Infosys Labs Briefings

VOL 10 NO 1
2012

Enterprise Mobility Strategy

Should Enterprises Care?
By Anil Kumar

Embrace a robust enterprise mobility strategy and

remain connected to your stakeholders, always

he rapid pace with which technology is

mobile world. From the touring CEO to the

being adopted is both a boon and bane

field engineer, portable devices such as mobile

for enterprises. Enterprise stakeholders are

handsets, tablets, laptops and personal digital

increasingly interacting amongst themselves

assistants (PDAs) have drastically changed

while on the move and on their mobiles.

the way people work. Enterprises today are

Enterprises are grappling with ways to facilitate

urgently looking for ways to increase the

such dynamic interactions leveraging the

execution speed of businesses, respond faster to

advantages that enterprise mobility (EM) a

customer demands and improve productivity.

new channel for information dissemination

They are supporting more mobility limited not

through the use of mobile phones has to offer.

just to sales and field support applications but to

EM enables enterprises facilitate

more cross functional and value added service

communication with suppliers, partners,

(VAS) applications that enable organizations as

employees, assets, products, and customers

a whole to respond faster and improve customer

with each other and amongst themselves,

delight, while improving work-life balance

irrespective of their physical location. This

amongst employees and retaining young talent

paper makes an attempt to paint a generic

by adopting technology gracefully. Some of

picture of EM and the need for enterprises

the trends emerging in the EM space are listed

to have an EM strategy to cater to all their

below.

communication needs.
Mobility becoming an integral part of
EM TRENDS

any enterprise application adopting new

There is no doubt that EM will fundamentally

form factors and usability patterns.

change the way people work. No organization

hoping to remain competitive can ignore the

Business applications will be able to run

fact that individuals live in an increasingly

on any device, at any time and any place.

35

 More engaging mobile applications

processing power and memory but are

utilizing the features of smartphones

ubiquitous and ideal for consuming

like touchscreens, camera, video, voice

information stored remotely.

and other features into the business

applications.

Driving these trends are factors like

technology convergence, market

A d o p t i n g

of

mobile

unified

demand for new smartphones, access

communication by integrating business

to specialized mobility applications

devices with voice, email, messaging,

and the trends observed in consumer

intranet and internet access to allow

mobility space. Sectors like banking,

maximizing productivity for the mobile

financial services and insurance, retail,

workforce. With tablets, employees can

logistics, BPOs and software houses are

talk to the colleague while editing the

the leaders in adopting EM followed by

same document.

the manufacturing sector.

Mobile applications will evolve to

WHY EM?

encompass end-to-end business

While there are multifold reasons on why EM

processes (e.g., procure to pay, talent

should be proactively embraced by enterprises,

management and sales to delivery) and

some of them are

a broad range of business users.

Improves Employee Productivity
Creation of unique mobility solutions

EM improves productivity of employees by

like SMS based applications for mobile

empowering them with tools/data, on their

workforce in rural areas in emerging

mobile devices, required to complete their

markets.

task and hence prevents possible turn-around

delays. A Forrester study has evidenced 75

Further increase in complexity of

percent companies reporting increased worker

mobile devices and platforms due to

productivity post deployment of mobile

consumerization of enterprise IT. A

applications [1]. The study also reported speed

recent example is the Apple iPad tablet.

in decision making, improvement in employee

Despite being aimed primarily at retail

responsiveness, speedier issue resolution and

consumers, the iPad has already won

increased customer satisfaction as a result of

enterprise fans.

employing EM [1].

Extending EM to partner with end

Pares Administrative Costs and Time

customers by using existing platform

Since EM allows for seamless communication

and mobile applications to include them

amongst stakeholders, enterprises can do away

in the decision making process.

with niggling administrative work.

This has been nicely articulated by Ortega

Moving mobile applications on the

in his article Planning for a Mobile Future where

cloud as mobile devices have limited

he cites an example of a chemical production

36

company with 20-plus facilities spread across

Enforces Best Practices

thousands of miles, employing workforce as

Enterprises can enforce best practices through

diverse as engineers, scientists and geologists

mobile applications used in remote locations

operating out of multiple and sometimes

by asking their workforce to follow best

remote locations. With no local administrative

practices while executing transactions from

support, these remote users need self-service

remote locations. Since it helps in real-time

capabilities for personnel records, benefits forms,

monitoring it coerces managers to focus on best

performance management processes, resignations

practices with regards to customer acquisition

and transfers. A self-service portal with mobile

and retention.

accessibility is likely to slash administration time

EM has different uses at different levels

and improve job satisfaction [2].

in an organization. As users range from the

occasional user to high profile executives, a fair

Allows Real-Time Communication

understanding of the devices used, information

EM removes friction from processes by allowing

needed and applications used by them can be

real time communications between workflow

critical in prioritizing application design and

management systems and mobile devices and

delivery [Table 1].

hence reduces the delay in execution of tasks

Based on criticality and the user base

pending for approval, review or action. It

EM applications can be categorized into four

provides the enterprise with a tool to enforce

types cash cows, auxiliary applications, aiding

accountability from mobile workforce as their

applications and vertical specific applications

work can be tracked and monitored on real

[Table 2 overleaf].

time basis.

Parameters /
User Types

Occasional
User

Classic Field
Force

Engineers and
Expert Users

Executive Users Mobile

Wannables

Profile Type

Manager

Sales Personnel,
Customer Service
Personnel

Consultants and
Senior Architects

Senior Executives

Typical NonMobile Worker

Mobile Devices

Smartphone

Smartphone,
Tablets

Smartphone,
Tablets

Smartphone,
Tablets

Smartphones

Application Usage

Emails, Workflow
Management

Sales Force
Solution, CRM
Solution, Business
Analytics, Time
and Data Logging

Knowledge
Portals,
IM, Emails,
Calendars,
Business
Information Tools

Reporting
Tools, Emails,
Calendars,
Business
Analytics Tools,
Performance
Measurement
Tools

Emails,
Calendars,
Micro Blogging,
Corporate Social
Communities, IM

Mobility Usage

Low

High

Medium

High

High

Organization
Priority

Low

High

Medium

High

Low

Device Type

Corporate Liable/
Individual Liable

Corporate Liable

Corporate Liable/
Individual Liable

Corporate Liable

Individual Liable

Table 1: Different Levels of EM

Source: Infosys Study

37

Parameters / User
Types

Cash Cows

Auxiliary Apps

Aiding Apps

Vertical Specific
Apps

Application Profile

Foundation of EM
Program

Deliver Greatest Value Enhance Transactions

by Enabling Additional
Functionalities

Applicable to Specific
Industry Segments
only

Mobile Devices

Smartphone, Tablets

Smartphone, Tablets

Smartphone, Tablets

Smartphone, Tablets

Application Usage

To Provide Up-to-date
Information for Faster
Decision Making

Quick Turnaround
Time thereby
Improving Workforce
Productivity

Enhanced User
Experience and for
Robustness in Data
Gathering

For Faster Task

Execution, Real-time
Information Feed
and to Enhance
Productivity

Examples

Email, Calendar, ERP,

CRM

Mobile inventory,
Asset Tracking, Sales
Force Automation, IM

Unified
Communication
Solution, Bar Code
Scanning, Signature
Capture

Logistics Tracking,
M2M Collaboration,
B2C Applications,
Emergency Response

Mobility Maturity

High

Medium

Low

Low

Organization Priority

High

High

Low

High

Table 2: EM Applications Categories

Source: Infosys Study

EM ECOSYSTEM

example, the ruggedized mobile handsets from

EM cannot be implemented in silos by an

Intermec and Motorolas Symbol products are

organization unless the ecosystem in which it

aimed at task workers in retail, transportation,

needs to operate is mature enough for quick

and healthcare. Hybrid devices such as the

adoption by the organization. Some important

new Dell Streak that combine features of

players who are part of this eco-system are

smartphones, and tablets are ideal for some

task workers.

Wireless Networks and Infrastructure

Vendors: Wireless network service providers

Systems Integrators: These vendors leverage

include wide-area mobile service providers

domain and technology expertise to create a

like Vodafone and AT&T. In addition, Telco

holistic mobility strategy for an organization

OEMs like Juniper and Cisco provide wireless

and support mobile solution deployment.

local area network (WLAN) components and

Many of these systems integrators specialize

infrastructure. Network service providers

in verticals like healthcare, retail, utilities, etc.

should tighten their relationships with

They help companies implement large scale

middleware vendors, application developers,

mobility projects and solutions. They focus on

and software vendors to ensure mobile

developing end-to-end mobility solutions for

applications seamlessly integrate with their

enterprises. To provide mobile applications into

networks. Infrastructure vendors should

their end-to-end solution capabilities, systems

develop devices that address the specific

integrators partner with application software

requirements of mobile employee segments. For

vendors including SAP and Oracle.

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Mobile Middleware and Mobile Device

category of mobility vendor has a part to play in

Management Vendors: These vendors like

reducing the complexity of the overall system,

Antenna and Sybase help IT departments of

and helping enterprise customers simplify

organizations support the increasing number

and better manage their mobile solutions

of mobile devices that employees use by

implementations.

providing a platform for quick deployment

and maintenance of EM on mobile devices.

CHALLENGES IN ADOPTING EM AND

Mobile middleware vendors simplify the

WAYS TO ADDRESS THEM

complexity of deploying applications and also

Though EM looks a very promising area for

simplify the interfaces between various mobile

companies to pursue in order to improve

device operating systems and the applications

productivity and build stronger connect with

deployed over these devices. They help firms

the customer its adoption has not been very

manage the complex mobile environment. As

encouraging. Lack of technical maturity and

firms broaden the types of mobile operating

constrained IT investments kept the promise

systems that they support and loosen their

of enterprise mobile applications on the back

procurement and reimbursement policies for

burner. Key challenges faced by organizations

personally selected mobile devices, it will

in adopting EM and ways to address them are

become increasingly critical to monitor and

detailed below.

manage the cost and use of these devices.

Mobile device management vendors help

Business Challenges

address this pain point for enterprises.

Mobility Strategy
Most enterprises consider EM as an extension

Software Vendors: These vendors help

of their IT needs. They enhance EM on a need

organizations develop horizontal and vertical

basis rather than a well-defined strategy

mobile applications. These software vendors

within the organizations. Until recently, many

deploy mobile extension of existing CRM/

companies had an ask and you shall receive

ERP applications and harness capabilities

approach to mobility. This leads to multiple

of mobile devices like location awareness,

challenges of showcasing a strong RoI model,

camera, etc., to create unique solutions. They

creation of applications in silos for different user

drive the momentum in mobile application

communities, non-standard interface across

development targeting specific types of mobile

different applications and a lack of vision to

employees.

utilize the real benefits of EM in an organization.

Sourcing groups at most large firms feel they

Mobile Device Vendors: Vendors like RIM

lack good visibility on usage patterns and

and Nokia provide smartphones, laptops and

spending due to decentralized or localized

M2M components. The mobile device category

wireless procurement practices. This makes it

also includes RFID tags and scanners that are

tough to plan budgets and enforce corporate

necessary to deploy M2M solutions. They

policies around who qualifies for corporate

define the functionality and capabilities of their

liable (CL) mobile services.

solutions in order to deliver the interoperability

Some key issues with the lack of a strong

necessary to provide seamless service. Each

mobility strategy are -

39

 Interruption of Business Processes:

does the mobile channel provide added

Failure of any part of the critical IT

or unique value?

systems that are extended to mobile

devices can increase turn-around time

Some of the key objectives of companies

and threaten service levels and revenue

for enabling EM in their organization are (a)

projections.

increased worker productivity; (b) increased

employee responsiveness and decision-making

High Maintenance Cost: A mobile

speed; (c) ability to resolve internal IT issues

architecture built in an ad hoc manner

faster; (d) ability to resolve customer issues

can eventually result in time-consuming

faster; and (e) improved customer experience.

manual intervention to maintain.

Audience: Organizations need to define
Lack of Business Dexterity: A poorly

the profile of the target user for whom

planned mobile architecture that cannot

EM needs to be enabled. This will be

sustain dynamic business strategy shifts

based on the business objectives that the

can throw a spanner on other business

organization wants to achieve through

operations.

EM. Organizations also need to define

the category of target audience, for

Enterprises need to work on creating a

example, B2B, B2C or B2E considering

holistic mobility strategy for their employees,

the consumerization of IT.

while handling various issues like increased

costs, security, multiple device support, etc.

Approach: Once the business objectives

They need to develop this strategy by engaging

and the target audience have been

cross-functional teams. They need to handle four

defined, organizations need to select

key aspects to define the mobility strategy, viz.,

the operational approach in meeting

these objectives that will reach the

Objectives: It is important for the

target audience. Some key operational

business sponsors to define the objectives

parameters that organizations need to

for enabling EM in their organization.

consider are -

They need to look for situations where

mobile applications can be integrated

D e f i n i n g t h e c r i t i c a l m a s s f o r

into the normal execution of day-to-day

successful rollout of mobility

business process, so that mobile does

initiatives.

not just become an alternate channel

but also a channel for delivering unique

Defining the mobile user experience,

information using mobile functionalities

which should be unique to mobile/

like LBS, GPS, camera, etc. Companies

tablets and that are not a rehash of the

need to take a 3 step approach in

enterprise application user design.

defining their objectives: (a) what are

the business goals? (b) which business

Defining the delivery and support

objectives fulfill these goals? and (c)

mechanism that needs to be selected

40

to provision the devices using

Does the organization wish to

company internal application store

support bring your own device

or external application stores like

(BYOD) apolicy?

Apple App Store or RIM Blackberry

App World.

How does the organization plan to

handle different types of network

Defining the type of applications to be

bandwidth and security restrictions

created and the hardware capabilities

across various geographies?

required on the smartphones for

executing these applications.

Pricing Model
The cost of providing EM to a larger user

Defining the Quality of Service (QoS)

base comes with a higher cost in terms of

and security guidelines for various

procurement of mobile devices, tariff plan

application types to be supported

on data consumed, maintenance of hardware

and based on the target audience. The

and software licenses and this could be a big

QoS needs to be defined based on the

dampener in adopting an EM strategy for

bandwidth requirement of various

Mobile Wannables and would keep the target

applications. The security guidelines

audience small with limited exploitation of

need to be defined based on the

potential of mobility in an organization.

target audience by categorization

Organizations must choose the right

of application into various security

pricing models with the service providers for

levels using a tiered architecture.

enabling EM with value scenarios. They can

have different plans for different users based on

Technology: Given the multitude of

their role and level of usage. Companies should

options available to the organizations

audit their mobility usage regularly, change

in choosing the right platform and set of

their mobility policies based on employee

mobile devices, with no elaborate usage

feedback, deploy strong mobility management

experience by others in sight, it becomes

and Telecom Expense Management (TEM)

very tough for them to select the right

solutions, take advantage of app stores (private

technology for enabling their mobility

or public) and utilize cloud computing as

initiatives. Some questions that are to

applicable. Some of the other measures that

be kept in mind before finalizing the

enterprises can take to reduce their operating

technology for rolling out EM enterprise

expenditure are (a) consolidate providers across

mobility are

geographies that can lead to the adoption

of a competitive tariff plan; (b) standardize

Does the application need to be thin

mobile service plans in order to reduce billing

client (browser based) or thick client

hassles and bringing more clarity to the user;

(native application)?

(c) segment users based on job functions

and mobile access needs; (d) move away

Does the application require offline

from fixed contract terms to overall revenue

processing capabilities?

commitments; (e) choose a pricing model for

41

both corporate liable (CL) and individual liable

an ongoing basis. An ROI analysis is critical to

(IL) devices; (f) defer new and replacement

selling mobility today particularly in mobile

device purchases; (g) create policies to restrict

applications where firms are willing to invest

or block video, social networking and other web

if they can show an ROI that links to a specific

sites; (h) replace lost devices with refurbished

business process.

devices instead of new ones; and (i) develop a

While doing an RoI analysis, companies

mechanism to track the unused mobile devices.

should consider objectives like (a) increase in

Apart from these, organizations should

customer and business partner satisfaction, (b)

also look at the cost impact on management,

reduction in sales cycles; (c) streamlining of

infrastructure costs, application development,

workflow with added visibility; (d) increase in

upgrade and replacement costs while selecting

productivity and efficiencies; (e) reduction of

the right partner for rolling out their mobility

operational costs; and (f) improvement in data

program.

collection and accuracy, that can be achieved

by deploying an EM strategy.
The total cost of ownership (TCO) for

Return on Investment (RoI) Model

As EM becomes pervasive throughout

enabling enterprise mobility in an organization

organizations, the mobility initiatives are

is primarily a summation of two components:

originating from and extending through more

(i) external cost that includes wireless plan,

than just the IT department or any given LoB

software, mobile devices, and AMC cost with

in silos. With increased collaboration across

network and device vendors; and (ii) internal

various business lines and groups, more and

cost includes administrative costs, enterprise

more stakeholders are providing inputs on the

support and IT operations costs and costs

mobility initiatives in an organization. This

incurred on deployment of hardware and

increased participation comes with expectation

software for the mobility service.

of higher quantifiable returns on the mobility

Educating users about who are eligible

investments. Some key performance indicators

for what, identifying preferred suppliers,

like traffic to mobile website or application,

and outlining employer, IT and employee

volume of interaction on mobile phone and

responsibilities is an effective way to build

others, which are used to measure the success of

standard best practices. It also helps IT and

the enterprise mobility rollout, are not usually

business better predict their budget needs to

aligned to the business objectives.

support an increasingly mobile workforce if

Even though organizations are

it is done properly that is.

enthusiastic about adopting EM, they are

unable to create a strong RoI model on

Governance Challenges

the investment made to enable EM in the

Security Risks

organization. The challenge is that since this

Security has been one of the top priorities of IT

is a new communication channel, the tangible

departments in organizations, especially, the

metrics for measuring the RoI of mobile

problem of how to secure remote access to the

messaging is quite challenging. Organizations

corporate network. Given the sensitivity of end

that deploy EM solutions invest both resources

customer data, organizations have been trying

as well as money to support these activities on

to implement all possible means to keep the data

42

secure. Security remains the key element and

device, then they will continue to carry two

consideration in all mobility implementations.

devices, one for work and another for personal

It is important that organizations build

life and would not be able to utilize EM beyond

a strong security infrastructure into their

basic tasks thereby restricting the growth and

mobile data services supplemented by security

maturity of EM within the organizations.

architecture on the service provider. They will

Organizations also have a challenge of

have to tradeoff between security, cost and the

respecting employees privacy, more so with

needs of business mobility.

IL devices, while ensuring that corporate data

Previous barriers of expensive

is not compromised. If protecting corporate

technologies, lack of standards and

assets on a device means baring private user

consequential low RoI are being demolished as

information and applications to employer

relevant technologies become more affordable

scrutiny, users will choose not to use that device.

and the necessary support services to combine

Organizations need to choose whether

full e-mail and secure remote access capabilities

they want to implement the policy of completely

on fixed or mobile devices become widely

locked-down devices (that exclusively serves

available. It is important that appropriate

for access to corporate assets) or any milder

security infrastructure be built into mobile

version of the same. A relaxed IT policy can

data services. When proper measures are

encourage employees to explore EM beyond

taken, mobile devices offer a safe, secure and

basic tasks and contributes to the growth

reliable means of communicating sensitive

and innovation of mobile applications in the

information and provide businesses with a

organization.

mobile infrastructure that is as secure as any

organizations traditional IT infrastructure.

Policy Issues

Security measures available on

Due to the rapid pace of evolution of mobile

traditional IT infrastructure are available on

technology, it is generally very tough for

mobile devices too. The CIO should take into

organizations to define and freeze End User

consideration mobile security features like

License Agreement (EULA) for employees using

enforced authentication, over-the-air data

handheld devices connected to the corporate

encryption, remote control capability, remote

network. It becomes all the more challenging

wipe, remote data fading, full disk encryption,

to define a single EULA for both the CL and IL

separation of personal and enterprise data, user

devices given the security and privacy concerns.

access rights and security policies, over-the-air

Organizations need to craft a clear EULA

provisioning and network filters to mitigate

that should address all the aspects related to

security risks.

security, private and legal aspects. A EULA

gives users clear instructions on what they can

Privacy Issues

do and what they cannot do with the mobile

Organizations need to consider the perspective

device and this helps employees adopt it more

of the employees while framing the IT policy for

aggressively without the worries of unknowns.

mobile device usage. If employees are forced

The EULA should be embraced in a more

to carry devices with limited functionality

adaptive manner where it is modified based on

that restrict their regular activity on a mobile

the feedback from various stakeholders before

43

it reaches a level of maturity. Organizations

compliance, remote device locking,

should review their EULA every quarter to keep

device data protection, VPN for mobile

it updated and relevant.

and other aspects. They should develop

a contingency and repercussion plan for
the same.

Issues with IL Devices

Though organizations want to embrace BYOD
culture to increase the participation of a larger

Mobile Applications: There are various

workforce in their EM program, they are faced

solutions like VMwares mobile

with several challenges like reimbursement

virtualization to address this aspect.

policy, management of unsupported devices,

Depending on the solution deployed by

authentication and security issues for which

the organization, they should detail the

a clear and simple solution is not in sight.

policy on application download as a part

And this is one reason why IL devices have

of EULA and this can again depend upon

not been encouraged by the organizations

the user profile.

whole-heartedly and is currently taken on an

experimental basis by many [3].

eDiscovery: This can be a big challenge

Even though there are issues in terms of

for an organization that permits IL

privacy, security, and management of multiple

devices for official purpose. They need to

mobile platforms, it is becoming essential for

have complete information on where the

organizations to embrace the BYOD culture

information is located and what copies

so as to not only reduce cost or attract talent

are on the mobile devices and this should

but also create a more inclusive culture in

be controlled by policy and auditing.

an organization by encouraging employees

Organizations can prevent access to

to contribute towards maturing EM strategy,

corporate information on devices that

development of innovative mobile applications,

have not been synchronized by their IT

more collaboration, better productivity and

department.

others which will eventually lead to a higher

customer satisfaction resulting in increased

Security: Since on an IL device, a two

sales and improved margins. Some of the ways

way authentication is not possible,

in which organizations can tackle various issues

organizations need to find how to use

related to BYOD are highlighted below.

information on the device to authenticate

on the corporate network. Organizations

W i r e l e s s E x p e n s e M a n a g e m e n t :

cannot use employee owned information

Organizations can choose from full

like IMEI number to authenticate from

reimbursement, fixed stipend, per-use

a legal perspective, hence they need

reimbursement to no reimbursement

to define a novel way to address this

based on the user profile.

challenge.

Device Management: Organizations

Technology Challenges

should have clear device management

Dilemma of Mobile Devices and Platforms

policy to address aspects like user

The mobile device landscape is extremely

44

fragmented across the globe. Though Research

Provisioning and Management

In Motions (RIMs) BlackBerry has occupied

The smartphones present challenges to mobile

the mindspace of enterprises as the most

device provisioning and management not

preferred mobile device, newer mobile devices

encountered on more familiar notebooks and

like Apple iPhone and others that are Android

desktop computers. IT departments within the

compliant are making quick inroads in this

organizations have access to the physical assets

space. Supporting heterogeneous devices

like notebook and desktop through corporate

that are based on different kinds of operating

LAN and hence provisioning is well within the

systems is quite a challenge and organizations

confines of the organization. But for provisioning

are to earmark resources and time to master

and management of mobile devices, they need to

the nuances of each operating system [4].

bring carriers into agreement to enable the same.

Additionally, it is also difficult to find IT staff

And many organizations do not have a policy in

that is completely up to speed on the latest

place for over-the-air provisioning mechanism

devices, operating systems and security threats.

with the network service provider. It becomes

The management and integration of

all the more challenging if the organization is

mobile devices into an organizations overall

supporting the IL devices where there is no

IT infrastructure is simple and straight. There

visibility into the file systems of those devices.

are a variety of solutions available like a mobile

From the device management perspective,

enterprise application platform (MEAP), that

organizations need to choose whether they

leverages investments already made in the

would want to manage devices in-house or

network. Mobile e-mail can be enabled with

engage a third party vendor.

the addition of a server that sits behind the

For example, enabling enterprise

firewall, keeping data safely in the organization.

mobility on an iPhone can restrict the enterprise

There is no one-device technology that can

to share the mobile applications only through

be reckoned as a single leader. There is no

Apple applications store, hence taking the

dominant device standard that exists today.

enterprise mobility out of control of enterprises.

Device multiplicity exists in terms of the

Organizations need to deploy solutions

processing capability, device operating systems,

for provisioning of firmware/software as well as

interface technologies, support for peripherals,

management of mobile devices. If they have to

ruggedness and so on.

adhere to very strict security compliance owing

Also there exist a wide range of options

to the industry that they operate in, for e.g.,

for integrating these devices with enterprise

banking sector, then deployment of application

systems. Multiplicity will continue to exist

through public application stores may not be

and one cannot wait for things to mature.

possible. They need to choose an encryption

Organizations need to find a solution to the

mechanism for over-the-air deployment.

existing business problem and make use of the

For that, they need to have a policy and an

best-fit devices at this stage. Mobile middleware

agreement in place with the network service

vendors should use application programming

provider for provisioning. For IL devices, if the

interfaces (APIs) to simplify the process of

provisioning is not possible on certain mobile

deploying applications over a variety of mobile

devices, then organizations should restrict them

devices and operating systems.

from accessing corporate network.

45

Similarly, for device management, there

increasing penetration of 3G and 4G in various

is no perfect solution addressing the need to

markets across the globe, enterprises are able

manage all mobile operating systems available

to provide a high level of QoS while integrating

in the market. Hence, based on the supported

a large number of their backend systems with

devices, organizations need to choose the best

the mobile platforms.

possible solution to address this need.

Maturity of Mobile Technology
Quality of Service (QoS) Issue

Bandwidth and browsing capabilities are

Real-time services, e.g., interpersonal

limited but improving. Mobile application

communications using voice or video, as well

performance today is similar to the early days

as critical enterprise applications systems (e.g.

of the web, when dial-up speeds and client

ERP or CRM) require a certain level of network

resident applets were common. Spotty network

service to provide enterprise-grade service

coverage, bandwidth limitations and faulty

quality. Critical parameters include latency,

smartphone browsers compromise mobile user

data rate and delay jitter that can be controlled

experiences. High-speed 3G and 4G network

in networks by various QoS mechanisms, which

availability will improve substantially and

operate on different network layers. Apart from

more consistent availability of standardized

the primary QoS issues such as bandwidth

WebKit browsers on devices is moving forward.

optimization and traffic conditioning, mobile

In addition, HTML5 and multiplatform system

network related issues include network

development kits (SDKs) should accelerate

availability and coverage, load balancing among

browser-oriented mobile apps.

access points, network contention issues while

The pace of mobile innovation creates

interfacing with IP networks etc. A reasonable

an unstable environment for standardized

level of QoS across networks requires the

apps. The astounding pace of technology

cooperation of various QoS management

development in mobile creates a daunting

functions. These can be more readily managed

moving target for mobile apps vendors. Two

within network or a single network but across

key issues that have limited mobile packaged

different operators it is very difficult to achieve

apps availability are (i) the immaturity of

due to the lack of open standards.

cross-platform development tools, and (ii) the

With increased globalization, service

identification of standardized business process

providers are expanding across various

scenarios suitable for mobile development.

geographies or forging alliances with local

As mobile middleware platforms mature,

service providers in order to provide their

packaged software developers need to build

services across a wider geography while

more compelling and standardized business

removing the hassles of managing various

solutions.

network operators and QoS issues. A Forrester

With widespread availability of spectrum

survey indicates that more than 30 % of the

for 3G/4G, and maturity of technologies like

companies believe that international coverage

WiMAX and LTE, the bandwidth and browsing

and service level agreements are the most

capabilities are improving at a rapid pace.

important parameters in selecting the mobile

Today various network service providers are

n e t w o r k s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r [ 1 ] . W i t h t h e

rolling out technologies to rapidly expand the

46

network bandwidth. Verizon claims to have a

information in terms of updates, alerts or emails

download speed in range on 5-12 Mbps using

are sent to the mobile users to make the right

4G LTE on its network [5].

decisions.

User Experience

information to the users using email or alert

Consistent User Experience

systems by utilizing the GPS features of mobile

It is a very important element for the success of

device to provide location specific alerts (like

enterprise mobility in an organization. Unless

Tsunami or traffic updates). On a technology

the user experience is really enticing, Enterprise

front organizations can use RIA framework to

mobility will become just another tool to retrieve

push the content over to the client device in

email or other basic information and would not

order to provide up-to-date information.

Organizations can provide real time

achieve the scale and level of participation to

actually showcase the real benefits.

Rugged Device

We can learn a lot from social community

Sometimes it becomes challenging to an

sites like Facebook and Orkut, on how they have

organization to choose the right kind of

attracted users based on the user experience

handheld device as different category of users

they have provided on their website.

have different requirements. A field force

user might require a more ruggedized device

Any Device

compared to a sales force user. And supporting

Given the rapid pace of adoption of tablet

multiple devices is always a challenge for any

PCs (specifically iPAD) by the organizations it

organization.

becomes essential that the mobile applications

Based on the target audience,

run smoothly over both the smartphones as well

organizations need to select the CL devices

on Tablets while utilizing the unique features

that can accomplish the business objectives for

of individual devices.

EM. It could be a standardized device across

There are lot of different options like

various user segments or a different handheld

independent development/porting for each

device to cater to the very specific needs of each

platform, mobile middleware, cross compilers,

segment. Organizations should ensure that cost

multi-stream approach or HTML5 + wrappers

advantage of using a standardized device does

to develop solutions for different mobile

not overlook the ease of use and the work profile

platform and devices. Each of these options

of the workforce using these devices.

has their own pros and cons and organizations

need to weigh each of them before finalizing the

CONCLUSION

mechanism of providing the enterprise mobile

EM will evolve in the future as enterprises

applications on mobile devices like tablets or

slowly begin recognizing its benefits, not only

smartphones.

as a productivity improvement tool but also

as a game changer for organizations that are

Real Time Information

interacting very frequently with their end

This is one of the basic objectives for which

customers/partners and helping them retain

EM is rolled out. Hence it is very important

their young talent who desire freedom in their

for organizations to ensure that the real time

work environment.

47

It is important that organizations put

Future, in Mobile Enterprise- Wireless

in concerted efforts to develop a holistic

solutions from the c-suite to the field.

mobility strategy, extend EM to end customers

Available at http://mobileenterprise.

using vertical specific solutions and device

e dgl.com/ho w -to /P lanning-for-a-

policies to reduce costs while simultaneously

Mobile-Future72485.

increasing employee participation in using

3. Kovacs G. (2010), Bring your own

EM. While there are initial hiccups of EM

devices to work is finally here.

adoption, one can affirmatively see the positive

Available at http://tech.fortune.cnn.

fallouts in the near future. Suffice it to say that

com/2010/09/01/bring-your-own-

regardless of industry size, EM will foster

device-to-work-is-finally-here.

business innovation, competitive growth and

4. Gray B., Kane C. and Whiteley R., The

profitability.

Mobile Operating System Wars Escalate,

An Empowered Report: IT Should Focus
Attention On BlackBerry, iOS, And

REFERENCES
1. Forrester - Predictions (2010) - Enterprise

Android. Available at http://www.

Mobility Accelerates Again. Available

forrester.com/rb/Research/mobile_

at http://www.forrester.com/rb/

operating_system_wars_escalate/q/

Research/predictions_2010_enterprise_

id/57272/t/2.

mobility_accelerates_again/q/

5. V e r i z o n 4 G L T E , h t t p s : / / w w w .

id/53400/t/2.

verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroad

2. Ortega D. (2011), Planning for a Mobile

band/?page=coverage.

48

Authors Profile
ANIL KUMAR is a Client Solution Manager with the Infosys Engineering Services business unit of
Infosys. He can be reached at Anil_kumar03@infosys.com.

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