Should you let staff choose their own devices? What hardware specs matter most? How can you take advantage of the benefits mobile technology offers while minimising the security risks? Lifehacker has answered these questions and more in a free new ebook that you can download right here.
Tagged With making mobility real
As soon as mobile phones and tablets begin rolling out in an enterprise, you know it's only a matter of time before someone says "We should introduce an app". Is that a sensible idea? It very much depends on the circumstances, and it certainly isn't the case that moving to supporting mobile devices means you also have to roll out newly-developed mobile apps for your workforce.
We'll be devoting most of this ebook to looking at how you can expand device choice in a secure fashion, but it's worth recognising that there are scenarios where limited device choices can make sense. We don't want to suggest this is the norm -- if only because you're likely to experience passive resistance in the form of people bringing their own devices anyway -- but there are occasions when it can make sense.
Even if you've decided that mobile phones will only play a relatively minimal role in your environment (calls, texts, emails and basic browsing), your mobile choices have only just begun. The conventional laptop still plays a vital role, but now competes with tablet machines and hybrids (which can convert from tablet to laptop form as needed) for corporate attention. Here's our take on when each form factor makes sense.
One of the most fundamental questions facing any business looking to update its mobile strategy is this: should you let your staff choose whatever technology they like and offer to support it, or instead force them to pick from a more restricted list? Let's weigh up the pros and cons of each approach.