Enterprise Device Enablement: Mastering the Mobile Challenge

Welcome to the post-PC world, where mobility rules. Just as laptops eventually superseded sales of desktop PCs, tablets and smartphones are well on their way to replacing PCs as the primary computing device for multiple worker segments. Enterprises and device manufacturers alike face new challenges, but have the potential to reap new benefits.

The world of mobile devices is not the PC world made small. It is an arguably different world, requiring different strategies for design, development and deployment.

While mobility delivers clear benefits to organizations, it continues to rapidly evolve. Start-ups and established vendors alike are creating new capabilities and applications every day. Hardware vendors that were dominant a few years ago have crested, with others taking their place.

Given this ever-shifting landscape, prudent organizations must develop mobility strategies that account for the industry’s shifting landscape.

To reap the full benefits these devices provide, organizations need to develop mobile device enablement capabilities, including the ability to build enterprise applications; to create the online stores for those applications; to enhance and extend operating systems for greater productivity; and to manage mobile devices cost-effectively.

When developing a mobile device enablement strategy, organizations must take into account a variety of areas, including:

• Third-party component integration
• Security and compliance needs
• Telecom expense management
• Technical support and downtime mitigation
• Unified communications capabilities
• Connectivity and carrier/network certification

Organizations that do not have internal expertise in mobility should look for a partner that brings a depth of knowledge in a variety of specialized needs. Such a partner can apply lessons and insights it gathers in one industry to another.