Love them or hate them, enterprise mobility services are everywhere. In this era of internet and digital technology, enterprise mobility consistently ranks among the top trending topics. With the ever-increasing number of internet and mobile phone users, businesses are quick to adopt Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) to keep up with their competitors. Thanks to the web and countless mobile applications, there is a steep rise in user engagement. This has created the need for SMEs and large companies to use an enterprise mobility suite for the smooth operation of their organization.
So what is enterprise mobility? Simply put, it is the use of mobile technology for business purposes. It has tremendous market potential and is far superior to traditional business methods. More multinational corporations and business organizations are jumping on the enterprise mobility bandwagon. They are taking baby steps into the future by seamlessly working on projects. Let’s take a closer look at this new trend that is revolutionizing work culture around the world.
Definition: What is Enterprise Mobility?
Enterprise mobility is defined as the trend of employees working outside the office environment. They can perform business tasks away from the confines of the conventional workplace. This is possible with the help of mobile devices and cloud-based services. After the boom of the smartphones and tablets a few years ago, employees have begun the shift towards mobility. For example, an employee can upload a presentation from their desktop PC to the cloud. Later, he/she can access it on a tablet at a client site.
Many factors contributed to the emergence of enterprise mobility. Social media and mobile applications have completely changed the way businesses work. Especially the ones connected to cloud computing and offering mobile collaboration features.
Enterprise mobility is prominent in companies that rely on field operations to service customers. Nowadays, it has become the norm even in companies that earlier relied upon the traditional business models. It is predicted that by 2020, the enterprise mobility management market will generate revenues up to a staggering US $240 billion. 5 Benefits of Enterprise Mobility: Why is it Important?
Managers and employees new to the concept wonder: why embrace enterprise mobility? Here’s why. In recent years, enterprise mobility is gaining a lot of traction due to the many benefits and results it offers. Not only does it help companies leverage customers, but also boosts employee productivity.
With such great results, its no wonder that startups and organizations of all sizes are making a beeline for enterprise mobility services. Enterprise mobility has introduced a new level of flexibility in the workplace and this is the tip of the iceberg. It isn’t simply a cool new trend; it will change the way we work as the future ushers in new technology.
Here are some of the key benefits of enterprise mobility:
1. Improve Business Responsiveness and Reliability
Thanks to this new technology, employees are enabled to stay in touch no matter where they are. They can work on-the-go and collaborate with their colleagues on projects. A mobile-first business helps team members access important data and communications they need. They can quickly respond to clients and customers instead of waiting until they return to the office.
2. Increase Employee Flexibility
Employee motivation will increase as teams can work according to their convenience. Overall, this has a positive impact on business. Employees can work remotely or from home, while travelling or easily access the required tools from the cloud while in a client meeting. This flexibility leads to higher levels of satisfaction, which in turn leads to improved productivity.
3. Gain a Collaborative Boost
Teams working together can stay in touch with each other and their clients. They can accomplish their tasks using the files and data at their disposal. Due to the ever-increasing list of cloud-based solutions and apps, there’s no reason for employees to remain confined to their workstations.
4. Reduce Unnecessary Costs
The simple yet innovative bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy enables employees to work productively wherever they are. This is beneficial to businesses because it reduces their purchase costs for devices for every user and team.
5. Attract and Retain Talent
By providing flexible work options, organizations will be able to offer their employees a better work-life balance. In turn, the workers will appreciate the freedom and flexibility and deliver better work. This type of environment will help companies attract and retain good talent.
5 Challenges in Enterprise Mobility
No doubt, enterprise mobility services offer massive benefits to organizations. However, there are certain issues that need to be addressed for the effective implementation of enterprise mobility solutions. While the concept of mobility and BYOD go hand-in-hand, there is an overlapping concern of security.
Here are some key security concerns of enterprise mobility:
1. Mobile devices and smartphones are not always as secure as desktop computers. This makes company resources more vulnerable to malware attacks.
2. Mobile connections that are made via unsecured networks could expose private communication to snooping
3. Most businesses are still apprehensive about sharing their confidential information with third-party cloud-service providers. They prefer keeping it in-house with trusted sources.
4. Older model computers and outdated operating systems are more susceptible to dangerous malware.
5. Enterprise mobility solutions rely on fragmented data that can be accessed and shared by mobile devices. Hence, IT teams should work on securing not just the network connection but the data itself.
10 Global Trends in Enterprise Mobility: What’s Next?
The recent trends in enterprise mobility have caught the interest of organizations worldwide. Companies are sitting up and taking notice of its tremendous future potential. A global survey has found that 71 percent of businesses believe that enterprise mobility is a top priority. Meanwhile, 63 percent of businesses feel that it is a significant factor for gaining a competitive advantage. Listed below are the top ten global trends in enterprise mobility management (EMM):
1. The Growth of Artificial Intelligence
Slowly and steadily, AI has made its way into the different technologies used today such as chatbots and augmented reality. From Uber, Google Maps and AI-powered smart cars to voice-activated assistants like Siri and facial recognition software, AI is everywhere. In this automation era, companies are rapidly adopting machine learning capabilities for business operations.
2. Emerging Trend of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) Culture
Many companies are accepting the idea of allowing employees to bring their own devices to work. The usage of personal laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. greatly reduces company costs.
3. An Upsurge in the Internet of Things (IoT)
Currently, IoT has taken over the IT industry and become a household name. It helps to establish network connections with home appliances and conveyance vehicles. A recent report by Forbes has predicted that the number of IoT connected devices will soon surpass smartphones. 4. Customized Enterprise Mobility Applications
They will help businesses increase their operational efficiency and improve customer experience. Enterprise mobility services have given rise to a need to shift from generic apps to enterprise-centric apps. These tailored apps help decrease workflow redundancy in the workplace.
5. Increased Need for Cross-Platform Applications
As the BYOD culture expands in the workplace, it will create a need for cross-platform app development. Employees work on both Android and iOS powered devices. This is due to the variety of mobile phones available in the market today.
6. Migration to the Cloud
More companies are shifting to cloud-based service providers for data storage. Different types of data related to work, employees, and customers can be readily stored in the cloud. This data can be accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world.
7. Increased Demand for Location-Based Services
Tech-savvy consumers search for local businesses and services online. With the help of Google Maps and GPS locations, they can find the tops results for their current location.
8. Rising Demand for Experienced Developers
As the shift to new technology continues, there is a growing need for efficient designers. Companies are completely dependent on their experience and effectiveness. The designers’ technical skills will greatly benefit companies using enterprise mobility suites.
9. Multilayered Security Models
Security will remain one of the main concerns for EMM, especially with the BYOD culture. Hence, IT services and support are focusing on developing multi-layered security models. This will help prevent malware attacks and data breaches.
10. More Mobility and Less Computing
As there is a shift from desktop PCs to mobile phones, enterprise mobility has taken a front seat. Both small and large companies are adopting
Business Mobility: How to Make Enterprise Mobility Work for Your Business
Naturally, there isn’t a one size fits all enterprise mobility solution for businesses. It has to customized according to business structure, needs, teams, and layouts.
Here are 5 ways to make enterprise mobility work for your organization;
1. Introduce Enterprise Mobility Management Tools
There are various ways to secure and enable EMM tools in the workplace. These include mobile device management, mobile application management, and mobile information management tools.
2. Implement a BYOD policy
As elaborated earlier, encouraging employees to work on their personal devices is beneficial for them as well as the company. It boosts productivity and reduces company costs.
3. Install and Utilize a VPN
Virtual Private Networks help provide a secure pathway to an organization’s network. They offer useful tools to create a secure connection.
4. Adopt Security-Based Apps
As highlighted above, security is a major criterion while working with an enterprise mobility suite. Apps that enable file and message encryption, help to keep your data secure and protected.
What is Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)?
The EMM market is continuously evolving to provide specific and comprehensive services. This helps in the management of applications and devices. So what is EMM? It is defined as a set of technologies and services that are designed to maintain the security of confidential corporate data on employees’ mobile devices. It generally consists of an enterprise mobility suite of mobile management systems and services. This helps to safeguard intellectual property and specific processes that ensure data security.
Here is a list of the various aspects of Enterprise Mobility Management:
1. Mobile Device Management (MDM)
This technology aids in remotely managing the life cycle of mobile device platforms. It includes installing unique profiles on phones and wiping data and apps for stolen devices.
2. Mobile Application Management (MAM)
It enables organizations to manage mobile apps instead of hardware. MAM includes the operation and deployment of mobile applications. MAM and mobile application platforms (MAP) together are expected to grow to almost $10.2 billion in 2021.
3. Mobile Information Management (MIM)
It is concerned with databases that are accessible remotely. It is generally integrated with MAM or MDM services due to the reliance of app management services on cloud-based tools.
4. Mobile Content Management (MCM)
This forms an important aspect of enterprise mobility management. It enables professionals to access content on their mobiles through four key roles. They are contentpush, content access, content security and file-level protection.
5. Mobile Identity Management (MIM)
The primary objective of MIM is to ensure that trusted devices are granted access to enterprise applications and data. This includes device and user certificates, authentication and app code signatures.
6. Mobile Expense Management (MEM)
It is designed to help organizations control costs by keeping tabs on mobile communication devices. MEM services provide organizations with useful insights into service and data usage. It also helps in the formulation of policies for BYOD stipends and device procurement.
How Do You Know When Your Business Needs an Enterprise Mobility Management Solution?
- Your strategic company resources include mobile phones. Replacing them is a costly and time-consuming affair
- Your employees require properly provisioned devices
- Your company implements the BYPD policy for cost reduction and increased employee satisfaction. However, it can compromise data security and regulatory compliance
- Your company functions in a strictly monitored industry where confidential company data is stored on personal devices.
- You have to reduce worker downtime and prevent app or device problems
- Your company’s operations depend on mobile apps that deploy different versions
5 Top Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) Solutions
EMM is a sophisticated technology that is used to control mobile access to networks and data. While conducting an evaluation of EMM vendors for your business, it is important to consider certain factors. They are three basic core capabilities required in every organization: secured access, data protection and visibility. Some vendors offer basic BYOD security functionality while others are limited to mobile application management (MAM).
Here are some of the top enterprise mobility management solutions available in the market today.
1. MobileIron
Its intelligence includes a policy engine that has features such as an administrative console, secure gateway, VPN and secure content and email access.
2. BlackBerry
It has useful EMM capabilities such as app, identity, content and device management. Its other features include jailbreak detection and compliance.
3. IBM MaaS 360
This EMM solution offers a Watson integration that adds AI and machine learning. It other unique features include malware protection, secure gateway and collaboration, and enterprise mobility suites.
4. Citrix XenMobile
It helps to create business apps without using a code. Citrix offers a unified endpoint, and a secure gateway for content and app management.
5. VMware AirWatch
Its intelligence includes automated deployment and management for features like end-to-end security, identity management and productivity apps.
Best Enterprise Mobility Management Software
The best EMM software helps prevent unauthorized access to enterprise applications as well as confidential corporate data on employees’ personal devices. EMM tools are all-purpose platforms that help in the central management and enforcement of corporate security policies. The primary goal of enterprise mobility management software whether mobile apps can be integrated with policies, objectives and work processes. Typically, they involve a combination of mobile application management (MAM) and mobile device management (MDM) tools.
Enterprise mobility management software products offer useful features such as:
- Support various operating systems and mobile devices
- Include a combination of standalone EMM tools such as MAM, MDM and identity management solutions.
- Use a unifying, singular platform to manage mobile devices, tablets, and smartphones
Enterprise Mobility Management: Models and Solutions
In order to develop high efficiency while using enterprise mobility services, organizations have three important factors to consider: balancing user accessibility, tailoring data protection measures for operational needs, and choosing between BYOD and corporate devices. Companies have researched and developed many options while looking for the optimal mobility strategy model.
Here are the three most common approaches when it comes to enterprise mobility models:
1. Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD)
It is convenient for users and beneficial for employees. However, this model brings security and management concerns because of the uncontrolled use of personal devices.
2. Corporate-owned, Personally-Enabled (COPE)
With this approach, the struggle for device control, protection, and management are eliminated altogether. The downside of this model is that it increases the expenses for company IT departments, although bulk purchases are quite cost-effective.
3. Choose-Your-Own-Device (CYOD)
Organizations that follow this policy enable employees to choose from a list of approved devices. While the company-provided gadgets simplify work for the IT team, there is a substantial increase in purchase costs and hardware maintenance.
Enterprise Mobility Software Solutions
They are highly beneficial to both employers and employees alike. The deployment of mobile enterprise management software offers various merits. These are beneficial to all the parties involved in the business process. Some of the key aspects of the business values provided by enterprise mobility include employee satisfaction and productivity, performance quality boost as well as process improvement.
6 Types of Enterprise Mobility Solutions
The six major components of enterprise mobility solutions are:
- Identity management
- Mobile hypervisors and containers
- Mobile device and application management
- Virtual data and apps access with virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
- Machine learning-based protection
- Information rights management and file security
How Enterprise Mobility Services Work
Enterprise mobility services need to offer more than just technical expertise. They also need to guarantee the return on investment and maximum business value. Successful enterprise mobility solutions provide strategic planning, value management, business vision, and operations support for the integration of enterprise apps in the company portfolio.
Enterprise mobility services operate in several ways such as:
- Network-based enterprise mobility solutions
- Remote streaming to isolate enterprise apps
- Device-centric approach such as Mobile Device Management (MDM)
- SDK (software development kit) containerization integrated with mobile apps
Enterprise Mobility Technology: Is it Really Less Time-Consuming?
Effective time management is one of the major benefits of EMM. Through enterprise mobility services, employees can work remotely or from home, and save time wasted on long commutes to work. Applications, operating systems, and corporate data are no longer confined to specific hardware. By using services like desktop visualization, business enterprise mobility can empower companies to provide secure and controlled access to corporate resources. It improves client relations and saves time by providing access rights and profiles to the requisite user.
What Do Enterprise Mobility Apps Bring to the Table?
Some of the major advantages of using enterprise mobility services are:
-
Improved Customer Experience
Enterprise mobility solutions enable users to share their device screens with their colleagues or customers. This enhances the consumer experience to share knowledge and gain learning opportunities. By providing social media, video tools, and chat options, it also promotes process improvement and data accuracy.
2. Increased Employee Productivity
Enterprise mobility applications offer employees access to key office apps on their personal devices. This promotes digital communication and capabilities, which in turn leads to better collaboration and efficient interaction.
3. Reduced Paperwork and Decreased Costs
By transferring the information workflow to digital channels, there are lesser chances of data loss. Additionally, the expenses for ink, paper, and other stationery supplies are also drastically cut or eliminate altogether.
4. Efficient Processes
Sales and field teams in companies can use interactive apps on their personal devices to communicate data and processes. Enterprise mobility solutions also save precious training time required to master the mechanics of a multi-function device.
SEE ALSO: Cloud Computing- A Fuss or A Force to Be Reckoned with?
Enterprise Mobility: Fundamental Technology for Future Productivity
In conclusion, the workplace of the future will be driven by new technology that perhaps hasn’t even been invented yet. Over the last decade, enterprise mobility has solely focused on security. While this is a major concern, it has shifted focus from the key benefit that enterprise mobility has to offer: value-based productivity.
As the world advances in digital capabilities we must ensure to retain a strong connection to our physical world. The technology we deploy will be universally used to successfully drive businesses forward and meet goals. Hence, enterprise mobility is an amazing showcase to demonstrate how today’s most fundamental technology can be refined to fit future needs.
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