Unwire for Growth

While wireless was considered to be an overlay network in the past, enterprises are now using it more and more as a main

EDITOR'S NOTE
There has been considerable debate as to what are the key components of enterprise mobility. The broad agreement has it that it comprises the handheld device, the enterprise WLAN and the mobility applications.

Some stakeholders add peripheral input devices such as barcode scanners and other input devices to the enterprise mobility portfolio, given enterprise mobilitys vast adoption in businesses like retail, transportation and logistics and hospitality. And of course, security remains a close-knit segment.

Enterprise mobility handhelds vary from vertical to vertical, not only in terms of form factors but also in terms of the compute capability of the device and its ruggedness.

So while a Blackberry remains the better known face of enterprise mobility, and is also well suited for the white collared employee, it is not a preferred choice in industries and businesses that relate to hazardous environments such as oil and gas exploration or mining. Even manufacturing environments will be better served by tougher devices.

Indeed, there are a variety of rugged and semi-rugged handhelds and notebooks that work well in such environments. The enterprise mobility space has matured significantly in terms of offerings and there is much for IT mangers to pick and choose, based on their organisations needs.

Over the last few years, mobile devices have rapidly and deeply penetrated enterprises at a root level, thanks to their immense value as corporate productivity tools. The competitive business landscape has further prompted enterprises to take strategic initiatives in making their workforce mobile.

Devices like PDAs, smart phones and notebooks are rapidly being adopted by enterprises to support workers and help them stay productive while being mobile. And with the help of various on-the-go applications built into the devices, organisations are able to increase their efficiencies effectively.

There is no dearth today of functional devices in various form factors that can handle both voice and data applications. Apart from notebooks that are getting more and more affordable, a host of handheld devices are there to serve as key enablers of mobility.

A study by Frost & Sullivan says the enterprise mobility market in India clocked revenue of over Rs 346 crore in FY2008-09, and was estimated to reach Rs 1,881 crore in FY 2015-16.

Challenges for IT managers
Indeed, enterprise mobility has freed employees from the inflexibility of a wired desk. However, this new-found freedom has introduced a number of new challenges for the IT manager.

These challenges are getting multiplied with the growing adoption of wireless in the organisation. While wireless was considered to be an overlay network in the past, enterprises are now using it more and more as a mainstream medium, given that it is quicker to deploy and promises lower overall total cost of ownership (TCO) than a wired network.

However, enterprise mobility is much more than the mere adoption of wireless networks, PDAs, notebooks and other such devices. It is about a number of applications being enabled over the mobile devices. This brings in the associated challenges of porting the enterprise-wide applications to mobile devices and also integrating new mobile applications with the enterprise network.

Mobile enablement of business applications such as sales force automation (SFA), customer relationship management (CRM), and supply chain management (SCM) offer immense benefits for enterprises. For attaining these efficiencies, effective collaboration between the handset manufacturers and application providers is also very crucial.

An aspect of enterprise mobility is also to connect and integrate employees mobile device to the corporate PBX. This brings in the benefit of a single number and voicemail box for the mobile employee, apart from access to richer PBX-based features as well as features available on the mobile device. Again, this gives rise to integration requirements and related issues, which need to be addressed at the IT mangers end.

Enterprises should regard mobile data akin to an IT project, rather than a communications deployment. This implies that companies deploying mobile data today need to work with a variety of companies. It is unlikely that dialogue with a mobile operator alone (as is the case for the purchase of mobile voice) will suffice. The likely option for a one-stop approach would be to work via a systems integrator.

IT managers should also look for vendors with wide-range device support. There are thousands of new devices coming into the market every year and it is foolish to design an app for a particular handset or even an OS. Instead, IT managers should quiz vendors on their device and OS support and how their transcoding engines are going to be future-proof.

Security issues
As enterprise mobility makes extensive use of wireless networks, the boundaries are often very porous in nature. This potentially introduces new vulnerabilities in the enterprise network, which in turn means that security threats rise manifold.

Therefore addressing security issues becomes an integral part of an enterprise mobility deployment. Safeguards should also be put in place to monitor and protect mobile assets throughout their lifecycles.

These measures must take a strategic view of IT and security. Ideally, relevant and adequate changes should be made at the security policy level to effectively address security issues related to enterprise mobility.

Besides having policies for strong encryption and inbuilt password protection, the devices should be managed from a central console, so that maintenance and support activities can be carried out without physically bringing the devices back to the premise.

It is also important to ensure that the choice of mobile devices is such that the enterprise mobility landscape doesnt become too heterogeneous. In the total absence of standards, it becomes really challenging for an IT manager to provide the required level of support. It will be ideal to go for a single type of device, at least for common business objectives. If that is not achievable, specific compatibility parameters and operating systems must be specified and adhered to.

Also, employees should be trained well on safe usage of the devices. They should be told which precautions are to be taken in case the device gets lost or stolen. Basic security measures such as changing passwords regularly, exercising caution about posting or submitting confidential data, and not doing an auto-save for passwords will go a long way in ensuring that the mobile devices are not easy entry points for security attacks on the enterprise network.

A provision in the security policy should ensure that sensitive documents that can embarrass or negatively affect the image and reputation of the organisation is not stored on mobile devices.

Digital rights management (DRM) should be applied to prevent data to be synchronised or transmitted by undue means, so as to block any malicious or careless breach.

In spite of all the precautions, it must be noted that whatever encryption method is used, the device is at risk anytime it leaves a secured perimeter. Therefore, any mobile platform must be viewed as always unsecured and treated as a vector for major loss. Such a view will help put up an effective quarantining process in case of a breach or a threat.

Whats in store?
While RIM continues to dominate the market in e-mail access solutions, companies like Unisys and Tech Mahindra have offerings in the space of ERP, wireless data, CRM, field force automation (FFA), sales force automation (SFA), and supply chain management (SCM).

Motorola is also offering wireless network solutions (WNS), aimed at providing customers with multi-vendor flexibility and seamless connectivity. The company is also expected to release a mix of eight new products and solutions over the next few weeks to cover the full spectrum of indoor WLAN, outdoor wireless mesh, point-to-multipoint, point-to-point networks and voice-over-WLAN solutions.

Editorial Panel