It’d be hard to find a more influential modern invention (not counting the Internet) than the mobile phone – it has expanded from voice and messaging to include entertainment, social media, and countless other purposes. This just so happens to include mobile productivity, assisted by a variety of mobile applications intended to augment communication and collaboration between departments, as well as between a business and its clients.
Communications
Considering that these devices are still technically telephones, it should be no wonder that communication is big in a smartphone – and that’s before we even consider their capacity to surf the Internet and send messages. These multipurpose communication tools can keep your team on the same page, collaborating efficiently and effectively.
Mobile Applications
Many mobile applications can be leveraged by your employees to continue their productivity. This applies whether or not they are in your place of business. This mobility helps deliver value to your enterprise, as web-based resources accessed through a desktop’s browser were once the only real option for a worker to leverage. Mobile apps augment the opportunity for an employee to accomplish their goals.
Utilizing mobile apps has become such a common business practice that many applications used by organizations have had mobile versions developed. As a result, your employees can more successfully collaborate with each other, as well as deliver the products and services you offer more efficiently. Therefore, operations and support are improved.
Presumed Detriments
Despite these benefits, many employers aren’t completely sold on encouraging smartphone use in the workplace. This makes some sense, as they could presumably become a bigger distraction than they are a benefit, hurting the business. Similar things are often said about social media. Many businesses have gone so far as to forbid the use of smartphones during work hours. Their reasoning is that more time spent on smartphones is equal to less time spent on their business.
This reasoning has a few holes in it. The biggest one is the unsupported assumption that time equals productivity, which isn’t necessarily the case. Furthermore, this doesn’t account for the time that a smartphone could be used to the benefit of the business outside of normal working hours.
BYOD and Mobile Device Management
As businesses permit the use of smartphones, they require a means of ensuring proper management of these devices. Some businesses can provide their employees with company smartphones, but many just can’t afford to do that. This doesn’t leave these companies out of luck. However, the combination of mobile device management software and a policy known as a Bring Your Own Device (or BYOD) policy allows these businesses to oversee each device that connects to their network. Depending on the policy, this can cover only the applications and data that the company requires/controls. While others extend to the entire device.
These platforms enable administrators to retain control over the wireless network, enforcing permissions and keeping the company’s data secure. Think of it as a content filtering system that works on your employees’ devices. It allowlists and blocklists applications that serve company purposes or serve as distractions, respectively.
WheelHouse IT can help you leverage the capabilities of a mobile device in your business. For assistance in implementing mobile device management, reach out to us at (877) 771-2384.
