It would be no stretch to say that the rise of the mobile market has forever revolutionized business. 57% of American adults, according to Pew Internet, use a smartphone to access the web for shopping, socializing, work, and play. In short, mobile technology has changed the way consumers do business.
However, it is not just consumers who should adapt to changes in technology. American companies,of any type or size, can also use continually adapting mobile technology to change the way they do business. This means changing the way they connect to their customers, but it also means changing the way their employees are able to work.
As with anything else, this changeover is not without its problems. Many employees are left unable to easily access their work information, and the variety and number of different devices used by workers is leaving businesses unable to cope with the security requirements. Fortunately, enterprise mobile software exists to solve these common enterprise mobility challenges.
- Ease of Access
- Data and System Security
- Variety of Devices
Enterprise mobility solutions use cloud-based technologies in order to seamlessly integrate mobile devices with their users enterprise systems. What this means, in plain terms, to businesses is that employees, no matter where they are, can easily access their work email and other data that is important to them in real time. Enterprise mobility applications, like ActiveSync, make this a possibility.
The most threatening of enterprise mobility challenges is that of security. Consider, 33% of employees who use a personal device say that their company’s data is unsecured and unencrypted. If that phone is lost or stolen, it becomes a means of enabling data theft. Luckily, enterprise mobility platforms, through cloud-based management, offer dynamic security and compliance features. These continuously monitor devices and take action should security be breached. These same solutions allow data to be remotely wiped in the event that a device is lost or stolen.
Many companies now use a bring your own device, BYOD, policy. This allows employees to work on a device they know and love, while cutting the technology purchasing costs for businesses considerably. By 2015, it is estimated that 55% of smartphones used in business will be owned by employees.
Despite the benefits, this great variety of devices has, in the past, made it difficult for businesses to lay down a blanket of security that works on all platforms. However, enterprise mobile device management software allows IT departments to easily standardize their device management and over come enterprise mobility challenges such as this.
As can be seen, there are some very real enterprise mobility challenges to consider when implementing mobile technology into business. However, through enterprise mobility management, these challenges can be overcome.