Telecom Expense Management and Managed Mobility Blog

Register for the Mobile Application Management and Security Webinar

As promised, here is some more information on our upcoming webinar, Mobile Application Management and Security: How to Maximize Value and Minimize Risk on April 29th at 2:00pm EDT.

Smart phone security is complicated by the consumerization of enterprise mobility because it challenges IT to support multiple smart phone platforms and an astronomical increase in mobile applications.

Discover how robust usage policies and nimble management strategies help you get the most productivity out of your mobile assets and minimize security risks when you join mobile guru Philippe Winthrop, creator of independent think tank The Enterprise Mobility Foundation, at this FREE information-packed webinar sponsored by Quickcomm.

» Use Philippe's 3-tier decision matrix to determine who gets mobile devices, which apps to support and which platforms are the best fit for your enterprise

» Tie IT service management, solution selection and enterprise mobility management together into a comprehensive strategy that leaves nothing to chance

» Scour must-have mobile policy components. Pop quiz: Does your policy address wireless data services? What about approved applications?

» Zero in on security best practices that go beyond basic lock and wipe mechanisms to include device memory encryption and application and Internet domain restrictions

» See how corporate vs. individual liability demands that you change your approach to mobile security and application management ... especially for "back-end" and "front-end" apps

Philippe shows you how to devise a comprehensive strategy to deploy business-enabling applications and protect enterprise data - without end user backlash!

This is impartial, vendor-neutral advice and guidance that helps you cost-effectively and securely manage your enterprise's mobility.

Click here to register!

Invasion of the Mobile Application

A recent study published by TechCrunch estimates that there will be approximately 1 billion smartphone users by 2013 and that the mobile apps market will grow from just under $2bn currently to over $15bn in the same year.  This is paid apps and is clearly a huge growth area particularly with the convergence of the mobile phone and the PC (think 3G netbook or iPad).

Why is this a concern for corporate users?  Over the past 10+ years business have had strict policies on the applications installed and use of corporate assets such as PC's to limit the corporation's exposure to pirated software, inappropriate use of company assets not to mention upholding the corporate image when meeting with clients.  This explosion of smartphone applications exposes businesses to exactly the same risks but at the same time represents a huge opportunity for the business organization.  First the risks:

• Just as with PC's, third party applications installed on company assets pose the risk to introduce Malware (viruses, phising, etc.)
• The business smartphone contains the same contact list as the corporate address book so virus proliferation carriers the same risk as a PC
• Cost of helpdesk support to end users to undo the damage caused by downloading inappropriate apps
• If the smartphone is paid for on a corporate liable account then the user downloading paid applications and having them billed to the same account exposes the corporation to untold charges on the phone bill
• Corporate image to clients observing employees making inappropriate use of company assets

And the potential benefits:

• It is possible to write your own applications for the business user and distribute them wirelessly empowering your employees by giving them access to a smartphone version of your key business applications allowing user to, for example, input orders directly into their phones with no need to return to an office location
• Use this as an excuse to implement policy management for smartphone use
• Enforce policy management on the device by implementing controls that govern what can be installed on the device and how the device must be configured
• Create a list of approved applications and prohibit others from being installed

Some of Quickcomm's partners have developed business solutions around these areas already.  If this is of interest then check out the webinars below for more information:

-Mobile Device Management Webinar featuring Verizon's Cliff Cibelli

-AOTMP Wireless Mobilty Management Webinar featuring AOTMP's Scott Lawrence

photo by williamhartz

New Mobile Management Tip: Take a Proactive Approach to Application Management

I promised to share some tips that were discussed during our most recent webinar so here is one that stood out to me.

Last year, $4.2 billion in mobile applications were sold according to Gartner. The number of applications that enterprises support has increased by 50% over the last year alone.  Yet shockingly, only 50% of organizations actually manage and continuously monitor their mobile users' applications.

I get it, managing all of those applications seems to be a a daunting task but let me put the implications into perspective for you. There are some downsides that need to be considered when determining what your approach will be.  The biggest downside at stake for you - your time.  

While mobile devices have helped make the workforce more productive and responsive to clients, they can also actually result in productivity issues.  Non-work related applications can be downloaded and can lead to an inefficient use of employees' time.   Is Tetris really necessary on that mobile?  Even more concerning is that by not monitoring these downloads -  you have now left your company more vulnerable to harmful malware attacks which can compromise confidential information.   Who ends up having to deal with the burden? You. You are now answering more helpdesk requests and spending your valuable time troubleshooting these issues.

To make a long story short, be proactive and make it your corporate policy to monitor and manage mobile applications. Your time is valuable and it will save you in the long run.

 

Missed the Mobility Management Webinar? Don't worry! Playback is available here.

If you missed the educational webinar (Devices out of Control? Wireless Mobility Management for the Enterprise) we hosted yesterday with AOTMP, you can still view it at your leisure.

I was really pleased with the audience's questions and feedback from the session. It was a really informative seminar that mixed in a number of tips enterprises like yourself can apply when establishing your mobility management program. I will try to blog about some of the new tips I learned in the near future. 

In the meantime, click here to view the recording.

Resolutions, Confessions and the Perfect App for Me

With 2010 creeping  around the corner, I guess it is time to start thinking about those dreadful New Years Resolutions. Typically, I never follow through--however this year, I resolve to be different.  Unfortunately, this resolution comes with a confession.

Ask anyone who knows me how they would describe me, and I guarantee they would say that I am responsible and dependable. However, I have a terrible habit that I even hid from my husband when we first dated.  Now that we are married, the jigs up and it drives him crazy. I am notorious for getting parking tickets. I commute everyday via train and honestly, I forget to move my car on the appropriate alternate side parking day. “How many,” you ask? Enough that when I arrive at my car and I don’t see a ticket, I think there is something missing…like maybe someone stole the registration sticker off of my car.

In order to combat this bad habit, I will be committing to a New Years Resolution! I will be taking drastic measures here, but I think I am on the right track.

I resolve to take a different spin on wireless expense management and get myself a smartphone that will help me manage my ticket expenses!

Currently, there are thousands of applications for smartphones and already 1 Billion applications have been downloaded.  There are applications that help users find recipes, manage your finances, track vital signs and even prevent you from drunk dialing.  I figure if there is an app that will simulate the appearance of steam and condensation on my new phone, then I am positive there has got to be an application to help alleviate my tickets and their expenses. I need an app that essentially has some of the same features that we offer clients—reporting, tracking, and management capabilities. Setting alerts for myself simply aren’t enough. Been there.  Done that. 

To be honest with you, my perfect app should probably send an electric shock to my hand when I pick it up in the morning reminding me to move my car. After two weeks of shocks, I am sure this good old fashioned form of classical conditioning will have cured of my habit - Cold turkey.

Until my app is developed, I will simply have to try to make a conscience effort to not get any tickets and infuriate my husband a little less:).

Happy Holidays everyone and good luck with your new years resolutions!   

Feel free to leave me a comment. What’s your perfect app?

photo by _Teb

It's All About the App

The proliferation of applications on mobile devices has provided opportunities for all sorts of folks to get involved in the mobile device space, from device manufacturers, os vendors, to pure application suppliers.

The myriad of device / os / application platforms that exist today have produced more powerful, more diverse and more complicated offerings for users to consume, for company's to manage and for carriers to provide. This trend is going to continue for some time.

The impact on Carriers has been the most unheralded but in some ways the most pronounced. We have seen Carriers take sides, not only in the battle to gain exclusive rights (AT&T with the iPhone, T-Mobile with the G1), but increasingly extending into the realm of applications.

AT&T's current battle to block Google Voice is a case in point.

Carriers have begun to take a very active interest in applications.

This is driven by the desire for control, but increasingly this will become about the enhanced profits.

Carriers will also want to control the applications that get deployed on their offerings. QA will be one (a phone that keeps crashing will affect market perception, regardless of who wrote the bugs), but optimum network usage will be another. 

Applications that use too much bandwidth will cause the carrier network management hassles, whilst applications that are too restricted will become next to useless in comparison to their all singing all dancing competition.

An offering with restricted applications, will soon become a offering that a user will want to terminate. To keep customers and attract new ones, carriers will want to control and enhance applications to ensure their offerings meet the market need, if not become the market leader.

All this should see some interesting interaction with the current application providers as the current situation seems a cash cow that they will be very keen to retain. A joint effort could reap huge benefits for both, but putting all the eggs in one basket may prove too risky for both the application providers and the carriers to handle. 

The other shift will see the FCC need to address this application space. That may take the form of today where they treat pure voice usage as very distinct from data transmission. The concept of Universal Service is possibly too far entrenched in current legislation for it to be otherwise. 

This will be problematic for vendors such as Google that wish to treat it so. I am also confident, given the proliferation of application providers, that a whole new set of apps that incorporate Voice is in the pipeline. Just how the FCC will respond then will remain to be seen.

Photo by umpcportal.com