The first step in solving any problem – is recognizing that there is one! Unfortunately, in most modern offices, there are several of them. Paper usage is rampant and rendering important documented information is susceptible duplication, loss or theft. Two-thirds of employees are walking around with untapped potential (in the form of their mobile devices). And IT departments are playing a role of tech support, instead of leading the charge in digitizing the workplace.
The biggest problem is one of denial – companies think they don’t need an Enterprise Mobility solution. Even worse, those which have a distorted view of what Enterprise Mobility actually is.
Below are some common misconceptions employees may have conformed to and why they need to let them go;
1) “We Don’t Need Enterprise Mobility”
Here are some facts:
- The number of mobile devices in the workplace will exceed 1 billion by 2018.
- 74% of employees already want to use their own mobile devices for work-related tasks.
- Telecommuting is quickly on the rise.
- The same overconfidence of “we know what we’re doing” resulted in the market share of Nokia to plummet.
In short, the mobile revolution is present in the very fabric of modern enterprises. Unless you are harnessing this energy and breakdown the barriers for your employees and let them decide how, when, and where they work – you are behind the times.
With more recent developments of retail/consumer apps, the development discipline lies in striving to create the best customer-facing app. App developers are determined to achieve the coolest interface and user experience on any device and in any context.
The question is: why can’t we bring this mentality inside our workplace when developing enterprise apps?
2) “It’s Just an App, So We Outsourced it.”
Firstly, Enterprise Mobility isn’t about making a mobile app. It’s an organization-wide shift in processes, policies and working habits which ultimately achieve a greater level of employee productivity. Misunderstanding its purpose in this manner can have severe ramifications.
Secondly, it’s not as simple as setting up a customer support department which you can outsource at a whim. There are other important considerations to analyze. Whether the app is scalable and capable of withstanding rapid iterations and delivery. Furthermore, integration with back-end/ERP system and catering to multiple device form factors and versions is a key concern.
All these considerations must be analyzed before a decision can be made.
3) “We Are Creating it Ourselves”
If a bunch of webpages that can be accessed through a mobile phone’s web browser is your definition of Enterprise Mobility, then you need to get back to the drawing board. This is far from a user-friendly experience, much less a mobile-ready one. And no, banking on responsive web design alone, isn’t going to cut it!
A web browser is sluggish, can’t access most device-specific features and most of all constantly relies on an internet connection. So you definitely need a native app to get around this. You need to be on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. You need to consider multiple device types, form factors and operating system versions as well.
All of this requires expertise in the latest programming language that is on the cutting edge of technology. A dedicated team of in-house developers, a lot of fancy new equipment, roughly 24 weeks of development time and perpetual maintenance cost.
Clearly that’s a lot to take on.
4) “Enterprise Mobility Requires Programming Knowledge”
We know what you’re thinking. Didn’t we just tell you how expertise in programming knowledge is one of the foundations for setting up a proper Enterprise Mobility solution? Not quite – at least not in the traditional sense.
Companies today need to stay on their toes and adapt to new ways of doing things without breaking down entirely. This is why smart Enterprise Mobility solutions exist and able to seamlessly connect with your existing ERP/back-end and requires almost no technical knowledge, contain tools that are robust and easily managed.
These are four misconceptions on Enterprise Mobility that exist in the modern business world. Enterprise mobility is fast becoming common practice or ‘business as usual’. Companies are starting to capitalize on enterprise Mobile App Development Platforms (MADP) in the marketplace. This enables business users to share in the fun of creating enterprise apps and improve enterprise productivity within their functions of the organization.
