Published February 2014 Robert DuRoss
Digital Performance Leader
Mobility
and the Enterprise
Matthew David
Practice Director Digital & User Experience
lochbridge.com Introduction
4 Essential Elements of a
Mobility Program
Is mobility an integral part of your company’s business practices yet? Chances are, the answer is yes – whether or not this has been intended. Recent trends have continued a multiyear
progression of device diversity in the workplace; the explosion in smartphone and tablet sales has meant that mobile technology has made its way into virtually every company in America.
Many companies are not ready for this change, and have not developed the strategies or policies to be prepared for it. Instead, they remain apprehensive of the security challenges mobility presents.
Nonetheless, mobility is one essential element of an effective digital strategy. By tackling a few fundamental tasks and areas of consideration, companies can position themselves to meet the mobility challenge head on, and utimately gain from the benefits it has to offer.
Content
Introduction1. Mobile Governance 2. To BYOD – or Not to BYOD 3. Device Management 4. Starting Where it Counts:
lochbridge.com 1 | Mobile Governance
1. Mobile Governance
Has your company defined a mobile technology governance strategy? If not, it will certainly need to do so – even if only to regulate use of the mobile devices employees are already bringing to work with them. Mobile governance policies can span a full spectrum with regard to sophistication and effectiveness. In defining an appropriate policy for your company, here are some alternatives to consider:
NONE – While it is always possible to do nothing, following this course deprives management of insight into existing and emergent security risks posed by mobile technology, as well as opportunities to leverage mobile for the benefit of the enterprise.
BASIC – Governance can be as simple as the creation of baseline mobility policies and the assignment of responsibility for their periodic review. In such a scenario, this might include policies relating to the connection of personal devices to a company network or sending or receiving business emails and documents from mobile devices.
ADVANCED – Ideally, a broadly scoped mobile governance approach would involve business leaders meeting on a regular basis to assess how mobile technology can be leveraged for the company’s benefit and employed as a change agent within the organization.
In any case, the significance of governance will grow as technology advances, mobile usage increases, and the company launches more mobile and digital solutions.
lochbridge.com 2 | To BYOD - Or Not to BYOD?
The “BYOD” – or Bring Your Own Device – trend of recent years shows no sign of slowing down. Currently, over 60% of employees have smartphones that they bring to work; of these, some 30% also bring tablet devices. Consumers have a seemingly insatiable appetite for “smart devices,” and they are incorporating them into all aspects of their lives, including the workplace. Clearly, employees want to use their devices to do their work and to make the most of their efforts.
A BYOD strategy offers both benefits and challenges to the enterprise. To optimize the productivity and minimize the hassle associated with BYOD, it is important to adopt an appropriate strategy to regulate and support devices brought into the workplace. In developing this strategy, there are a few significant device, operating system, and user behavior characteristics to consider:
• iPads currently constitute 90% of tablets brought into the workplace, with Android devices making up most of the remainder
• iPhones make up 50% of smartphones used professionally, with the remainder consisting mostly of Android phones – predominantly made by Samsung, but also including dozens of other manufacturers • Android’s open-source framework permits development of multiple operating system variants by different
carriers and device manufacturers, creating challenges with regard to security and IT support • Windows and iOS systems are carefully regulated by Microsoft and Apple, increasing their stability,
security, and consistency across devices
• Smartphone users tend to upgrade their devices regularly, introducing new form factor, software, and operating system variants as they do so
lochbridge.com 2 | To BYOD - Or Not to BYOD?
or Not to BYOD?
a range of device and operating system types.2
%Windows, Blackberry and Other Operating Systems
49
%Android
49
%iPhone
Smart
Phones
Tablets
10
%Android Other
90
%It is not reasonable to expect IT to provide support for all possible devices and platforms, or for the multitude of Android variations – but a blanket prohibition on nonstandard devices isn’t the answer. The obvious temptation is to mandate use of a specific device type. Having established Windows as the desktop standard within their organizations, many IT professionals might wish to do the same with regard to mobile devices, but user resentment makes this unlikely to succeed.
A blended environment that supports a restricted range of BYOD devices, is likely the best solution. By providing support for Apple iOS, Microsoft Windows, and Samsung Android devices, a company can offer its employees flexibility while containing costs, IT
lochbridge.com 3 | Device Management
3. Device Management
Do you allow mobile devices to connect on your Wi-Fi network, and if so, what do you allow them to do? One leading computer firm maintains a separate Wi-Fi network just for mobile devices, based on the assumption that they are inherently insecure – devices enter and leave the building all day long. It is obvious that you don’t
want these devices connecting to enterprise data. Consider
implementing an advanced “Guest” network that gives access to
basic information, such as email, calendar information, and the ability to surf the web.
W
i-Fi
ACCESS
Your company has several possible choices regarding the management of the physical devices themselves:
Do nothing
Permit a minimal level of access, except to information that can leave the building, such as email through Outlook Web Access.
Use Microsoft Exchange for policy enforcement
Through Exchange, users can access important data – but in the event an employee is terminated or leaves the company, an administrator can “wipe” all data from the phone. This is a hard method of enforcement, as it will likely remove that employee’s personal information such as music, photos and files.
Device Management
Services provided by companies such as AirWatch, MobileIron and MaaS360 enable app management, permitting more precise control of enterprise information within the device.
Surgical enforcement
An encapsulated app contains enterprise data; when an employee leaves the company, the app and associated information are removed, leaving personal data untouched.
Budgetary considerations, the sensitivity of company information, and the corporate culture are all factors to consider when implementing access or MDM policies and practices. Careful evaluation of these factors can result in policies that are practical, fair, and beneficial for everyone concerned.
lochbridge.com 4 | Starting Where it Counts: Your Mobile Site
Mobile-Specific vs. Responsive
Mobile-specific sites optimized to suit a smartphone’s small screen worked very well – for a while. The popularity of tablets, “phablets,” and a growing variety of phone types and screen sizes has conspired to make this an increasingly problematic approach. With the introduction of new devices and form factors, it is increasingly unlikely that the site will look good on all of them, and the need to maintain multiple sites increases complexity when making changes to design and content.
Responsive designs that adapt to the device are a more and more popular alternative. Designed correctly, a responsive design dynamically reformats content to create an optimal user experience for each device type, and it supports both touch-based and traditional keyboard/mouse interactions. Companies, developers, and IT departments benefit by having only one site to maintain, update and pay for.
If your company hasn’t focused much effort on mobile initiatives, one of the best ways to get on track is to start optimizing your site for mobile if you have not done so already. It’s a given that you’ll need to: Current usage trends demonstrate that a mobile-friendly web presence is quickly becoming a business necessity for virtually all companies, regardless of their size or the nature of their business. One major agricultural equipment company has reported that mobile traffic has increased 200% year upon year, with more than 40% of web traffic coming from a mobile device. The company expects this to top the 50% mark by the end of 2014. Theirs is not an isolated experience; Gartner reports that mobile accounted for 48% of all web traffic this past Christmas, a 28% increase over the previous year. Making your site mobile-ready may seem like a daunting task, but making the right decisions early on helps make development easier, faster, and more cost-effective. There are two primary approaches to the process:
• Creating an “m-dot” or .mobi (mobile-specific) site for mobile devices only
lochbridge.com About the Author
About Lochbridge
Lochbridge integrates and advances the technology that powers some of the world’s largest businesses and brands. Lochbridge develops technology strategies that drive growth; delivers systems that are the backbone of enterprises worldwide; and transforms businesses through emerging technologies, including mobile, machine-to-machine (M2M) and Big Data analytics. For four decades, Lochbridge has delivered the quality and reliability that our customers rely upon while ensuring their technology continues to elevate their businesses. Please visit www.lochbridge.com for more information.
Matthew David is the Practice Director of Digital & User Experience within Lochbridge. Over the last three years, Matthew has consulted on digital and mobile strategies for many companies including MillerCoors, Dole, and the State of Michigan. Matthew helps our clients navigate today’s dynamic technology landscape while ensuring that investments in mobility are rooted in sound business strategy. Matthew has been instrumental in evaluating mobile needs within the overall context of a digital program – ensuring that the enterprise vision and plan accounts for all digital touch points.
