IT Expert Voice

Smartphones now rival notebook systems for power and productivity, yet these mobile devices are often unmanaged by IT. That’s changing, as more organizations use software tools to manage their smartphone fleets. READ MORE

Extending business-critical applications to a remote workforce is a must in this global eco-system, but any way you look at it, it’s a dicey proposition. According to ABI Research there were 171 million smartphones on the market as of January 2009 and by 2014, the research firm predicts, the mobile security market will exceed $4 billion annually. Gartner forecasts 1.82 billion smartphones and 1.72 billion mobile PCs will rock your world by 2013.

There’s no running from it: Mobile applications are driving employee productivity as well as building customer loyalty and brand visibility. IT managers cannot afford to get it wrong. READ MORE

Personal and work lives are converging — in users’ pockets. New mobile devices from vendors including Microsoft, with its upcoming Windows 7 phones, recognize the fact that the same wireless phone on which employees get their business email probably is also the one they use for listening to music or snapping and viewing photos.

In reaction to IRS regulations, many companies have avoided writing policies for appropriate usage of mobile devices allowing mixing personal and business use. IRS rules require employees to reimburse companies for personal use of company-supplied mobile devices, using painful formulas, or the devices qualify as a taxable benefit to employees. These rules aren’t strongly enforced, but in reaction to them, companies often tell their employees that mobile devices are for business use only, and then the companies look the other way at personal use. Because of this regulatory environment, companies find themselves paying extra costs for personal bandwidth use by employees.

With the anticipated overturn of the IRS requirements by Congress by next year, businesses have an opportunity to tackle head-on policies for using corporate-issued wireless devices for personal use. And companies can also set policies governing personal phones used for business. READ MORE

When I was a young man visiting my dad’s office, he would routinely walk down the hall to check on how the employees in his accounting department were spending their time. My father was old school and hands-on. He paid attention to every aspect of his department to make sure the results were what he expected and demanded from his staff.

So how would my father have to adjust his management style today? READ MORE

No matter what hardware or software solutions are implemented for mobile workers, the dispersal of equipment and the variety of components can be a real challenge for IT managers.

Three areas of concern need to be addressed in order to hold the right people accountable for organizational assets used away from the office:

True Asset Management of the organization’s inventory of mobile and other devices and related equipment must be kept in a comprehensive system, recording who is responsible for the equipment and where it is physically located.

License and Warranty Compliance to ensure normal operations and adherence to legal and organizational policies.

Intellectual Property/Data Storage and Protection involves even more attention to detail when workers are in remote locations and using various devices. IT needs a strategy to track and synchronize all kinds of files and data, from documents to e-mail to contact and financial information – and make sure that it is backed up and kept secure from outside breaches. READ MORE