In my last blog, I covered a topic many people consider to be the most disruptive aspect of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon, security.
Yet the impact that BYOD has on business applications and data can be even more disruptive to IT departments. Much of that disruption stems from the immediate nature of the need: in 2014, Gartner expects 90% of all organizations will be required to provide access to corporate applications on personal devices.
By 2015, analysts believe that more than half of all corporate data will be accessed through a mobile device, many of which will be personally owned. That figure is substantially higher than the five percent of corporate data accessed by mobile devices as recently as 2010.
What can businesses do to prepare for the mobile-ization of their corporate applications and data? They can begin by asking themselves the right questions:
What corporate applications do we positively have to make available on mobile devices?
The guide here should be productivity rather than security: Does accessing this application on a mobile device increase employee’s productivity even if it requires additional security? For example, sales and communications applications deliver clear benefits to mobile users but financial applications may have more risks than benefits on mobile devices.
Do we have the IT skills and resources to create mobile versions of our corporate applications?
Mobile devices not only have smaller screens but also have less storage capacity, slower processors and feature a variety of operating systems. All of these considerations need to be weighed and accounted for when developing a mobile version of your corporate applications. A larger enterprise may have the skills and resources to rewrite their applications for mobile devices, but many organizations are better served by bringing in an external partner to handle the mobile application migration efforts.
Can we and should we regulate which third-party mobile apps employees use?
Most employees have their “go-to” applications that exist outside of the corporate walls such as Dropbox, Skype, Evernote and Twitter. In many cases, companies have little control over how these applications are used. More importantly, companies have no control over the data stored in these applications.
For example, a company may have the right to purge corporate data from a mobile device when an employees leaves the organization—and even this is a hotly debated point—but what about the corporate data stored in the Cloud through a personal Dropbox account? Companies should clearly articulate third-party application permissions and procedures early in their BYOD strategy process to avoid an infestation of potential policy issues down the road.
How can we best support data synchronization between devices?
Companies also need to look at their data synchronization strategy as it relates to mobile devices. One of the big benefits of BYOD is the increase in productivity that comes from 24/7 access to information, but any productivity gains will be quickly eroded if users constantly have to back up and verify information manually. By identifying the kinds of corporate data and applications that mobile users will need access to, companies will be in the best position to select the right technology to support data and application synchronization across multiple devices.
Choosing a mobile applications strategy can be complicated, which is why AdvizeX created our Mobility Advizer tool. Based on hundreds of customer engagements and 30+ years of best practices, Mobility Advizer guides organizations through the complex process of creating a mobility solutions strategy and framework that addresses security, policy, network performance, technology and cost. Before you implement a BYOD solution, I strongly suggest you consider using Mobility Advizer to ground your efforts and articulate your strategy up front.
And don’t forget to tune in for the final blog in this series, “For BYOD, Communication Is The Key.” ▪