“More with less” is today’s IT mantra, and mobility managers are feeling it in full. By 2028, IDC predicts that IT admin roles will drop 37% while the number of devices per professional grows 66%. The reality of more devices, more complexity, and more risk with fewer people is tough for any team, but toughest for those already stretched thin.
If your team is feeling the squeeze, now’s the time to step back, rethink how mobility is managed within your organization, and come out stronger on the other side. With the right moves, even the leanest teams can deliver strong ROI, tighten security, and get back to the work that matters: driving efficient growth.
Let’s explore IDC’s findings, and what you can start doing now to make mobility easier and smarter – even as the load gets heavier.
The Ripple Effect of Leaner Teams
IDC’s research signals a shift CIOs can’t afford to ignore. When teams shrink and device counts rise, support delays get longer. Setup gets messier. Things fall through the cracks. Burnout creeps in (as do costs). Even some of the most fundamental tasks like securing endpoints and provisioning devices get pushed to the back burner – or worse, passed off to employees to figure out on their own. IDC found that over half of all Apple and Android smartphones and tablets are manually setup by end users.
This isn’t going to ease anytime soon. The average employee now uses 2-3 devices to get work done, according to IDC. This can be anything from smartphones and tablets to wearables and rugged tech. How do you manage the flood without drowning? Before we talk solutions, let’s start with what doesn’t work.
Why Shortcuts Backfire
Do-it-yourself (DIY) provisioning, pieced-together management tools, or “ship and deal with it later” approaches are all common when there are less hands to help, but a few things happen when these workarounds become the norm.
- Manual setup = mistakes, which turn into support tickets.
- Tool sprawl = blind spots, especially when you can’t see what’s actually being used (or how).
- Unmanaged devices = open doors. IDC found that less than half of corporate smartphones are enrolled in Mobile Device Management (MDM) and less than 35% have true on-device security.
Shortcuts don’t buy time – they borrow risk. That’s why more organizations are turning to Managed Mobility Services (MMS) leaders like Tangoe who can keep mobility streamlined, secure, and fully under control from start to finish. An MMS solution simplifies every step of the device lifecycle – across any device type, ownership model, and location – helping small teams have an outsized impact.
And let’s not forget that these shortcuts cost more than just time. They drain dollars through rework, downtime, and breach fallout. Our MMS solution, Tangoe One Mobile, has AI-powered expense management built-in for this very reason, continuously working on the backend to optimize costs at every step. This kind of cost intelligence is critical considering that companies overspend by as much as 30%.
Scaling Smart with Automation and Integration
Automation (rules-based, repeatable processes that run with little to no manual effort) is how you get all that repetitive work off your team’s plate. Think automated provisioning so devices ship ready to go, automated routing to accelerate order approvals, and retiring devices automatically based on pre-defined rules.
Integration is how you go from “managed” to “optimized.” Each tool in your mobility ecosystem has a job: MDM handles device controls, Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) strengthens security, and other tools cover procurement, expenses, and support. When these systems can talk with each other is when the biggest payoff happens.
You get real-time visibility, smarter automation, and data that flows instead of sitting in silos. Recommendations surface faster, security gets tighter, costs stay in check, and the heavy lifting – configurations, approvals, escalations – starts to handle itself. Lean teams suddenly don’t feel so lean, and what used to look like chaos starts to look like control.
The more expansive an MMS provider’s integration ecosystem, the greater you stand to benefit. A fully connected and optimized environment tells the complete story of your mobility strategy so you can adjust, adapt, and improve in real-time.
Navigating the Future of Lean IT: 4 Steps
Plenty of teams feel well-equipped – until they’re not. Here are four steps to get ahead.
- Set the stage for smarter prioritization. Clearly identify your greatest mobility pain points and ensure alignment across all stakeholders. When IT, finance, and operations agree on what needs fixing and why, it’s easier to make the case for change and drive impact faster.
- Consolidate your device management tools. UEM is a great start, but it shouldn’t act alone. It’s even more effective when integrated with other systems like IT asset management and endpoint security tools. These integrations aren’t automatic – they need to be set up intentionally. Tangoe One Mobile helps close these gaps, backed by experts who are ready to step in if you need support.
- Automate wherever possible. Remote provisioning, ticketing, deactivation…look for opportunities to hand off repetitive work to machines. When you’re ready, lean into the full power of AI with MDM bots that work behind the scenes to streamline core functions across every phase of management in the device lifecycle.
- Choose the right partner. The right partner will offer a total MMS solution – that is, a solution that wraps device lifecycle management, mobile security solutions, and financial management all in one software platform and service partnership. This is how you fire on all cylinders, freeing up time and budget to reinvest where it counts while tightening control over your entire fleet.
Whether your team is lean or well-resourced, the growing mobile enterprise requires a mindset shift. Check out IDC’s report for more insights into the expanding mobile enterprise. If you need help on the partner side, request a demo for more information about Tangoe’s MMS capabilities and the expert support of the Tangoe Advisory Services team.