It’s the most wonderful and hectic time of the year, preparing for the holidays with personal and business wish lists, and corporate planning to ensure that organizations are putting their best foot forward in the New Year. As IT departments deliberate priorities, at the top of their list is the need to ensure mobile policies are in place with the ability to account for and refresh all devices and software. It’s a priority that should be checked and checked twice to batten down the security hatches and unleash the most productive business innovation for today’s ever changing mobile workforce.
Whether switching jobs as part of the Great Resignation or caught up in a wave of late-year layoffs, employees are moving beyond the corporate limits often packing mobile devices and corporate data when they go. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, one and five workers (22%) say they are very or somewhat likely to look for a new job in the next six months.
Being able to account for, wipe, and disable mobile devices and applications through smart processes and automation could be the difference between a costly security breach and a constant state of corporate peace of mind. Rather than letting corporate data become castaway on an “Island of Lost Devices,” now is the time to reevaluate and establish new business processes to protect and optimize your organization’s mobile devices and associated data.
The BYOD retreat to corporate-owned and managed devices
Once the bastion of convenience for businesses to permit quick, cost-effective employee access to corporate data, bring your own device (BYOD) has not been able to keep apace with mobile-first innovation. While companies realilzed cost savings with BYOD, they have become keenly aware of the true cost and complexities associated with not being able to effectively manage devices you don’t own. Now is the time to revisit this policy for several reasons, according to a recent Nemertes report.
“For one thing, BYOD cripples an enterprise’s ability to develop mobile apps: it’s impossible to roll out a mobile application if the potential universe of platforms that must support it is virtually infinite. For another, ensuring the security and privacy of corporate data on personal devices and in consumer applications is extremely difficult; enabling auditable compliance of such privacy and security is even more so. For a 500-device company, Nemertes finds that it would run to just over 3 full-time staff dedicated to mobile device management to ensure ongoing security and compliance”
Having the ability to push or pull back applications across an enterprise, is essential for today’s businesses to stay up to date with the latest software, compliances, and organizational best practices. A lack of visibility into existing or former employee-owned devices can leave productivity, performance, and security on the table.
Unlocking enterprise value with automation
Automation of previously manual processes, in the form of AI, machine learning (ML), and robotics process automation (RPA), is the next frontier to redefine enterprise value across mobile expense and asset management. Having instant awareness of who has what device, who is using what applications, and who is not, can signal actionable insights and decisions to deactivate specific devices and applications.
There are tangible cost-savings associated with smarter data-driven decisions, renegotiating mobile contracts with carriers, and reallocating mobile resources to where they’re most needed. The intangible costs of refocusing IT resources to more innovative initiatives and job satisfaction can also be a game changer. In order to redefine and unlock enterprise value, a mind shift and a business process shift is required.
Our customers are seeing the benefits of this shift withTangoe One Managed Mobility Solutions (MMS). The Tangoe One platform provides a 360-degree view of all mobile devices and expenses wherever they are and whoever the provider may be. With Tangoe One MMS, IT teams can order, track, pay, audit and optimize an entire enterprise mobile fleet, while gaining actionable insights for improved productivity and bottom-line savings. In addition, through Tange Advisory Services, a team of experts can help source, audit, and consult around an organization’s mobile profile, help desk, logistics, and fulfillment services to keep up with a growing mobile enterprise landscape.
Refresh, refresh, refresh
Today’s modern businesses can ill afford to leave outdated software, unused devices, and forgotten data at the door. Especially as businesses rely ever more on mobile to enhance knowledge worker productivity and customer experiences across every industry, mobile is becoming integral to every business process.
Just like the holidays, annual tech refreshes are becoming a tradition that requires planning, preparation and expert manpower. Being able to outsource mobile logistics – providing employees with pre-configured devices and the latest software tailored for their roles should be the next transformational step for your organization. Having smart integrations across your applications, mobile providers, and devices should be regular IT housekeeping to maintain optimal business operations and keep tabs on your working and non-working devices and data. Tangoe logistics can help.
Ready to take the plunge into a more productive, secure, and refreshed New Year? Rescue your unused mobile assets from the “Island of Lost Devices” and check out the Buyers Guide to Managed Mobility Solutions by ZK Research.