How to Overcome 4 Key Challenges in Enterprise Mobility

Now, more than ever, connectivity is key. All around the world, IT departments are scrambling to maintain business connectivity, while maintaining speed, operational resilience, security, and privacy at the same time. As a result, Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) has now become a key objective of the IT department. This means IT needs to develop the right applications, set up the right infrastructure across varied locations, all the while delivering a seamless but secure access to them.

In other words, enterprise mobility is a digital transformation on its own. With that, comes challenges. Fortunately, there are specific areas where IT teams can focus on to improve user experience and deliver ROI on the technologies that make the work ecosystem more inclusive.

Anywhere, Anytime Data Access

The first area of focus has to be on data. The solution is a versatile Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) system that ensures employees can perform their jobs using their own devices without any location constraints. Given the sheer volume and diversity of devices (e.g. desktops, laptops, wearables, and mobile devices connecting from remote offices and homes, this is a huge task.

Systems Integration

It is a huge challenge for IT to integrate endpoint devices with all of the enterprise systems as well as achieve seamless synchronization between them. Systems have to be interconnected and share crucial data, so that workflows can be automated and keep running smoothly. Employees’ smartphones and devices not only need to be able to run the enterprise applications, but also process data and files according to the needs of the workload. 

Organizations can do this by deploying a centralized cloud mediation and management layer that facilitates data exchange across different apps, APIs, and software, and reduce network latency by queuing and caching critical data. When integration fails, information silos emerge. Data or files stuck in one or more devices aren’t shared with the server or others at the right times. This problem has been solved to a large extent by SaaS and PaaS in recent years, as data lives on the cloud instead of individual devices. In a nutshell, enterprise applications and solutions need to interact with each other to streamline workflows that span multiple areas of the business.

User Experience

IT isn’t off the hook when seamless data connectivity is established and systems are integrated. Where technical and functional perfection ends, user experience begins. This drastic increase in tech needs, combined with remote work and BYOD, has fueled the shift towards a “user-centric” approach to IT.

The very identity of each individual worker is now tied to their preferred technology brands (iPhone or Android or Windows), so users are demanding a unified IT experience across their working and personal lives. For enterprise IT teams, a BYOD policy often means fragmentation as the increasing number of personal devices make it near-impossible to provide a consistent user experience and application support. 

Data Security, Privacy and Compliance

A large number of devices – running various apps of all sorts and types – in any network is synonymous with vulnerability. One of the biggest concerns arising out of workplace mobility is the security of organizational data. This threat is compounded by the possibility of loss, theft, or compromise of an end user’s device.

There are Mobile Application Management (MAM) and Mobile Device Management (MDM) tools and solutions that mitigate these risks with features such as device locking, device virtualization, secure boot loaders, data-at-rest encryption, and so on. Employees using their own devices also need to be sure that the company doesn’t inadvertently access their personal data. MDMs can segregate employee and company data into different containers, so that even if either’s data is compromised or wiped clean, it won’t affect the other.

Consider Creating a Roadmap

IT departments rely on roadmaps to provide crucial context for the team's everyday work and to reduce technical debt. This roadmap is a shared source of truth that outlines the vision, direction, priorities, and progress of a product over time. To build a roadmap, product (or project) owners should consider market trajectories, customer value propositions, strategic goals, and effort constraints. Once these factors are understood, the product owner can work with their team to start prioritizing initiatives on the roadmap.

Building and maintaining product roadmaps is an ongoing process to embark upon with your team. There are a few simple ways to set yourself up for success:

• Only include as much detail as necessary for your audience
• Keep the roadmap evenly focused on short-term tactics and how these relate to long-term goals
• Review roadmaps on a regular basis and make adjustments when plans change
• Make sure everyone has access to the roadmap (and checks it on a regular basis)
• Stay connected with stakeholders at all levels to ensure alignment

Mobility Solutions are What We Do!

Enterprise mobility challenges are endless. Regardless, remote work, mobile workplaces, and work from home are here to stay. It is up to IT departments to build and deploy functional and easy-to-use technology that enables them to solve business problems while at the same time, delivering an intuitive and safe experience anytime, anywhere. When organizations close the gap between what workers expect and what they get, productivity and innovation follow close behind. Mobility solutions are what we do. We simplify enterprise mobility with cost-effective, cloud-enabled, and modern IT infrastructure solutions. 

There's not a one-formula-fits-all solution for digital transformation as every company has different and diverse needs. INFRASI takes a highly personalized approach with each client to develop a digital transformation strategy that makes business sense. We listen and learn about the customer's needs and requirements, simultaneously creating a balance between experience, user-friendly digital products, data-centric architecture, and design at a high-security level. Schedule your consultation today!