Putting mobility in motion for your enterprise
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer David Turner
The phenomenon of bring your own device (BYOD) swept through businesses last year with a burst of activity that kept every CIO on their toes. The surge in interest and adoption meant that many of the barriers to entry that had kept mobility and its beneficial applications out of the business had to be swiftly addressed and largely tackled. Now that mobility processes in the enterprise have moved from being a potential security calamity to a sound strategy to streamline ERP, the next wave of innovation is coming. It is odd to think that less than three years ago digital content and data was still segmented by device or platform, but now content is held across a plurality of devices and activities. The challenge for enterprises over the next 5-10 years will be managing these diverse environments and the challenge for IT is to not only manage these applications but also to manage the data access. In a recent report from analysts IDC, as reported on ZDnet.com, 2014 looks like it may be the year of choose your own device (CYOD). The CYOD mobile model means that the benefits of mobility can be retained but with less of the hassle and complexity of supporting mobile applications across a wide range of devices that are chosen by the employee. By allowing the IT department to define and limit the type and number of devices that can be used at enterprise level, it should enable the mobilisation of business processes much more cost effectively, with less resource intensity. While BYOD is here to stay, enterprises are now matching it with ongoing strategies rather than reactive plans which will allow business leaders to regain control of costs, staff and data. Under CYOD, confusion over device and data ownership is resolved and the IT department can fully secure the devices. Also IT HQ can deliver targeted and relevant services to mobile devices, as there are less underlying security flaws. The heated issues of security threats and data leakage mean that enterprises are looking for mobile device management (MDM) solutions to augment their ERP. These are increasingly seen as the panacea for enterprises and agencies to manage, secure and distribute specific mobile applications and apply policies to individual applications. By implementing MDMs it will assist in laying a foundation for an enterprise wide mobility strategy, rather than be done ad hoc, which has imposed more costs rather than the perceived productivity gains. In terms of ERP, mobilising business processes can open the path to implementing enterprise wide strategies that bring great efficiencies including shared services and escalating the use of the cloud as a platform. Not only do shared services on a mobile platform drive down costs, it can help in centralising dispersed operations and gaining economies of scale. It also allows the IT department to indulge in process standardisation so they can more easily enforce and update standard processes across the organisation. Boosting business with mobilisation: Cloud time - The adoption of BYOD/CYOD opens the opportunity for enterprises to reassess their IT infrastructure capabilities and future needs. Mobile data and cloud storage are key to that agenda along with security and collaborating with existing infrastructure demand. Data leads - The upfront issues may be about the device but the long-term issues are always about the data. Businesses get the chance to ensure that they have the right apps for their business and that they are collecting and storing their data wisely. Data tracking - Mobilising work processes opens up a new window for the business to see what devices and technologies are entering the organisation by monitoring email and network access. Time and money savings - By reassessing the data needs of the business to support mobilisation, enterprises can make significant cost savings by streamlining their infrastructure, consolidating on vendor partners and rationalising via a device and app strategy. Securing mobility - By taking a more holistic approach to security with solutions that address device, location, service, network, infrastructure and user security, the overall security needs of the business can be bolstered, led by data rather than device. Better technology for ERP - Adding to improved processes and professionalisation, centralising services via mobile often means you can consolidate multiple dispersed IT systems with a unified platform that contributes to improved service levels and efficiency.
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