As the whole world continues on the path of going mobile, the enterprise seems to be taking its time adapting to this trend.

Though companies are allowing employees to use their personal devices for work, not everything a worker needs is available in mobile form. Mark Lee, cofounder and CEO of Splashtop, explained why the enterprise is having a hard time going mobile (even as the mobile workforce continues to grow) in his article, “The Three Reasons Enterprises are Not as ‘Mobile Ready’ As They Think.”

BYOD Problems + Solutions

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Problem: Cost of app development and maintenance

One of the biggest hindrances faced by the enterprise is that it is quite expensive to transform enterprise apps into mobile apps. In a study conducted by data security provider Mobile Helix and research firm Vanson Bourne, it was identified that only 21 percent of enterprise apps are compatible with mobile platforms. The reason for this is that the enterprise is contemplating which enterprise apps should be recoded for mobile use and which ones should be left behind.

Solution:  There are businesses that offer services to help the enterprise create or transform apps into mobile-ready apps. These businesses include Antenna Software, IBM Worklight, Kony Solutions, Verivo (formerly Pyxis Mobile) and Sybase Unwired Platform.

The problem with this is that app development is already expensive; it costs about $20,000-$150,000. Enterprise apps costs more to create; the fact that you have to constantly update it only brings the costs even higher.

The best way to go about this is, instead of recoding apps or creating new enterprise apps, go for software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings. The enterprise pays a monthly fee to allow their employees access to software, even on their mobile devices.

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Problem: Security fears

In the same survey conducted by Mobile Helix, it was also identified that 63 percent of CIOs are worried about the security of BYOD. It’s hard enough that they need to keep all their data secured; even harder is securing all the different devices running on different mobile platforms. Mobile platforms are different; there’s no one way to secure all the platforms at the same time.

Solution: The enterprise can’t go mobile alone, thus there are now mobile IT solutions to help them do that. An example of this is MobileIron who believes that mobile will be the default IT platform in the future. MobileIron offers Multi-OS mobile device management (MDM), Mobile application management (MAM), BYOD privacy controls, and Mobile DLP. It passed security audits for SOC 2 Type 1, Privacy and EU Safe Harbor compliance.

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Problem: Not fully leveraging virtualized desktops

Virtual desktops were once seen as the solution for streamlining security and productivity, but many IT leaders debate whether it is the right way to go about the mobile era. What IT leaders are failing to see is that it can be the solution in dealing with different mobile platforms and the need to recode enterprise apps. Though the use of virtual desktops may not be cost effective, it is seen as a more feasible approach in going mobile than having to recode all the apps they need in order to support mobile productivity.

Solution: VMware offers the Horizon Mobile Secure Workplace for the enterprise that deals with BYOD. It is a fully validated architecture that provides end users with quick and easy access to desktops, applications and data across devices, locations and networks. It is designed to help IT handle BYOD by streamlining and automating desktop application and data management. It provides IT with the ability to apply location-aware, policy-driven access to corporate resources, with higher levels of security and compliance.

Intel addresses the problems mentioned above in a document entitled, Enterprise Mobility Planning Guide: Increase Mobile Productivity. Intel suggests that the enterprise should upgrade their office computers with the latest platform in order to maintain security. For example, Microsoft will soon stop supporting Vista, which means its security will not be strong. The best course of action is to upgrade to Windows 7 or 8.

Also, if the enterprise wants their workers to be productive on the go, instead of supporting BYOD, it should provide workers with the mobile device that they approve of. This way, all the apps needed will be ready for the employees and IT can be sure that these devices are secure.