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Develop a Mobile Management Strategy
Small devices can be a big challenge without a strategy to manage them.
Your Challenge
- Small devices can bring big problems. Security is the top concern, but compliance, increased help desk requests, and management costs can also worry IT strategists.
- The bring your own device (BYOD) movement is replacing strictly controlled corporate-issued devices with a wide variety of consumer devices. Ensuring that every device can be safely used in the workplace is a challenge for which few organizations are prepared.
- There are dozens of different strategy possibilities. Can users bring their own devices? Who pays for telecom expenses? What will IT support? What about a combination of different strategies for different users? Wading through all the choices can threaten to overwhelm IT.
Our Advice
Critical Insight- Info-Tech’s research has shown that organizations with a formal mobile management strategy are more successful in taking advantage of the strengths of mobile devices in the workplace, as well as avoiding their potential problems.
- Introducing some BYOD to your strategy can result in massive cost savings, even when factoring in the increased cost of managing the wide variety of devices. Technology like mobile device management (MDM) can help to wrangle in a large number and variety of devices from a single interface.
- A large number of strategy choices can be boiled down to a smaller number of key decisions. Make these decisions for each group of users to arrive at a strategy tailored to your organization. After a strategy has been chosen, apply limits and develop policies to put the strategy to work.
- This research will allow IT professionals to develop a mobile strategy, either from scratch or as a change to an existing strategy. A carefully planned strategy will not only increase the impact of mobile devices and mitigate the risks, but will also lower TCO by cutting company reimbursement where appropriate.
- Use Info-Tech’s mobile device policy templates to create policies that communicate the company’s strategy to users and ensure that policies are enforceable.
- An understanding of current mobile platforms and management technologies will inform the strategy, and a regular reassessment of the strategy will keep it up to date.
Get to Action
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Develop a mobile device management strategy
Make the most of mobile devices in the organization, and minimize the risks that come from mobility.
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Create a written mobile device acceptable use policy
Communicate the strategy to users and have a signed document to ensure that policies are enforced.
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Create a remote wipe waiver
Inform users that data on their devices may be erased in the event of a problem.
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Create a mobile device reimbursement policy
Communicate the organization’s policies for reimbursing mobile device expenses, such as hardware costs and recurring telecom costs.
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Train users on the organization's policies
Ensure that all users are aware of policies, so that they serve their purpose.
Related Solution Sets
Vendor Landscape: Mobile Device Management Suites
MDM is still a features arms race. Choose the right weapons.
Vendor Landscape: Mobile Development Platforms
Ride the mobile wave while reducing fragmentation with an all-in-one MDP.
Related Content
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Download NowSmall devices can be a big challenge without a strategy to manage them.
Companies Who Helped
- Bobbi Jean Jarvinen, Director of Operations, Regional Health
- Dakster Sullivan, Network Administrator, Utility Company
- Don Guyver, Directory & Messaging Services, Catholic Health East
- Helen Hill-Schoenherr, IT Business Planning, City of Ottawa
- John DeVeaux, Enterprise Architect, Hines
- 166 professionals contributed survey data that assisted with the development of the set and additional anonymous quotes
Solution Road Map
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Prepare For a New World of Workforce ComputingTablets, BYOD, and Windows 8 are changing the landscape of workforce computing; have a navigation strategy.
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Develop a Mobile Management StrategySmall devices can be a big challenge without a strategy to manage them.
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Vendor Landscape: Mobile Device Management SuitesMDM is still a features arms race. Choose the right weapons.
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Develop & Enforce Policies that Securely Enable a Mobile WorkforcePrepare your policies for a future when mobile personas are more important than mobile devices.
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Incorporate Mobile into the Enterprise Print StrategyMobile printing: When BYOD goes from problem solver to problem.