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Mobile devices have come into the work environment in a big way. IT departments are struggling with the deluge of mobiles that everyone from at the top right down to the lower levels, are expecting to be able to bring to work.
What is the beleaguered CIO to do?
Research firm Gartner, or more specifically analysts Nick Jones and Hung LeHong authored a report that recommends what CIOs should consider whilst devising a mobile device strategy.
It stated, “A mobile strategy should evolve to become aligned with and support an enterprise’s overall strategy.”
Whilst CIOs should be cautious that mobile strategies shouldn’t start to evolve and take on a life of its own ala Skynet in Arnie Schwarzenegger’s Terminator series, that doesn’t mean enterprises shouldn’t grab the opportunity to innovate with mobile technology.
“Enterprises must migrate from using mobile as an extension of the Web to using mobile s a way of doing things that were never possible with any other technology.”
New mobile tech is enabling capabilities that only mobile can pull off. For example Near Field Communication (NFC) which enables phones as hotel room keys or a means to pay for a product or service.
This evolved or second-generation mobile strategy should target to expand beyond IT B2E (business-to-employee) and marketing B2C ( business-to-consumer) or B2B. “New governance approaches, as well as increased risk assessment and mitigation strategies will be required.”
The two analysts’ findings recommend that a mobile strategy should include four main sections. These are,1) the demand section, or the capabilities that will be delivered to consumers, citizens/employees and how these meet enterprise goals, 2) the supply or tools and resources that will be used to fulfill capabilities and experiences sought in the demand section, 3) governance, whereby how stake holders will make decisions and manage approvals and funding 4) risks in terms of security, financial and competition when it comes to pursuing the proposed strategy
Gartner also observed that any mobile strategy that may exist from before, were tactical in nature. “CIOs and their teams should now pursue a more strategic approach to mobile capabilities. If not, they risk making the wrong long-term investments or more importantly, they may miss emerging customer needs that are about to become commonplace.”
If the strategy includes technologies like feature phones, smartphones, tablets and even devices with machine-to-machine communication, it is very likely on the right track. An important risk and security aspect that the strategy in question should also approach is employee-owned and corporate-owned devices; there is has to be clear delineation!
“Many enterprises will evolve from a fully corporate-owned device environment to a mix of corporate-and employee-owned devices. this shift should be complemented with clear communication to individual employees and their departments as to what is and is not allowed ie. handsets, data plans, operators, mobile apps, network access and roaming). … It is not exaggerated to think of this agreement as a three-way contract among employees, their department and the IT organisation.”
In short, if ever there was a right time to design a (next-generation) mobile strategy, that time is now.
Cat Yong is Editor-in-Chief of Enterprise IT News, a regional news website which began in Malaysia circa 2011. A common theme in all of her work - opinions, analysis, features and more - is how technology and innovation drives business and outcomes.
A career tech journalist for 22 years, her work has evolved to also encompass narratives of tech powering human potential.
