- Enterprise

- Mobile- Web

- Digital

Integrating Enterprise Mobility - an Assessment

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ENTERPRISE

IS THE PEOPLE,AND PEOPLE ARE NOW MOBILE.

www.mobiloitte.com

Abstract

Why Enterprise Mobility

Enterprise Mobility

This paper briefly explains how mobile IT can be integrated with the organizational work processes and its internal systems, and how the enterprise can benefit from Enterprise Mobility Solutions.

Smartphones and tablets have today become ubiquitous all over the world. People are getting accustomed to accessing the internet from their mobile devices. According to recent Gartner reports, by 2018, more than 50% of the population both in emerging economies as well as in the developed ones, will use a smartphone or a tablet to access the internet. The worldwide wearable devices sales will grow 18.4 percent in 2016. By

2020, more than half of the major new business processes and systems around the world will incorporate some elements of Internet of Things (IoT) due to the reducing costs of instrumenting and inter-connecting physical devices with sensors. The public cloud market will also remain on a boom, as per the research firm.

In such a scenario, it is becoming mandatory for enterprises to adapt to their changing digital environments. As, with a deluge of devices and their apps entering the workplaces, not only is maintaining data security becoming a major challenge, but also keeping the workers focused on their jobs becoming an issue. While on the other hand, instead of considering these devices and their apps as threats, if they are managed efficiently and brought within the purview of the enterprise’s mainline resource base not only would the security of corporate data get enhanced, but also worker’s productivity considerably improve while further optimizing the usage of the other resources involved.

Instead of considering the mobile devices and their apps as threats, they must be managed efficiently and brought within the purview of the enterprise’s mainline resource base.

Solution

Enterprise Mobility

In today’s digital environment content is available anywhere on the go and is also dynamically updated. You can access it anytime, anywhere, in any which way you want. Thus, managing a plethora of mobile devices not to mention

the digital wearables like smartwatches, body-worn cameras, Bluetooth headsets, smart garments, fitness monitors, etc. would become a nightmare for the IT department, in absence of relevant IT policies and procedures. Hence, modern-day enterprises must deliberate around enabling, managing, analyzing and controlling;

The devices Their applications andThe content

Gartner ’s Magic Quadrant for EMM solution providers in June 2015.

not only when they are used within the organization premises, but also when they are used outside the premises for the purposes of the organization itself.

Once the policies are in place the next step would be to select the most optimal mix of software and hardware solutions that would be suitable for your enterprise. These solutions are broadly categorized under Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM).

Enterprise Mobility Management can be segmented into:

Mobile Device Management (MDM)Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Choose Your Own Device (CYOD) Mobile Applications Management (MAM)Mobile Content Management (MCM)

Every year, Gartner evaluates the EMM providers from around the world on their execution abilities and completeness of vision. Based on the evaluation it places the providers on a quadrant.

Ensure that your employees do not misuse their mobile devices and handhelds within the workplace and remain productive.

▶ Mobile Device Management (MDM)

▶ Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Enterprise Mobility

Mobile Device Management is a way to ensure that employees do not misuse their mobile devices and handhelds within the workplace and remain productive. MDM primarily deals with using the latest crypto techniques for encrypting and processing all corporate data like emails, documents and enterprise applications and containerizing them. Personal data is segregated from corporate data on all devices.

A server component sends out management commands to the mobile devices, while a client component running on the mobile devices receives and implements the management commands. This adds an extra layer of security and ensures a way to monitor all device related activities. Mobile apps, data and configuration settings are distributed over the air for mobile phones, tablets, mobile printers, mobile POS devices, etc. Recently, laptops and desktops have also been added to the list of devices as MDM is becoming more about basic device management.

Both company owned (CYOD) and employee owned (BYOD) devices are progressively being managed and controlled by the MDM tools.

Drawbacks of MDM

1. Employees sometimes have to carry two devices to the workplace, one for their personal use and the other for official use.

2. MDM does not work well with the BYOD model and works better with the CYOD model.

3. MDM is not cost effective as it involves device procurement costs, operational and capital costs.

BYOD is an evolving concept in EMM and is referred to as the IT consumerization phenomenon. It is the policy of allowing employees to bring in their own devices such as laptops, tablets, mobile phones or any other digital wearable to office and access the privileged company information and applications.

BYOD is perceived by employees as a convenience and enjoyment as they can keep working with their choicest devices even in office. This also goes to add to their efficiency as they can work from anywhere, anytime.

Enterprise Mobility

Many companies are fast adopting BYOD as it boosts employee morale, adds to their convenience, and makes the organization look more flexible and employee friendly. In a recent study by Intel on BYOD usage in India, six out of ten IT managers favoured BYOD as it increased productivity and employee satisfaction. Besides, BYOD is cost effective as it reduces investments in devices such as laptops, desktops, phones, etc.

Drawbacks of BYOD1. Chances of higher data breach like if an employee loses a mobile phone

which was used to access official emails, sensitive information could get into the wrong hands.

2. Since employees would use the devices for personal browsing as well, it raises the chances of higher malware and virus infections.

3. Governance breaches also increase due to the infiltration of personal apps in the professional workspace.

▶ Choose Your Own Device (CYOD)

▶ Mobile Applications Management (MAM)

CYOD is similar to BYOD, only the devices, i.e. laptops, mobile phones, tablets, etc. are pre-approved by the company and the security softwares, firewalls, the set-up administrator and the network settings are offered as pre-installed on these devices. The workers’ personal devices remain out of the office network. Sometimes workers are allowed to carry the official devices home on work-from-home assignments.

Although CYOD model involves cost incurrence in purchasing the devices and their maintenance, it is more effective in preventing malware and virus infections and governance breaches. The BYOD model is, therefore, more cost effective in comparison to the CYOD model.

MAM describes the software, applications and services that are required to provision and control the various devices operated inside the office premises. It is the glue that binds the various devices with their respective applications and software for optimized usage, and ultimately, more efficient performance of the workforce. It finds application in both CYOD and BYOD models. For e.g., when an employee brings his personal device to office the corporate IT staff downloads the required mobile applications or software into the mobile device for controlling access over confidential corporate data.

The glue that binds the various devices with their respective applications and software for optimized usage, leading to more efficient performance of the workforce.

Enterprise Mobility

MAM not only enhances data security, but enterprises have also started offering various mobile applications to their workers for corporate utilities like tracking their whereabouts, automated billing, receiving and making payments, enterprise resource management, human resource management, fleet tracking, etc.

Drawbacks of MAM1. MAM is expensive as it requires building

the right mobile applications for enhancing entrepreneurial decision making.

2. Version upgrade becomes difficult as this is bundled along with application.

3. Control can be at the application level only, if not integrated with MDM.

▶ Mobile Content Management (MCM)

MCM is corporate data management system over the mobile platform. It is the capability of a company to store and deliver corporate data and services to the mobile devices with such precision that not only the work gets done, but complete data security is also maintained. It is the effective dissemination and protection of IT related information to the workers.

Drawbacks of MCM1. For MCM to work efficiently a native mobile app is required.

2. MCM has limited platform support and works well with only iOS and Android.

To arrive at the most optimum EMM solution suite, an enterprise first has to devise the right IT policies. Once the IT policies are in place, the right people have to be hired who can implement and execute these policies for highest data security while supporting the workers when they use their mobile devices in office. There is no optimum EMM suite in general that suits all. Since different businesses have different needs and occupy different positions in the market, each business must find its own optimum EMM solutions mix.

The Optimum EMM Solution Mix

EMM solutions suite includes the following services:

Enterprise Mobility

Device Authentication & Authorization

Applications Version Management

Maintaining Data Security

Maintaining Reports & Statistics

It is imperative to install multi-layered authentication procedures through Username, Device Passwords and OTPs (One Time Passwords) to keep a check on whether the devices asking access are user owned or company owned, and to enable geo-location based data access and authentication. This would help in effective geo-location tracking by keeping a tab on the location of the devices that log in.

It is important to keep the apps up-to-date through regular software upgrades based upon the device OS compatibility. Sending out push notifications informing the user to go for the next upgrade when there is a change in technology, or to restrict app access temporarily to address security flaws that come up are key to app maintenance and versioning.

This service includes encrypting the data to restrict access, disabling the data sharing applications or utilities on authorized devices, automatic deletions of sensitive corporate data on authorized devices based on ‘time to live’ certificates, encrypting data communication on top of SSL protocol for data security, implementing asymmetric encryption key algorithms for transport layer data security.

Remote Data Wipe is another useful feature that wipes out all sensitive data at the application or container level from any device remotely, in case it is lost or stolen.

Customized reports and statistics go a long way in adding value to the app features, Regular updates in designing and updating records for better insight are necessary actions for the enterprise’s mobile strategy. Some useful measurement metrics are app usage vs. platform, app vs. platform versions, app vs. device OEMs, app vs. location, etc.

Mobile Applications Provisioning & Deployment

Since enterprise gets utility based mobile apps created for enabling mobility for specific enterprise functionalities like billing, mCommerce, ERP, HRM, fleet monitoring, field force management, sales force management or accounting,

etc., it is advisable that the enterprise provisions all of these apps from a central location only, such as the enterprise app store. This would ensure the accessibility of certified applications through authorized devices by valid persons only.

Policy Management

Multi-platform Handling Capabilities

Purpose-built Platform

Growing Customer Base

Listing out a set of IT rules and regulations to be followed by employees when they use their personal mobile devices in office, or use office devices authorized for usage at home is an essential necessity. The rules can be enforceable at the user, device and application levels. Policies like restricting app usage during office hours, blacklisting particular websites and applications, disabling app usage outside office premises, restricting the number of logins from particular devices, etc. are some examples of policy management.

Mobile technology is fast evolving and every six months a new operating software gets introduced. If you do a reality check on some well-known mobile apps that were a rage few years back but are extinct now, you will find that many of them disappeared due to non-adaptability with their fast changing OS environments. Hence, to create your enterprise grade mobile app, you must choose a provider who is proficient with multiple platforms and not just a specialist of one. Such a provider will be able to modify and re-strategize your mobile app according to its changing environment.

Choose a vendor whose platform was built from the ground up with the vision of servicing industries so that it can offer scalability and reliability that your enterprise would need for its transition to mobility.

In addition to a strong vision and a robust infrastructure your EMM provider must also have a growing database of satisfied customer base and focus on customer engagements. Are they servicing across a wide range of industry verticals or are they servicing a narrow segment of the market? A vendor with a broad portfolio should be preferred.

Enterprise Mobility

EMM is the call of the day, and enterprises across the world are fast adapting to this new reality. However, one of the most frequently asked questions in this regard has been how to choose the right EMM solutions provider. Some of the key points to be considered are:

How to Choose your EMM Solutions Provider

Many well-known mobile apps that were a rage few years back are extinct now due to non-adaptability with their fast changing OS environments.