Enterprise Mobility Management. Understanding The Dynamics of Connectivity

Transcription

1 Enterprise Mobility Management Understanding The Dynamics of Connectivity

2 Enterprise Mobility Management 2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Mobility Management for Business Results... 4 Enterprise Mobility Management... 5 Feel the difference... 5 Core Components... 6 Mobile Device Management... 6 Mobile Application Management... 7 Mobile Support Management... 7 Conclusion... 8

3 Enterprise Mobility Management 3 Introduction Why You Need To Read On. Enterprise mobility is fast becoming the epitome of technological, progress that this era has seen. The corporate sector all across the globe has engaged itself in a multi dimensional usage strategy for enterprise mobility applications. In the face of such rapid progress, competition as well adversity, companies constantly engage in solution based mobility applications and strategies. There is a constant pressure and urgent need to incorporate enterprise mobility management s a core, strategic objective of a company. Organizations today need a thorough and complete platform for enterprise mobility management (EMM) so that there is systematic implementation of wide scale, mission focused, enterprise mobility. Organizations need a complete platform for enterprise mobility management (EMM) so that there is systematic implementation of wide scale, mission focused enterprise mobility. This paper draws on from the insights that the company has acquired by working on various projects, as well as through the constant quest for experience and knowledge in the field. It helps readers gain insight into the various aspects of enterprise mobility management, and understand the nature of technological considerations that should ideally form an important part of such an initiative. Approximately 6.3 billion people, (78% of the world s total population) own and use a mobile phone today. This remarkable statistic serves to elucidate the fact that the world we live in today is no longer a series of isolated nations and states. We live and work in a boundary less global village; where there is an increasing need to stay connected and survive in a blend of ideas and diversity. Some time ago, the development and investment in the mobile technology industry was sled by the belief that it was an individual focused market that would reshape the way consumers communicated with one another and used mobile phones for tasks that were beyond just basic communication. However, with the ever-evolving cycles of technological progress that this industry experienced, the mobile phone began to hold greater meaning and significance. It became a business-oriented device as well, that would redefine the many traditional dynamics of the corporate world. With the increasing popularity of the

4 Enterprise Mobility Management 4 device, technological researchers explored wider avenues where it could be used, and this introduced to the corporate world a feature that they could use in every aspect of their business processes. Mobility Management for Business Results The idea of enterprise mobility supporting business process to achieve better efficiency and productivity seems highly appealing at a glance, and corporations have generally flocked to technical supporters to incorporate the in thing into their business models. However, irrespective of what the first impression might be, managing enterprise mobility for corporate success is a complex and detailed process. To begin with, there are multiple questions that company managers and key technical officers have to find answers to, before they commence the implementation and management of their enterprise mobility systems. These key questions include the business goals that a company sets for its enterprise mobility infrastructure. Management by Objectives (MBO) is a technique used by almost every good company, and the same applies for building enterprise mobility architecture. Furthermore, other key components that need to be considered include: The number, and nature of employees, who use their mobile devices to gain advantage of enterprise mobility The nature of empowerment to the devices: corporate owned devices, or personal ones? Will the Bring Your Own Device culture become a norm in the organization or will this implementation wait? What core applications the company will be using for its business model and processes The development of the applications and their maintenance The extent to which a company s traditional methods and mechanisms will be retained, and carried forward in a parallel running system Furthermore, through the insight and knowledge that the company has gained in the market, it can be said that, unfortunately, most companies simply consider the concept of enterprise mobility as a mechanism where the maximum number of applications are to be incorporated into the system. Organizations need to realize that simply replacing an old, or traditional method for performing a function, with a basic application, is not the true purpose of enterprise mobility applications. These applications should be

5 Enterprise Mobility Management 5 considered innovative tools that help a company gain competitive edge in the market, and develop its own, customized, unique selling points (USPs) in terms of design, workforce dynamics, integrated systems, etc. Enterprise Mobility Management This term simply refers to the infrastructure that a company deploys to manage its wide scale, objective based enterprise mobility applications and systems. This is a vast array of functions, including a specifically designed architecture to support security, operations, applications (customized or basic) and finally, the users of the mobile devices or tablets themselves. EMM is basically used by companies who focus on enterprise mobility as a core component of their corporate strategy. They do not just view this as a project which has a beginning and an end, but a long term growth strategy. Furthermore, EMM lays the foundation for companies when they deploy and manage their mobile applications in terms of business models. EMM helps maintain the balance and control over IT infrastructure, and users demands, keeping the applications and framework reliable enough. Feel the difference The differentiating factor that sets EMM apart from the rest of the point approaches in the enterprise mobility industry is the way it integrates the functional components and applications of the system. Initially enterprise mobility began with different components functioning separately to satisfy and perform different functions. Even today, many approaches to managing these applications and inter connected links, actually lack the integration that is needed to customized, unique selling points (USPs) in terms of design, workforce dynamics, integrated systems, etc Furthermore, another level of integration is needed when companies need to merge existing systems and infrastructures with the newer, adapted ones. EMM caters to this very need, by helping companies shift from limited, project based approaches, to a widely integrated infrastructure. There are various components that EMM consists of.

6 Enterprise Mobility Management 6 Core Components There are three basic components of an EMM system that are well integrated with each other. They are: Mobile Device Management Mobile Application Management Mobile Support Management It is not necessary that every organization adopts every one of the three components completely, at the same time. However, an organization that wants to maintain a forward-looking, progressive approach, assures that these five components are taken care of, in its portfolio of enterprise mobility solutions. Mobile Device Management The concept of enterprise mobility inherently requires a framework or infrastructure to look after the multiple devices it houses, and the various policies that it requires. Mobile Device Management (MDM) ensures the compliance of all these devices to the policies that are pre set in the system An example could be the set of policies that are auto enforced on Apple ios devices. Furthermore, to better understand what this component of enterprise mobile management is, one can consider the requirement of entering a password before using a specific device, or deleting and adding certain data from the device, in an enterprise mobility system, as an example. However, one important aspect that companies need to bear in mind is that the level and extent of compliance and enforceability is determined by the manufacturer of the particular device, and the software. The MDM vendor cannot play a role in such functions. There are a few key points a company must consider before using or adopting MDM. They are as follows: The offering scale of the MDM and the difficulty level of usage The integration with current infrastructure The way this component will grow to help other EMM components as well

7 Enterprise Mobility Management 7 The reason why addressing these issues is important because purchasing MDM solutions in isolation is harmful to the long term growth of the infrastructure, and other components of the EMM framework. Mobile Application Management This addresses policies that are limited to the devices and Is ideal for limited pilot projects or limited adoption plans in general. In essence, MAM is similar to MDM in that it is also related to policy enforcement, and managing applications, but this is now limited to applications, and not devices. MAM is an established phenomenon in the enterprise mobility industry today. However, there still exists very little integration between MAM and MDM in companies today, although this is a very important aspect. Moreover, companies need to focus on the same aspects, as is the case with MDM. The same considerations apply to MAM as well, owing to the fact that it is equally important that MAM integrates with the other components of EMM. Mobile Support Management MDM and MAM are very basic and fundamental components of the EMM system. A large number of vendors actually assert saying that these are the only two components of EMM methodology. However, companies need to understand that these components cannot function on their own without any support mechanism. These two components can only manage applications and devices. However, they have no consideration when it comes to continuous maintenance and support. Furthermore, in times when the end user of the device or the application has an issue or cannot get through to the system, these to components cannot resolve the problem at all. A complex mechanism like enterprise mobility requires companies to consider the support structure as well, so that the long term sustenance is possible. Otherwise, the system would collapse or reach a dead end. Furthermore, the reliability of the enterprise mobility system is also tied to its support structure. Employees will learn to become accustomed to the applications and the newer approaches if they can rely on the system in times of need. When the system is unable to resolve their issues on time because of a lack of continuous support management, employees will realize that they cannot trust the system for their solutions and will start showing resistance to change as well.

8 Enterprise Mobility Management 8 Moreover, some of the major cost drivers for companies are maintenance issues. If a company pays attention to this component of EMM in the very beginning, it will not have to constantly invest in support expenditures and maintenance costs in the future, let alone the time required to address constantly arising concerns. Conclusion Enterprise mobility management is not a means to an end, but a process. It is not a tool, or a right or wrong answer to a company s problems. There is no perfect or ideal enterprise mobility management mechanism because this is a subjective issues and it differs from company to company. Small scale companies may have varying enterprise mobility management techniques when compared to larger ones. All in all, the corporate should realize that managing enterprise mobility solutions is as important an aspect in adopting newer technology, as the usage of enterprise mobile applications to begin with.