In its own way, business mobility has existed since the invention of the telephone. It enabled the door-to-door salesman to call into headquarters and place the orders he had collected in the field, or to contact his boss to receive verbal information. Over time, the invention of the fax machine made it possible to receive documents while away from the office. In recent years, laptops have made it possible to connect to corporate networks to send and receive emails, participate in online meetings, and share and collaborate on documents.

Today, business mobility often involves the use of hand-held devices such as mobile phones and tablets, which give you everything your laptop can do without having to carry around all the equipment. And thanks to the wireless network, it is (almost always) possible to work, even while traveling or in a remote area.

For some companies, this means that they do not need to gather all employees in one headquarters, and that employees can be spread over a larger geographical area, connected only by electronic means of communication. That flexibility makes it possible to lower administrative expenses, while at the same time talented employees can be attached to the company without them having to move.

In addition to the benefits companies experience, business mobility also gives your customers some advantages. Lower costs often mean lower prices. And the company's dispersed structure means that it will be easier for your customers to make personal contact with an employee.

But this development also brings quite big challenges with it. For your customers, this can mean that customer service and technical support are outsourced abroad, which can cause great frustration if the person you communicate with does not speak the same language as you.

Get control of your hardware

Internally in the company, the development also presents some challenges. Among other things. companies face challenges in relation to data security, and choosing the right technology can be a difficult exercise.

Among other things, you must decide how you want to handle the hardware. It is becoming more and more common for employees to use their own smartphones and tablets for work-related tasks. It's called BYOD or Bring Your Own Device. Other companies choose to deliver a standard phone or tablet which gives your company the control over your hardware that you are used to. But costs something on the flexibility front.

Both solutions have advantages and disadvantages. The BYOD model in many cases results in satisfied employees, which even become more productive. On the other hand, the model presents a number of challenges in relation to data security, both in relation to how secure the device itself is (can it be hacked?) and what should happen if it is stolen or lost. The BYOD model also means that the company must consider the extent to which it will provide support for these, perhaps many different, devices.

For some companies, BYOD is a good solution. Eg. if the company has users who have specific needs or is running some experiments. For others, the diffuse nature of BYOD, where several different operating systems may be in use (eg Android, iOS, WebOS and Windows Phone) means that it requires far too many IT resources to manage. Or it also means that the company's ability to develop customized apps is impaired because they must be able to work with all types of devices. It may also be security issues that mean that a more limited selection should be possible.

As an alternative, some companies choose an intermediate solution called CYOD – Choose Your Own Devise, where the company selects some models for employees to choose from. This limits the need for service, but at the same time gives the employee an opportunity to choose the phone or tablet she prefers.

Read more:
7 tips for secure BYOD