Just in case I get one more person who wants to know...
...there is only the newest enterprise productivity platform...in your hand! Let me explain from my perspective...
The Enterprise Opportunity for Mobility
I see the smart phones (e.g., BlackBerry, etc.), as simply the newest enterprise productivity platform. Mobile devices are just like all the other enterprise productivity platforms (desktops, laptops, servers, networks, etc.) and IT needs to develop, deploy and support the mobile assets and services that drive the business. And with the ever improving functionality of the mobile devices (i.e. processing power, UI, screen resolutions, etc.) more enterprise productivity functions are transitioning away from desktop to these mobile devices.
The Enterprise Situation for Mobility
Relative to all the other productivity platforms, Enterprise mobility is growing faster and businesses are more dependent on real-time access:
1) Mobile email (Growing 93% annually - 49M accounts in 2008 to 603M accounts in 2012).
- Radicati Group (2008):
- Wireless email (worldwide) should grow from $15.7B in 2008 to $67.5B in 2012.
- Over 22% of active email mailboxes globally will be accessed via mobility by 2012.
2) Improved Mobile Device Security and secure data access are enabling more mobile business apps
3) The combination of mobile application enablement and the incorporation of "time and location" data are fueling new innovative business uses.
The Mobile Enterprise Problem
While the strategic use of the mobile platform evolves from a "tool" for strategic IT notification into something more. The IT tools to support this new productivity platform have not kept pace. From an IT Service Desk perspective the lack of standard and scalable IT tools makes this potentially the most expensive enterprise platform to support and enable. There is no "risk-limiting" single "killer app" for the enterprise, and no single "mobile support tool" that can address the needs of the entire platform.
The mobile platform “needs” will mature just like the Network Matures at any enterprise. Core to an enterprise mobile strategy IT will need to address...
1) Network Management - tools to determine internal (IT) or external services failures and the tools to inform the users
2) Software (App) Configuration Management and Support. – Test and development tools specific to device OS & local device apps, network/online connected apps and mobile enablement of IT’s Client-Server apps
3) Asset Management (device, user, user-skills, location, etc.) and the advantages of better of field workforce management will emerge to have a strategic role in the business only with the IT organization incorporates that data (static and dynamic) into business advantages.
The Complex Issue of Enterprise Mobility
There is no single mobile player (internal or external) for the enterprise who provides all the services for the whole "stack" of enterprise mobile needs. It won't be long until a variety device functions/service, IT disciples and critical business needs will be mashed-up into highly productivity and very unique configurations for individual, team, and standard corporate-wide uses. Only an eco-system of partners with specialty niche expertise in conjunction with an IT platform vendor could address the enterprise potential. Eventually the mobile enterprise will to incorporate...
• process & task orchestration
• discovery
• service level management
• dashboards & analytics
• application problem resolution
• predictive analysis
• event & impact management
• capacity management
• configuration audit & compliance for enterprise smart phones
The Mobile Enterprise Solution
The solution for the mobile enabled enterprise, is to assign "ownership" of all IT disciplines that correlate with their Mobile functions to ensure that all strategies include and address the unique requirements of this platform.
1) Smart phones should be managed by "Client / PC / end-point" teams that require all the same development, deploy and device management tools.
2) Mobile connectivity (while reliant on local outside service providers) should have all the network tools for monitoring, managing and security.
3) Mobile development teams should optimize mobile applications and enable them to be “easy to use” while addressing security and compliance issues specific to this mobile platform
Basic Building Blocks of Enterprise Mobile Enablement
First Generation (every enterprise)
- IT - Red Alert Notification for infrastructure failures, when normal IT communication tools are lost
- Business – (Phone, email, text) Driven by traditional communication and a single application enabled.
• Primary Benefit: An Insurance policy - Mission critical business app information and IT notification
Second Generation (mature enterprise with workflow coordination)
- IT - Support resources and services for the management of the device, services and user experience (including simple application development tools) and better cost management of mobile devices (re-claim, operational tracking, warranty management, depreciation, supportability, etc.)
- Business - Multiple application and workflow enablement to improve productivity and drive business efficiencies
• Primary Benefit: Business growth in the field and IT Service Desk, Assisted-Services – quicker "time to resolution" (resolve incidents) with tools that can improve “closure time” by over 90%
Third Generation (Pro-active/Smart tools and applications that resolve issues on the fly)
- IT - Cost reduction and automation tools to improve Service Level Agreements - Tools to determine (external) un-resolvable issues.
- Business - incorporating "unique" mobile data (location, time, user information) as part of the managed corporate assets.
• Primary Benefit: Enables self-healing and self-service (knowledge search) capabilities to users, reducing Service Desk call volumes by 60% and increasing access to dynamic relevant business data
An Eco-System of Mobile Partners... (My personal opinion of the players)
As a platform vendor employee I have a unique position to review many mobility products with innovative integrations that bring a variety benefits to our customers. To date we have identified the following as having “best in class” functions for our specific platform architecture, our defined markets and our customer needs.
Alarmpoint (Notification) - Monitors infrastructure with a non-dependency architecture to ensure notification enablement even in total IT failure situations
Aeroprise (Mobility for IT Service Management) - IT service workflows enabled for mobile devices including asset, change and field management
Bomgar (IT Service Management - Assisted-Service tools) - Chat and Client access (remote control) to resolve issues quickly.
Zenprise (Network) - Monitors, troubleshoots, and manages mobile devices, network services and the mobile infrastructure.
No real 3rd generation mobile partners (IT enabled Self-Healing and Self-Service tool) have emerged in a leadership position...but I'm looking.
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