Mobile is making big inroads in the enterprise and blurring the lines between business and personal. Employees accustomed to anytime, anywhere access in their personal lives, are bringing the same expectations to the office. They want convenient access to information, whether they are are at a desk or in a checkout line at a big box retailer.  They want to complete work using the device of their choice. In fact, a 2012 study of 3,000 workers that use mobile devices at their by McKinsey & Company revealed, almost 90 percent use smartphones and tablets perform at least 25 percent of the work they used to on PCs on mobile devices.

It isn’t just workers driving these changes. Mobile technology is becoming essential for competitiveness. It allows employees to retrieve information to support discussions and make decisions, even if they aren’t at their desks or on a corporate campus. It allows business leaders to get in touch with whomever, whenever they want. Employee demand and the potential improvements to responsiveness and productivity are driving unprecedented levels of adoption.

Enterprise mobility has many benefits, but it also comes with challenges. The technology is rapidly changing. Vendors are constantly introducing new products. There is little consistency between platforms. Portable devices bring new security risks. However, at its core, going mobile is like any other technology investment; success depends on how closely it aligns with business needs. That doesn’t just happen. It requires careful planning and execution. Here are five tips to get you started.

1. Think Mobility, Not Mobile

Mobile technology is sexy. It is critical to think about mobilizing business processes instead of the  latest device and cool applications. Before making technology decisions, consider:

• How will becoming more mobile help employees?
• What types of users will use mobile? Do they have the same needs? Do they have the same level of skill? What information and tools do they require?
• What are the benefits of mobility to customers and partners?
• Can mobility help drive additional revenue opportunities?
• Who will own mobile?
• How will you allocate costs?

Focus on what’s important for your organization. Knowing best practices and what has worked in other organizations is useful, but it’s more important to understand the specific needs of your organization and the business value mobility could yield.

source: Apperian

2. Protect Your Business

Many IT leaders fear that that mobile adoption can introduce major security risks. The concern is warranted; all those tiny devices come with big security problems. Fifty nine of respondents in Ponemon’s latest report of global mobility risks reported they had seen an increase in malware in the last 12 months due to insecure mobile devices. Fifty-one percent said their organization has experienced a data breach due to insecure devices and 23 said they didn’t know. A study by Symntec had equally concerning results. Mobile devices are easier to misplace or steal, and employees don’t associate them with the risk of virus, which can lead to risky behavior.

If employees use mobile devices (and they will), you must consider how to protect your business. A single incident can result in enormous financial and reputation impacts. Learn about the risks. Define mobile security policies. Apply existing security policies (e.g. password length) to mobile. Create a device inventory. Determine how you will manage mobile. Don’t assume things won’t go wrong.  Most important, start early or you will regret it.

3. Plan for the Cost

Even if employees use their own devices, mobile adoption in the enterprise has costs.  Gartner Research cautions CIOs that mobile adoption rarely means replacing other technologies. In almost every case it augments what IT must manage. This means increasing complexity and costs. Therefore, it’s important to plan early for the budget impacts of:

• purchasing mobile management solutions
• staffing changes and additions
• service plans  or employee reimbursements
• porting applications to mobile or purchasing mobile versions
• training
• increased licensing cost due mobile endpoints

4. Be Holistic

Enterprise mobile adoption is moving so quickly that many organizations are making point decisions about the applications and devices they will support. Initially, these decisions are easy, cost less and work well for specific individuals or groups. However, over time, the enterprise landscapes can become an unmanageable tangle of device types, configuration tools and applications.

In a recent conversation, Venu Reddy, Research Director, IDC India, explained that mobile adoption should not be about enabling a single device or providing access to a senior employee on a one-off basis. According to Reddy, “It is about proactively designing IT to function seamlessly across multiple platforms and devices. Mobility is a disruptive innovation.”

5. Consider More Than Devices

Enterprise mobility is no longer just about providing mobile access to email and supporting a  standard corporate-issued device. Needs and expectations are evolving. The “new normal” is an environment with almost constant changes in scope, devices, networks, and applications. More importantly, embracing mobility is about more than technology.

Laying the right foundation is critical. Consider creating a cross functional team that involves representatives from the business and technology to identify business priorities, define roles and privileges, determine and communicate the enterprise stance on personal use of business owned devices and create a governance plan.

 There is no universal  “one-size-fits-all’ approach to enterprise mobility that can ensure success. Mobile adoption can be challenging to even seasoned IT pros. However, it is important to keep moving forward. Taking a wait-and-see approach or being overly conservative can backfire and prolong implementation cycles, lengthen time to value, create a negative perception about mobility efforts or worse – forfeit business opportunities to competitors.