The use of mobile devices is growing exponentially as companies look for ways to support a workforce that requires easy, remote and wireless access to the Internet, e-mail, and other applications in their personal lives and within the workplace. Many companies have already implemented mobility solutions to address specific business requirements, such as deploying a sales automation application to their remote sales force or mobile forms technology to field service technicians. As the functionality of mobile devices increases, companies want to expand their use of this technology from supporting niche applications to delivering enterprise-wide solutions.
As this wireless transformation takes place, many organizations are evaluating their use of mobile technology to determine how to best equip the new mobile end user. To successfully plan, deploy, and manage wireless networks, many first have to relinquish old myths and misconceptions.
Wireless & mobility myths
Mobility is a hot topic within the IT community, and as such has its fair share of myths and misconceptions. Below are four common myths about the risks associated with mobility. If any of these beliefs are preventing you or your company from taking full advantage of the business benefits of new wireless technologies for a mobile workforce, the information outlined below will help you address those concerns proactively.
Myth #1: Wireless connectivity is not secure
The most commonly cited myth is that wireless networks aren't secure. In reality, technology exists today to make data transmission over a wireless network as secure as a wired network. The real issue is not about lack of security, but rather about making the right technology choices to secure wireless solutions from the various threats.
Companies must establish proactive security policies and administration processes, but must also insure minimal disruption of the end-user experience. It's critical to provide data encryption, password protection, user authentication, and the ability to remotely lock down devices. In order to successfully develop and implement these procedures IT needs to achieve the right balance between the user experience, automation, and the need to protect sensitive data.
There are several vendors in the marketplace that can help achieve this balance. Enterprises who need a global solution can take advantage of services like those offered by HP Mobile Device Management and Managed Mobility Services, which provides secure enterprise-class systems that operate over multiple networks, regions, and device types. Other solutions from Sybase iAnywhere, mFormation, Credant, and Good also offer feature-rich solutions that address many enterprise security and management needs.
Myth #2: Wireless coverage is not yet ubiquitous enough to support a mobile workforce
Wireless is actually only one component of mobility. The emergence of 3G and higher bandwidth cellular networks is a much needed trend. Workers rquire critical data over the highest-performing, most cost-effective wireless connection available. Companies must select network coverage that best meets the voice and data needs of their mobile workforce, and the right devices capable of connecting to multiple networks. Capabilities like OpenRoaming enable devices to seamlessly switch between these networks without dropping the connection or requiring the user to re-authenticate on the corporate network, thereby providing a seamless mobile user experience.
Myth #3: Mobility is expensive
Cost will always be an important facet of any technology discussion—but so is Return on Investment (ROI). By choosing mobility projects based on their ability to generate targeted, measurable business benefits—such as increased customer service and satisfaction, improved worker productivity, and increased revenue—companies can build mobile strategies knowing that their ROI will be real and quantifiable and have a significantly positive impact on their corporate financial goals. Utilizing ROI tools and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models will also help quantify the positive results of wireless deployments.
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