start by assembling a focus team responsible for steering the adoption of mobile technologies. Resources should include users and any department or partner potentially affected by a mobile system. Mobile solutions can affect multiple business units, and having user involvement is critical.
Before adding another delivery channel using mobile devices, such as the new wireless Palm i705, first assess how mobile devices fit into the overall business strategy. When evaluating your options, consider current IT architecture, current use of mobile devices (supported or not), future mobile business initiatives, and established vendor relationships. Until these questions are answered, an organization should not go to the next step of investigating vendors and platforms that meet the overall business needs.
Next, look for opportunities to standardize and provide user support. Even if you’re not purchasing the devices, formalize a partnership with a device manufacture, wireless service carrier, or both (i.e., Palm OS devices with Sprint as a service carrier). Often, a corporate discount plan or partial expense reimbursement can promote users to purchase supported devices and related operating systems. Standardization is critical for future enterprise mobile initiatives. Planning and preparation in the early stages of a mobile strategy can pay off in the long run with user adoption, reduced support costs, and improved return on investment. It can also serve to reduce the overall TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).
Recognize the need for active user support. At a minimum, incorporate a plan to support common configuration challenges. The productivity improvements of any mobile initiative can be reduced to a waste of time without effective deployment and ongoing user support. Many solution vendors offer ongoing support and device provisioning services to alleviate an otherwise daunting task for resource strapped IT departments. Palm’s enterprise team specializes in providing this kind of support, or hooking you up with qualified outside teams that can help you.
Identify projects that formally extend solutions to mobile users. The first step could be enterprise email and PIM, two functions for which the Palm i705 was specifically designed. Typically these projects are lower risk and deliver a quick ROI. Average deployments leveraging existing enterprise systems can be deployed in two to four weeks. However, extensive customization and widespread user deployment can increase risk and extend the duration. Solution development may be out-sourced to companies like mine for example. I work for Experio Solutions, which does do this sort of work. However, a business should include enough of its own personnel in the project to take ownership (and get buy-in) of the solution once it’s deployed.
Finally, evaluate which applications have "good enough" levels of security and plan for architectures that will support future security needs. Research firm Frost & Sullivan reports that organizations are increasingly requiring wireless security solutions as wireless devices become more widespread. Security is one of the key obstacles to full-scale deployment of wireless devices, according to Frost & Sullivan.
Evaluate the enterprise mobile and wireless security on many levels. As mentioned earlier, a lost or stolen mobile device can compromise an enterprise’s confidential data. Add to that, inviting users to conduct e-business over the air exposes systems to unknown and uncontrollable external forces. An effective mobile security policy, processes, tools, and support plans can minimize the impact of security risks and reduce an enterprise’s exposure.
Today’s enterprise can meet the unique challenges of mobile solutions with proper planning and employing best practices. The successful outcome can serve as a solid foundation for future mobile and wireless initiatives.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Experio Solutions, visit http://www.experio.com.
For more information on Frost & Sullivan, visit http://www.frost.com.
For more information on Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Easy, flexible article reprints
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.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Ryan Niemann is a manager at Experio Solutions at http://www.experio.com.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6fc89
