Telecom Expense Management and Managed Mobility Blog

Which Mobile Device Should I Get? The Chicken or the Egg

  

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I came across an article entitled BlackBerry vs. iPhone for the Business yesterday and it left me curious.   

The article presents the argument that the iPhone is positioned to overtake the BlackBerry as the "ultimate business phone".

What struck me specifically was the decision by Standard Chartered Bank to offer all of their employees the opportunity to ditch their BlackBerries for iPhones. I guess I was really curious as to what the thinking was behind this.  From an employee perspective, I thought, "wow, that was really nice of them".

But, from a mobility management perspective, I had bunch of questions as to how they arrived at the decision to implement this mass initiative. Then I was reminded of a great video by Philippe Winthrop that addresses the question we run into daily, "What mobile device should I get for work?".  Check it out, it is short and to the point. It approaches this question like the 'Chicken or the egg' argument from a mobility management strategy standpoint. 

We agree with Philippe in the thinking that this should typically be the last question (not the first) you should ask when considering a mobile device for work.

You should actually consider two other areas prior to the actual device itself.

1. The Individual Who actually should get a device?  Who needs it to perform the job effectively? Sales probably need them while HR may not. 

2. The Use or Purpose What will the device be used for? what are the applications that will be required? What kind of data will be stored on it? Is it sensitive data? What kind of secuirty will be required?

The answers to these questions should drive the answer as to what device an employee should receive.

If one mobile device works for every individual and for every type of use across your organization...great, sounds like smooth sailing from a management perspective for you.  If you don't fall under this utopian scenario, I hope you will consider the approach above. 

Have a great weekend!!!