Why Enterprises cannot afford to ignore Mobile

This is a sponsored post by Dimension Data. Find out about the critical gap that exists in enterprise mobility in its Secure Mobility Survey Report.

Much attention has been focused on BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and the rise of mobile devices of late. In comparison, not much has been written on how BYOD can empower enterprises and large organizations to attain their businesses goals, however.

The reason for this seeming disparity is simple: It is a far more challenging task to formulate and articulate a coherent mobile strategy for a company with many thousands of employees, compared to a smaller business with just a few dozen users. As an impetus to take action, we highlight three reasons why enterprises simply cannot afford to ignore mobile devices.

Lost opportunity

What many do not realize is how the modern smartphone is essentially an always-on computer small enough to slip into a pocket. With proper configuration and the right software apps, these versatile devices can provide users with instant access to their email messages, securely access corporate resources such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems, or even collaborate with colleagues from around the world.

Enterprises that choose to ignore smartphones are losing out on a golden opportunity to significantly increase the efficiency and productivity of their work force. Indeed, IDC has reported that sales of smartphones will cross a billion units for 2013, and we are not even talking about tablets with built-in cellular capability.

The security factor

As workers start accessing their work information from their smartphones, it is inevitable for security issues to arise. This could range from inadvertent data leakages stemming from misplaced or stolen devices, or outright hacking. Make no mistake about it; being able to contain or limit the damage in such scenarios require proactive planning, configuration and device management.

And since you can expect workers to bring their mobile devices into the office even if they are not officially supported, expect network management issues to increase as more smartphones and tablets get hooked up to the corporate network. As it is, the onus is on IT departments to take action before the mobile situation spirals out of control.

Dangers of overcontrolling

Given the security downsides to mobile devices highlighted above, one tempting reaction may be to impose draconian restrictions on them. Typical responses include an outright ban on mobile devices, or the imposition of a plethora of regulations that are either incomprehensible to lay-users, or onerous to adhere to.

Yet the proliferation of mobile devices is hardly a fad that can be curtailed with a few rules dictating their use. The most likely outcome from an outright ban would likely just result in employees continuing to use them on the sly. Ultimately, any attempt to overcontrol is likely to end up with reduced risk visibility, and the alienating of users.

This is a sponsored post by Dimension Data. Find out about the critical gap that exists in enterprise mobility in its Secure Mobility Survey Report.