A Look at some of the Key Challenges to Deploying Tablets
The working environment is increasingly becoming a ‘mobile first’ landscape, enabling more efficient and productive ‘work from anywhere’ or ‘work on the go’ practices. But what do we mean by ‘mobile first’ and where does it apply.
Mobile first has historically been associated with web design, where the emphasis of the design is focused on the consumption of the website via a mobile device ahead of via a fixed computer. However, in more recent times, the term ‘mobile first’ has been adopted by technology strategists and analysts to describe an approach of providing more mobility in the workplace facilitated by the use of different mobile technologies such as mobile phones, tablet devices and other more proprietary devices designed for specific tasks or environments.
Most workplaces have a ‘mobile’ requirement. In healthcare for example, doctors and nurses are constantly on the move. The same could be said for manufacturing and warehouse environments where staff are moving around the factory or stores. Or even in retail for shop floor and customer facing teams. The examples are almost endless.
The Challenges
Deploying technology to support mobility comes with its own challenges and considerations. Here are some of the main ones in no particular order:
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(Data) Security
Security is high on any businesses list, but when adopting mobile strategies which aren’t locked to a physical location, how do you secure them both physically and in terms of the data. Mobile devices can be vulnerable to security breaches, especially if they contain sensitive business data. Ensuring robust security measures, such as encryption, locking down functionality and applications, and secure access protocols are all crucial.
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Cost
Implementing, running and maintaining mobile technology can be expensive. This includes the cost of devices, software, ongoing maintenance and replacements.
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Provisioning
If you have a large estate – perhaps even multi-site operations – where you have hundreds or even thousands of devices, provisioning them in a timely fashion is no mean feat.
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Maintenance & Support
Once you have your devices deployed and rolled out to users, the work doesn’t stop there. How do you provide proactive or reactive incident support? How do you measure how the device is performing and corrective action before it becomes an issue? How do you maintain the device to ensure the latest updates and patches are applied? If a device needs replacing, how do you do that? And how do you efficiently decommission or re-provision a device?
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Loss or damage
Mobile devices, by their very definition, are not fixed to a set location. They are constantly moving around, and are consequently prone to being inadvertently left somewhere, being dropped or damaged, and, depending on the type of device in question, potentially high theft risks. How do you minimise the chances of loss or damage?
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Accessibility & tracking
Mobile devices need to be easily accessible to users, particularly where they are share and not associated to a specific individual. In those scenarios, how do you manage the access control so that whoever is using it has access to the right tools and the appropriate access rights? You will likely also want to be able to track and know who is using, or used, the device, as well as the physical location of it.
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Compatibility and Integration
Ensuring that mobile devices and applications are compatible with existing systems can be challenging. Integration issues can lead to inefficiencies and disruptions.
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In-house vs Outsource
In some instances, you will have the in-house skills and capacity to undertake certain tasks so the question becomes, do you want to, or does it make sense to do it in-house, or outsource it? In other cases, the answer is a little more straight forward if you don’t have the skills or resources. Management apps might provide a halfway house though.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is a lot to consider, and generally speaking, there is now single right or wrong answers. Equally, each mobile device will come with its own set of challenges and often require the involvement of different vendors and management software. Where possible, it makes sense to standardise on mobile technology.
We would be keen to know what your biggest challenge is when it comes to mobile technologies. Get in touch on social, visit Schiltron.io website or contact us at contact@schiltron-io.com.
