Over the last two decades, the mobility of sales and field teams has made remote workers a consideration of the IT department for solutions that optimize productivity and efficiency. Now, mobility dominates the priorities of IT, with digital transformation largely driven by the needs of a workforce that wants access to networks anytime, anywhere.
While many organizations find answers in digital transformation, it’s a good idea to be aware of a number of considerations around supporting mobile in terms of performance, security, expense control, and analytics. Enterprises have a need to know what’s happening on mobile devices and how changes affect various areas of the organization. The trend is moving away from management of digital devices to a more fine-tuned approach of Mobile Performance Management (MPM) solutions that address these areas.
Supporting technology: The increase in mobility’s influence is driving the development of 5G connectivity, plus more 4G/LTE connections and Wi-Fi access points. In addition, the common use of the Internet of Things (IoT) demands a new approach to how networks are managed, and always-connected laptops mean enterprises are seeing a much more complex network infrastructure. Many are moving to a strategy of using mini data centers at the edge of the network to handle the demand for network connectivity.
Security: Enterprises require a digital transformation in order to bolster security for mobile devices. Security must address the huge amounts of data moving between IoT devices and to and from the cloud, as well as the security concerns presented by bring your own device (BYOD) programs that allow employees to use their own phones or tablets. It’s also necessary to assume that malware developers are watching mobile devices with the same level of scrutiny that they have used to observe desktop activities.
Performance: As enterprises see more and more devices connecting to their networks, they may start to experience complaints about congestion and the performance of video conferencing applications and other solutions that require high-performance network connectivity. The influence of social media on network performance will also be a significant issue; with social platforms emphasizing both personal and professional video, viewing will cause network congestion for enterprises.
Expense control: Enterprises can get started by initializing a trial run with an MPM system to determine what mobile activity they can see on their networks. The right solution allows enterprises to identify areas of security risk, Shadow IT, and cost savings.
Technology can help your organization create new opportunities, but digital transformation also requires careful planning and a provider that understands your business. Contact us at Clarksys for more information on MPM and how your mobile technology is shaping digital transformation.