Mastering the Mobile Challenge

Transcription

1 Enterprise Device Enablement Mastering the Mobile Challenge How enterprises and vendors can improve viability, applicability, and security of mobile deployments

2 Introduction Welcome to the post-pc world, where mobility rules. Just as laptops eventually superseded sales of desktop PCs, tablets and smartphones are well on their way to replacing PCs as the primary computing device for multiple worker segments. Enterprises and device manufacturers alike face new challenges, but have the potential to reap new benefits. With the onset of consumerization and the bring your own device or BYOD trend, enterprises and manufacturers must focus on mobile devices that are small yet powerful and simple yet intuitive. Employees have already established the viability of mobile devices, by adopting them in their personal lives. Now is the time to capitalize on that acceptance by creating devices whose capabilities are expansive enough to serve both employees and the enterprise itself. The world of mobile devices is not the PC world made small. It is an arguably different world, requiring different strategies for design, development, and deployment. Here is what a focused strategy for enterprise device enablement entails. 2

3 A New Kind of Specificity The PC was designed as a generalpurpose computing tool, onto which enterprises could load a variety of applications. Mobile devices have a different context: they re smaller, which requires greater ease-of-use and even more specificity for employees tasks. But unlike mobile devices of the past, which tended to be highly customized and thus more expensive, today s devices allow a more efficient combination of horizontal capabilities (e.g., , security and device management) with a higher level of customization both from a hardware and software standpoint based on roles and responsibilities. Let us look at horizontal, enterprisespecific capabilities first. They have evolved far beyond the days of downloading , although that clearly remains one of the most important applications. But with the drive toward simplicity, enterprise developers can imbed better integration with backend applications than ever before. Take security: enterprises can build in security modules to help ensure that when users transmit information, they adhere to specific IT policies. Other applications of IT policies may include the ability to download new applications solely from an enterprise application catalog, and integration with a mobile device management application for uploading telecom expense management information as well as downloading software and firmware updates. But there is also industry-specific customization. Logistics companies and car-rental firms, just to name two, have spent millions on special-purpose mobile devices. These devices give their employees the ability to accept signatures, swipe credit cards, and print receipts. But such firms along with retailers, medical facilities, entertainment venues, and others can sidestep the cost of manufacturing their own devices and now simply customize existing mobile tools to accommodate these needs. By using industry-specific frameworks and middleware extensions, it is now possible to incorporate business rules relating to Payment Card Industry (PCI) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) compliance so that employees can scan customer or patient data, upload it more securely, and print out transaction or process results while still maintaining privacy. 3

4 Understanding Business Needs and Challenges Greater opportunities mean greater choice, but they also demand a more deliberate decision-making process regarding the hardware, software, and connectivity that s needed. It has been said that the simpler a device is for users, the more complexity lurks behind it. That has never been more true. Both enterprises and manufacturers embarking on a mobile device enablement strategy need to understand a wide variety of business and technical issues. Hardware: When it comes to deploying mobile devices to knowledge workers, are companies going to adopt a bring your own device policy, limit devices to certain choices, or issue approved devices? Multi-platform strategies offer both advantages and drawbacks. Software: Enterprises must determine the viability of either developing software themselves and if so, what development framework they will use or purchasing third-party software. By codifying their software structure, they can more easily identify both applications and tools to use for various cases. Connectivity: How will devices communicate with back-end systems? What security protocols do enterprises need to put in place if devices communicate through secure versus unsecured WiFi networks? Must all data be encrypted, or only specific corporate data? Compliance and Security: This relates to connectivity, but also encompasses issues with credit cards relating to Payment Card Industry compliance or medical devices that need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It also relates to applications, because enterprises may need to ensure that employees only download approved applications just because employees have an Android TM device, should they be able to download anything from Google Play? Security must be managed by back-end systems because employees in the field or on the floor rightfully will be focusing on customers or patients, not security processes. Integration and Testing: How will other devices (e.g., printers, scanners and cameras) be integrated into the mobile devices? And when they are, how will their efficacy be tested, especially under a wide variety of working conditions? And how do you certify that the applications will work properly on a variety of carrier networks? 4

5 Making Mobile Device Enablement A Reality As daunting as those needs and challenges might be, mobile devices can improve the productivity of employees, which in turn helps enterprises and manufacturers achieve their business objectives. To reap the full benefits these devices provide, enterprises need to develop mobile device enablement capabilities, including the ability to build enterprise applications, to create the online stores for those applications, to enhance and extend operating systems for greater productivity, and to manage mobile devices cost-effectively. Enterprise Applications The area of applications spans multiple aspects of mobility, including development, communication and collaboration. Development requires a keen understanding of either devicedependent or cross-platform tools as well as insight into the latest aspects of Web development on handheld devices. Communication covers connectivity to back-end enterprise applications, including productivity applications as well as the latest in telephony and Web services suites. Collaboration encompasses unified communications, IP telephony and location-based corporate services in order to improve the ability of employees to work productively wherever they are. Enterprise Applications Catalog To provide the highest levels of security and management for the deployment of internal enterprise applications, companies are more frequently setting up their own versions of application stores to serve their users. From there, users can download approved applications via a catalogue that is either embedded as an application in their handheld device or available via the Web. Operating System Enhancements With the increasing popularity of BYOD policies, companies need a strong understanding of operating system issues on handhelds. They need to ensure the separation and security of personal and corporate data through on-device encryption as well as ensure functionality in terms of synchronization, WiFi access and enterprise applications. Device Management Managing devices spans several categories, from the physical and logistical to software and security. A strong mobile device management (MDM) system helps companies provision both devices and applications, distribute software updates, track device configuration, and remotely erase corporate data from devices that have been lost or stolen. 5

6 Strategies for Tackling Mobility While mobility delivers clear benefits to companies today, it continues to rapidly evolve. Start-ups and established vendors alike are creating new capabilities and applications every day. Hardware vendors that were dominant a few years ago have crested, with others taking their place. Given this ever-shifting landscape, prudent companies must develop mobility strategies that account for the industry s shifting landscape. Beyond the devices themselves, companies should develop a strategy for integrating the mobile capabilities into their back-end infrastructure. Understanding the basics of connectivity is only part of the equation. Companies need to understand prototype and test mobile applications or to modify and customize the hardware itself. They need to test the devices and the applications within their particular infrastructure, both for reliability and usability. And they need to properly manage those devices once they are deployed. Furthermore, if an enterprise determines that it must support multiple platforms, it then needs to identify cross-platform development tools and tactics for helping to reduce development and testing costs along with building a specific software stack on the device to support industry and enterprise specific use cases for connectivity, integration with third-party components, usability, device management, regulatory policy and security. Overall, depending on a specific company s needs, it must take into account a variety of areas, including: Third-party component integration Security and compliance needs Telecom expense management Technical support and downtime mitigation Unified communications capabilities Connectivity and carrier/network certification To help them navigate this landscape of challenges, companies that do not have internal expertise in mobility should look for a partner that brings a depth of knowledge in a variety of specialized needs. Such a partner can apply lessons and insights it gathers in one industry to another. For example, mobile devices that have been developed for military and government deployments generally have security capabilities beyond those of other industries. The lessons garnered in developing those capabilities (e.g., encryption and ruggedization) can be applied to other industries, such as health care (where patient privacy is key), logistics (where ease of use is crucial) or industrial equipment (where reliability reigns). Even device OEMs can benefit from potential partnerships, getting access to corporate customers that represent a major new market segment. In other situations, companies can rely on partners to help determine the optimal number of platforms to support, and then to help develop applications and capabilities for those platforms. Both enterprises and manufacturers should consider partners with the technical knowhow and experience to create more viable mobility opportunities to fit their specific needs. 6

7 Contact Us For more information about how Accenture can assist with positioning your organization as a mobile trendsetter, please contact: Srinivas Ramadath Accenture Mobility Services Campaign Lead Sales and Consulting srinivas.ramadath@accenture.com Inderpreet Singh Accenture Mobility Software Services Devices and Platforms inderpreet.singh@accenture.com About Accenture Mobility Accenture is focused on enabling its clients to achieve breakthrough growth throughout the rapidly changing mobile ecosystem. Accenture Mobility offers five mobility services including consulting, software services applications, software services devices and platforms, managed services, and business integration services. These are designed to help organizations embrace business to employee (B2E), business to consumer (B2C), business to business (B2B) and machine to machine (M2M) business opportunities. Accenture offers mobility and embedded software services across a wide range of industries and platforms, including Android, Apple ios, Blackberry, Linux, Meego, Symbian, Windows Phone and Windows 8. About Accenture Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with 257,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, Its home page is For more information on Accenture Mobility please scan the 2D barcode. Copyright 2012 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture. This document makes descriptive reference to trademarks that may be owned by others. The use of such trademarks herein is not an assertion of ownership of such trademarks by Accenture and is not intended to represent or imply the existence of an association between Accenture and the lawful owners of such trademarks /