Mobile Computing Success

By Constance Kobylarz

What is the most important step you must take first to assure the success of your mobile computing initiatives?

Answer: Establish policy on which devices are to be supported by your organization, what device management solutions will be used and what security measures need to be taken to protect corporate data.

Why? Mobile devices offer organizations of every size an unprecedented opportunity to get computing work done faster and easier than ever before to:

  • Increase employee productivity,
  • Reduce cycle time and speed decisions, and
  • Respond to customers more quickly to increase new and repeat sales.

But, the proliferation of mobile devices within your organization without well thought out policies can lead to a chaotic environment. Your company ends up with too many different mobile devices making it very costly to secure and support. It becomes a growing nightmare that is difficult to resolve without disrupting field units and business processes.

First Things First

Every IT project needs to focus on the end users and the business need rather than technology for its own sake. This is particularly true for mobile computing.

It may be “cool” to carry and use the latest PDAs and Smartphones, but employee morale should not be the first reason to purchase new mobile devices for your workers.   Each mobile computing project needs to focus on one or more of these key goals:

  • Drive Revenue,
  • Reduce Costs, or
  • Increase Customer Satisfaction.

Other Factors for Mobile Computing Success

Additional factors which enhance mobile computing success revolve around IT Department responsibilities:

  • Establish and maintain secure data and network access;
  • Adopt systems that are manageable and scalable;
  • Integrate new projects with existing systems for optimal resource use; and
  • Minimize the impact of training and support for the new project.

Next in priority come the less quantifiable reasons for new mobile computing initiatives:

  • Improve Employee Morale
  • Improve Security by Upgrading Devices and Software
  • Pilot Test New Business Methods and Procedures.

Establishing organization-wide policy on security and device management first sets the stage for coherent mobility initiatives. Your overall goals and objectives will then guide your decisions.

Even the simplest of mobility implementations has impact for a company. What if your star salesperson lost the PDA that contains your entire customer list? How do you recover the information? How do you keep that list or other sensitive documents confidential?

Having policies in place is the key to success.