A Mobile Enterprise Is A Productive One

The advent of smartphones and tablets in recent years has changed the way that companies now run their businesses. Prior to the smart device revolution and during what is increasingly being referred to as the ‘PC era’, companies adopted a standardised, company owned approach to device usage. By having standard hardware configurations and builds for laptops and mobiles, enterprises were able to benefit from economies of scale. While also controlling performance and security. Not only were organisations better able protect their infrastructures from the myriad of security threats that existed but also provide a more comprehensive support function - for the end users of those devices.

In some respects, standardisation provided IT departments with a lesser degree of complexity when it came to providing users throughout their enterprise with devices. What this often meant for users however, particularly those with non-standard personal device preferences was a duplication of devices. During the ‘PC era’ it became quite normal for people to carry around multiple mobile phones and even laptops in some cases. Each used for either business or personal purposes. The introduction of web based applications and virtualisation technologies enabled employees to use their personal desktops/laptops, to connect to the corporate network from home. Though the extent of personal device usage had effectively remained there until quite recently, leaving the workforce demanding greater optionality.

The rise in popularity of smartphones, tablets and non-windows based laptops in recent years has made the end user more technologically astute. Gone are the days where end users were happy to be directed by their IT department on what hardware and applications they should use. They are now, as a result of greater exposure and understanding, more likely to have an opinion themselves. Even more mature members of the workforce who were late adopters of technology, now regularly use it in their personal lives. Operationally this has presented both an opportunity and a threat for enterprises. They have become increasingly under pressure from their workforce to use their own devices in their roles. Though they equally demand the facility to do so without comprising the state of their device, its performance or the owner’s private data it houses.

In order to meet these demands enterprises have turned to a host of different BYOD technologies. Each developed to increase productivity and reduce capital expenditure, while mitigating the associated risks of personal device usage on corporate networks.

Universal Access Can Affect the Bottom Line

The enterprise workforce has never been as technologically literate as it is today. Such widespread technology use in our personal lives and an increasing dependence on smartphones, tablets and the internet have made individuals not only knowledgeable but passionate. Each has their own well-formed opinion on what works best for them. So it’s not surprising that productivity actually increases when employees are able to use the devices they prefer and are familiar with.

The flexibility of being able to securely access email and business generating applications etc. ‘anytime’ and practically ‘anywhere’ has its obvious productivity benefits. Though beyond this practical advantage, BYOD represents an opportunity for companies to entrust their personnel with choosing which devices they use and the applications they leverage. This traditionally would have been a risky pursuit. Though a marked increase in technological literacy and increased performance capabilities of devices has enabled companies to transfer device selection to their workforces. After all, it’s the people actually performing the roles who tend to best understand the technology needs of their role.

A happy workforce is generally a productive one.BYOD further contributes to employee happiness by removing the traditional inconvenience that employees once endured in having to lug around multiple devices. As those with lumber pain from the ‘PC era’ will contest. Being able to use one device for both personal and business purposes securely is a great benefit of adopting an enterprise BYOD policy. Not to mention the decrease in chiropractic related medical expenses.

Beyond increased productivity, an additional benefit of an effective BYOD policy is the reduction in operating and capital expenditures. Where traditionally companies have covered all associated device costs, the BYOD trend has actually enabled them to decrease such costs significantly. Several years ago employees lacked the calibre of devices needed to perform their roles - primarily due to cost. Comparatively, many now possess devices with much better specifications than required. Unnecessary duplication of capital expenditure is wasteful for any business. Not to mention the time and cost savings associated with not having to procure and provision corporate-liable devices.

Compounding this cost reduction, the use of many freely available smart phone and tablet applications has reduced the expenses usually associated with software licensing. In an environment where companies are continually trying to reduce their operating expenditures, such an opportunity can make a dramatic difference to the bottom line.

The Risks Must Be Mitigated Correctly

Many new and innovative mobile technologies in recent years have surfaced in the consumer marketplace first. Personal use naturally leads to an appreciation of how those same technologies could potentially help someone better perform their roles. If denied the ability to use such technologies in the workplace they may still do so anyway, surreptitiously. Leading to potentially damaging security breaches or even system outages. Ignoring BYOD entirely is in itself a risk for enterprises these days. Especially given consumer access to smart phones and tablets is now so widespread. Employees bring their personal devices to work every day. Even if they aren’t technically allowed to use them in their roles, the temptation is ever present which regularly leads to stealth use.

It goes without saying that any device connecting to a company’s network must be completely secure and free of any viruses which could potentially damage your business. Enabling employees to use personal devices to connect to the enterprise network presents a host of new security challenges for CIO’s. Personal devices are by definition managed and controlled by their owners. Often meaning they fall short of the stringent security requirements expected of an enterprise. Not to mention the regulators you must adhere to as a company. Trusting your employees to properly secure their devices is simply not a workable solution in the real world. This means that IT departments must secure personal devices before they even connect to the company network. Logistically this can be an extremely complex challenge. Particularly across a large scale enterprise where both the number and diversity of devices can be substantial. Furthermore, the security solution itself once applied to personal devices must be comprehensive enough to prevent all manner of threats. Including the prevention of employees removing data and storing it in unsecure locations.

The cost of the tools required to secure devices can in some respects, negate the potential cost savings achieved by having employees fund their devices. The need to restrict network connectivity to certain services also has a cost implication. Very few organisations (if any) allow personal devices to connect directly to their enterprise network as a part of their BYOD policy. To maximise security, companies instead provide a segregated network that restricts BYOD users to only the approved services. Additional infrastructure costs should be taken into account when assessing BYOD viability.

Devices will remain the property of employees. Though it’s the Service Desk that is often the first port of call when it comes to technical issues. Once your workforce is permitted to use their personal devices for work purposes, it ultimately becomes the responsibility of the IT department to support them. Given the array of device types employees may wish to use across a global organisation, BYOD adoption can place an overhead on the IT support function.

BYOD Is Strategically Important

Superficially BYOD may strike fear into the heart of CIO’s and their IT departments but it need not be a daunting prospect. In fact, the maturity of devices and BYOD technologies makes it a highly viable option for enterprises looking to boost productivity and reduce their technology costs. Executed properly, a BYOD policy can be an extremely beneficial strategy for enterprises and should be approached pragmatically. Employees and the technology department need to collaborate closely in the formulation of the BYOD model that’s adopted. Agreement should be made on the devices, applications and services that most effectively achieve enterprise technology objectives. Without compromising security or regulatory compliance. Ultimately, different organisations have different requirements and before formulating a BYOD strategy, a thorough risk assessment should be undertaken.

Virtualised Apps and Desktops
Virtualised desktop and app solutions offer enterprises an effective way of segregating personal from business workspaces. Primarily desktop/laptop and tablet users. While suitability for smart phones is limited in many respects, the necessary infrastructure is relatively simple to implement and vendor options quite mature. Access is provided via either a secure web based portal and published apps or a proprietary thin client. The latter requiring a VPN connection, which restricts connectivity securely to only the necessary services. Users are given the option of using published Windows, Linux, Web or SaaS applications in addition to a full, virtual desktop in high definition. Very little is actually installed on the personal device itself. The solutions effectively enable a rich, adaptive KVM style operation of apps and desktops. All of which are actually hosted within the enterprise data centre or that of the SaaS provider. Creating remote, virtual workspaces in this manner secures data and ensures users can work anytime and anywhere.

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
EMM solutions add another dimension for the BYOD aspiring enterprise. They provide users with the ability to enrol their devices, which in turn grants them permission based access to secure applications. Designed to take advantage of wide spread smart phone usage, the apps are actually installed on devices in a secure ‘container’ format. In addition to standardized settings, which govern things like enterprise security and data loss prevention. Corporate data and personal data are completely separated on the device. Either at the application level or by creating a secure partition (persona) on the device. The end user can only access corporate resources (email, content and intranet browsing) whilst logged into the secure application or persona. Secure certificates and VPN connections enable ‘containerized’ apps to access the necessary services and information securely, while preventing data leakage by restricting actions like copy, cut, paste, save etc.

An important feature of EMM solutions is the ability for administrators to remotely wipe managed applications or entire devices, where data has been comprised. Impressively, all of this is achieved without impinging on the personal side of the device, its performance or its use. Enterprise even have the option of deploying publicly available applications to reduce costs. Though this should be done selectively for security reasons.

For any large scale enterprise, leveraging a combination of virtualised apps/desktops in conjunction with an EMM solution is ideal for realising BYOD benefits while mitigating the risks.