Opinion: Moving Beyond The Pilot

No one denies the benefits of mobility solutions. Even text-based email and

messaging solutions can offer hours of increased productivity for each employee

every day.

More sophisticated mobile solutions-featuring real-time data collection and

exchange with enterprise applications-mobile sales, mobile service management,

mobile asset management, mobile procurement, inventory, and warehouse

management-can actually transform the way a company conducts business and

interacts with its customers.

End user companies are quick to acknowledge the power of mobile solutions

within their enterprises. Yet, many of these companies are not so quick to

actually roll out hardware and applications to their employees. In most cases,

it's not a resistance to the technology. When it comes to mobilizing a

workforce, pilot projects seem to be everywhere. Moving from pilot to full-scale

deployment, well, that's another issue altogether. Even the most promising

mobile pilot projects get stalled for any number of reasons, ranging from

security to scalability. Temporarily halting the deployment of a mobile solution

may be a prudent course of action. Ignoring the deployment of a mobile solution

is foolhardy. The technology and its benefits will not go away.

It's tempting to think that the safest bet is to simply not deploy a mobile

solution. Actually, the opposite is true. First, there are immeasurable

productivity benefits that a company will miss through this inaction. Second,

employees will attempt to connect to the network with unauthorized devices. And,

the false sense of security that existed, will be shattered.

When it comes to mobility within an enterprise, there is no sense in fighting

it. It's inevitable, so embracing and managing the technology, is the wisest

approach. Given that there are several key points to address before rolling out

a mobile solution to your workforce. Security, obviously, is the biggest

concern. But enterprises also need to consider the scalability of the solution,

types of devices, end users, and the road map for mobility within their

companies. It's all right that the deployment plan may be deliberate. It's

inexcusable, however, not to have a plan in place

Security: Bull in a China Shop



Security is the primary issue that halts a mobile deployment in its tracks.

Managing mobile devices-hundreds and thousands in some cases-that have the

ability to access enterprise data gives the IT department chills. It's tough

enough to control desktops and mobility multiplies, and complicates the issue.

Wrapping your arms around this problem starts with centrally managing security.

All of the mobile devices supported by the enterprise have to be managed by one

department or location. If a handheld is lost or stolen, for example, the IT

security folks need the ability to defuse that device as a potential threat to

the company. This device-level management allows a company to eliminate the

possibility of an intruder accessing corporate data. The handheld or laptop may

be lost forever, but it's not a security bomb waiting to explode.

There are two basic levels of security that every company must address, when

it comes to mobile solutions. You first need to authenticate the user to the

device. Second, you have to authenticate the device to the network. There are

multiple ways to accomplish these objectives. But, this two-step authentication

is critical. Passwords, power-on passwords, and even biometric security (such as

fingerprint identification) can all be employed in the authentication process to

raise the level of security. Additionally, data stored on the hard drive of the

device can be encrypted and rendered useless if the right security measures are

taken.

Security should also be user friendly. If employees don't follow the

security measures in place or look for ways to circumvent security, it's an

obvious problem. In most cases, employees are not looking to evade security as

much as they are trying to make their mobile lives a little simpler.

Mobility: A Journey, Not a Destination



A mobility pilot project may start as a point solution, such as allowing

e-mail access for a handful of salespeople within a company. Eventually, users

will ask for more functionality. Email on the road is great, but how about

accessing the CRM system to update contact information? As long as you're at

it, you might as well let the sales people access inventory data so they can

check on customers' order status.

Mobility projects without a road map can spiral out of control and quickly

become unmanageable and expensive. The key is to start small, but have a plan to

expand. That plan should include input from various user types (eg executives,

salespeople) within the company, technology manufacturers, and integration

partners. Understand how technology will change over the next few years and how

that will affect the path you are charting. You also need to establish a

standard for the devices that your company will support within the framework of

your mobile strategy. The IT department should establish a security standard

that serves as a threshold for all devices. Then, it's a simple decision as to

the types of devices that will be supported. If a device meets the standard,

then it can be supported within the enterprise.

Even with such a standard in place, IT departments should not expect to

support a never-ending stream of hardware connected to the network. Many

employees may only need text-based e-mail and messaging, so the company can

standardize on one device. Others may need handhelds to access a specific

application, which may lead to the standardization on a different device. In the

long run, it may be helpful to work backwards. In other words, start with the

types of users who will be supported. Then, try and determine the devices they

will require.

Front Load the Project Schedule



Security and a mobility road map both need to be addressed before a company

embarks on a mobility deployment. However, there is plenty of up-front work that

must be completed before launching a pilot, and certainly, before

implementation. Companies should lean on technology vendors and integration

partners to configure mobile hardware before devices end up at the doorstep of

the end user business. If you choose to limit access to certain aspects of the

operating system that can be handled before you deliver the products. Specific

applications may also need to be loaded. Again, the end user company should let

others handle this configuration. There's enough to do without burdening the

IT department with the prospect of configuring hundreds or thousands of mobile

devices.

The more work you can get accomplished up front, the less expensive the

overall rollout will be in the long run. The manufacturer you are working with

or an integration partner can handle the staging of those devices.

Part of that 'up-front' work should also include employee training. There

is no need to wait until products arrive on-site to begin training employees on

how they should use them. In many cases, mobile solutions will be replacing

paper-based and manual processes. They will also be upending many of the

established policies and procedures that have been in place for years. So,

training should start early to reduce or eliminate potential headaches during

the deployment. After all, even the most secure, scalable mobile solution is

ineffective if employees don't embrace the technology they are demanding and

you are delivering.

Ravi Subramanyam, CEO of

MobileOne P Ltd



mail@dqindia.com