Embracing The Fundamental Shift In The Future Of Mobility

A mobility technology solution is an always-on solution that allows employees to work from anywhere, at any time, using devices and software suited to their job role.

Mobile devices typically have a shorter lifecycle than other end-user devices such as laptops or desktops. This faster refresh cycle means that devices are moving in and out of the business more regularly. It's important to have a mobility strategy that encompasses the entire lifecycle, and that the technologies and protocols that are put in place support the business requirements with as little overhead as possible. Putting in place technical tools and processes can be natural for some organisations, yet the administrative processes surrounding the acquisition of technology can place a huge burden on a business. We've helped a lot of organisations to develop strategies that make the processes around the technology lifecycle more aligned to the business requirements, which is still something that holds a lot of companies back in their ability to be agile.

More businesses are noticing that it's not a sustainable model, and it's a model which we've seen dissolved in other countries. The tech funds have been a way to attract and retain customers with a pot of gold, but essentially it's being hidden in the tariff package. It's not free money, and there isn't really a value proposition there. There isn't transparency in those solutions, which a lot of organisations have growing demands around. We're seeing the people in procurement functions being much more aware of that, and they are looking at the alternative options that are more aligned to the overall technical environment, rather than mobility in isolation. We encourage our customers to look into their current network package and find out for themselves the benefit of separating the handset from the tariff.

Unbundling essentially means you buy the handset and tariff plan separately rather than it being rolled into one monthly price. This approach has three key benefits to it:

• Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – With a bundled contract you’ll often be paying the hidden ‘interest’ charges. By separating the handset from the tariff, you are able to sidestep this and save a considerable amount of money in the process
• Increased Transparency – By separating the handset from the tariff you’ll know exactly how much you’re paying for the handset, and how much you’re paying for your tariff, thus making it easier to compare other network providers and handsets. 
• Increased Flexibility – By unbundling you’re free to choose your preferred handset whether it be an iPhone, Samsung, Sony etc. and your preferred tariff be it, Vodafone, O2, 3, EE etc. In addition, as you’re not locked into a 12 or 24-month deal, you are free to switch network providers or upgrade your handset whenever you want

Mobile device management or MDM for short is an essential part of enterprise mobility management. MDM is a type of security software that allows organisations to manage, secure and enforce policies on employee’s mobile phones. Leading MDM providers include AirWatch, MobileIron and Citrix. MDM software can often be combined with additional security tools such as Mobile Application Management to ensure comprehensive security for mobile devices.

Enterprise mobility allows organisations to offer a more flexible environment then was ever thought possible. Employees are no longer tied to their desks for the 9-5 grind – this is the workforce of the past. A key factor in this generational shift is the convergence of desktops and mobiles. With mobiles providing access to email, web browsers and the Microsoft Office package employees can now complete 90% of their tasks on their mobile device. This increased flexibility is giving organisations the capacity to boost their employee’s productivity. Our EMS solution supports this fundamental shift in the future of mobility.