This is the first article in a three-part series so let,s start with the basic concept. It's predicated on the ease with which front-line, mobile employees can access the information they need when communicating with customers and authorized third parties, as well as the ability to access and update the relevant databases with information and transaction data. Ease is the key word. Mobile employees don't need to tote notebook PCs and wait for them to fire up and go on-line. Instead they employ a smart phone--a powerful, handheld device that enables data sessions to be conducted at any time and from any place.
Smart phones are the key driver: they are also part of the ICT sweet spot. Today's wireless data services are high-speed, affordable and ubiquitous. There are mobilized applications that integrate with mainstream business processes like CRM and ERP. And these apps can be customized (see Figure 1 below) to meet the different needs of different workgroups.
Part of a Bigger Picture
The Mobile Enterprise is an important development in its own right, but it can also be seen as the mobility subset of two emerging needs:
(1) for all ICT resources to be better synchronized with business needs and objectives, and
(2), for a flexible infrastructure that enables those resources to be used more efficiently. Fundamental changes are taking place in the way that IT is deployed. Mainstream applications/business processes that used to run on dedicated servers are being distributed across multiple servers in centralized data centers. This development involves a decomposition process whereby the applications are divided into components that are linked using SOA and Web 2.0 tools. This enables a more efficient use of computing resources and it is also used to facilitate the development of customized applications as well as new applications.
In addition, rapid changes have taken place in society and business. New business models are emerging and more dynamic business relationships are being established. Mobility continues to play a pivotal role in these developments, which in turn have led to the need for an even more flexible and dynamic role for IT.
The role of mobility should therefore be seen as part of this bigger ICT picture.
Figure 1. Mobile Sales for SAP CRM running on an iPhone.
The Business Benefits
There is a generic business case that can be applied to virtually any ICT development. It's based on four tenets:
* an improvement in productivity;
* a decrease in operating costs;
* an enhanced customer service, and
* an increase in operational efficiency. The Mobile Enterprise has the potential to realize all four objectives.
Productivity comes from the ease with which information can be shared plus the ability to decentralize decision-making and make management decisions based on real-time information. Costs are reduced because tasks can be performed in the moment, i.e. less time is needed, so operational efficiency is increased. And the ability to do more in the field reduces the need for a regular office. Enhanced customer service is achieved via the ability to address concerns on the spot, provide accurate information, and book orders.
Research conducted by the Yankee Group into the way that mobile sales staff spend their time confirms these claims. For example, 74% of the time goes into non–revenuegenerating activities. But the ability to do the admin tasks such as entering sales information minutes after meetings increases the selling percentage and employees are eight times more effective at cross selling in person.
Figure 2. The Mobile Enterprise Paradigm. Schematic courtesy Sybase.
No Gain Without Some Pain
The Mobile Enterprise should be seen as an evolutionary development. Notebook PCs and cell phones along with fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) and UC gave us today's Mobile Office, but you can't put it in your pocket or handbag. However, smart phones are not merely a handheld computer. When loaded with mobilized, customized applications such as Mobile CRM, they give enterprise employees everything they need to perform their computing and communications tasks. That's the main reason why these devices are the driving force.
The productivity and related gains they enable are significant but the unauthorized entry of smart phones into enterprise environments also results in two pain points for CIOs and IT managers: device management and security.
The security issue comes from the fact that some of these devices have open operating systems and one reason for their success is the ease with which they connect to the Internet for Web surfing and downloading music and applications. Thus, there is a real risk of infection; one that could be contagious if an infected device is connected to the corporate intranet.
Security as well as the need to ensure compliance with corporate policies is clearly an important issue and it will be covered in some detail in the second article in this series. The third article will look at data plans as well as the mobility implications of virtualization and cloud computing.
Spoilt for Choice
Previously, Windows Mobile phones might have been the preferred device from an IT perspective because Windows is widely deployed. But BlackBerry devices are also popular in companies and the newer models include typical smartphone applications. But allowing employees to use their preferred device, which they may already own, would be a popular move.
And the smart phone market is expanding fast, both in the number of devices purchased and the number of models being introduced. The popular move would therefore entail managing different devices running different applications on different operating systems, e.g. BlackBerry OS, Windows Mobile, Google Android, Symbian OS, Mac OS X, Palm's OS, and various flavors of mobile Linux.
That would appear to be an expensive exercise, one that would consume significant IT resources, but enterprise-grade middleware platforms have the requisite functionality.
Middleware Platforms
The mobile landscape of today's organizations is very muddled, with different technologies, standards, and support practices. It resembles the Wild West when compared to centrally managed and secured PC environments. As a result there is a need for a mobile architecture and mobile enterprise platforms that can address the complexity and at the same time leverage newer technologies and business processes.
Device management can be seen as an issue that contributes to this muddled environment. It's an important issue, but not one that can be addressed using a silo-type solution since it cannot be divorced from other management requirements. What's needed is a system that allows IT to centrally manage, secure and deploy mobile data, applications and devices. It is a formidable task but the requisite middleware platforms have been developed and deployed. They allow CIOs and IT managers to address the challenge of creating and managing multiple mobile applications that securely connect a variety of heterogeneous back-end data sources to all major device types. In addition, since everything is done using software, the functionality can be updated, e.g. adding interoperability with a new mobile OS.
Figure 3. This generic schematic illustrates how a middleware platform enables interoperability between devices and back-office systems. Schematic courtesy Sybase.
Point solutions, basic applications, or deployments offering support across just one set of devices or applications cannot meet the expectations of CIOs and IT management or the demand of mobile workers. A solution based on a multi-functional, robust mobile platform, as visualized above, is needed for the development, deployment, and management of applications across the enterprise.
The Device Management Component
There are three facets to device management--provisioning, management, and decommissioning--and an enterprise mobile middleware platform should enable all three.
Provisioning enables applications to be loaded onto various devices and to be configured for firewall and password protection, group policies, security policies, data encryption, and other setup functions.
Managing enables devices to be monitored, software and updates to be pushed to the devices along with updates to security settings, and configurations, plus data backup and restore.
Decommissioning allows lost or stolen devices to be remotely disabled or locked, data to be wiped, devices to be retired, and also to re-provisioned for new users. Configuring new devices and reconfiguring existing devices that go down should be enabled over the air so that users don't have to manually tether their device to their desktop or laptop PC in order to perform these tasks.
Looking Ahead
Security and the need to ensure compliance with corporate policies will be covered in the next article in this series. Here are a couple of highlights:
There is an obvious need to minimize breaches of security but this task goes beyond simply securing the technologies. Solutions have to be pragmatic and relevant to work processes they are going to protect, so there may be trade-offs. This means that C-level management should take a more active role as security shifts from being technology centric to business risk centric. Security decisions should involve business-level discussions and management is in a better position when it comes to determining the risks involved. And the biggest security risk may turn out to be a disgruntled employee.
Bob Emmerson is a freelance writer who lives in The Netherlands. Email: [email protected]. Web: www.electric-words.org. The author would like to acknowledge the contribution of Henning Dransfeld, Executive Marketing Consultant at T-Systems.
