If you are business who has been through enterprise mobile app development project implementation then you will agree that it was lot more difficult than it may have seemed during discussion and commencement phase.
Agree?
If there is one thing everyone can agree on, is that enterprise mobility implementation is way more challenging than it should be. It may seem like a transition that will only be bumpy, but as soon as you start to think about it thoroughly, more and more obstacles just keep popping up.
Well, the best thing you can do is to create a list of all these challenges and start working on the best possible solutions with what you have.
We have your work cut out for you. The list contains 15 challenges that you are probably going to face in an attempt to implement enterprise mobility.
1. Do you have sufficient resources for the change?
One of the very first and major obstacles is going to be the funding for this change. Developing a platform, getting new equipment, creating a strong network, and training employees are not expenses any company can simply cash out.
So, you can consider possible partnerships with other companies that could aid you in this period, or you will simply have to prioritize the expenses and come up with a strategy which enables a successful transition throughout a longer time period. Alternatively, if you are confident about ROI, you can get funded by investors or get credits from the bank. All things considered, it is definitely going to be an expensive plan to execute.
2. Have you convinced your stakeholders?The first thing you need to do is actually get the approval to go with this kind of transformation. Stakeholders are the ones who need to be convinced first, if you want to move forward.
Depending on the type of people they are, this might be easy or difficult, and in some cases, it is the stakeholders who incentivize this change. Basically, you need a compelling business plan that points out all of the strong points and the positive changes this switch will bring.
3. Have you informed the employees and got them on board?The next step is to get people on board to support this change, which can be tricky sometimes. If people are fond of the traditional approach to work or simply working from the office, enterprise mobility implementation might seem unprofessional to them. It is essential that you communicate your expectations, and also to clearly state "what's in it for them". They might need a push to embrace this change, and it is up to you to get them hyped about it, by stating all of the benefits.
4. Catered to employee demands?Once everyone is on board, there is another bridge you must cross, and that's employee demands. Enterprise mobility implies that they will have to use a device for both personal and professional purposes, and it is going to be tricky to agree on which device it will be. People have their preferences regarding configuration and brands, and if you seem biased in these negotiations, it will reflect badly on your leadership. Excluding them from the decision making process might seem rude, but it is an option with positive benefits. You get to pick a reliable device, and nobody can say that you took someone's side.
5. Evaluated user's needs?In addition to your staff, you need to think about your users as well. What does this change imply for them? Are they happy that you are making the switch? After all, you owe your success to their loyalty as well, and compromising this relationship might not be a good idea. So, make sure your transition happens slowly and gradually, and introduce one feature at the time so that users can realize just how convenient things will be in the future. Once you manage to do this, they will be thrilled that you made such a decision and you will certainly boost your customer acquisition potential.
6. Planned staff training?The mobility business model is impossible with an online platform that employees and users will use to communicate and collaborate. It is essential that employees know how to navigate this platform and this may necessitate additional training. In other words, your staff might find it bothersome and it also warrants additional costs for the training process itself. It is up to you to find an efficient way of teaching new skills that are engaging and approved by your workforce.
7. How will you fill talent gap?Since the business will require more knowledge in the tech department, you should find competent developers to help you with your platform. Moreover, when you go mobile, you expand your reach and that means more work in general. So, before your change is complete, find potential candidates who can step in, or to whom you can outsource the portion of your work in case you cannot meet your deadlines.
8. How will you secure and control devices?
Once you go mobile, you will need a quality online platform which acts as an office or store. So, you need to optimize that platform for smaller screen devices, and to create an engaging environment that can drive conversion. It is why making partnerships with other companies or finding new talents is such a necessity for this transit. Probably the biggest flaw of enterprise mobility is the fact that employees use devices with work data for personal use. This means that your data is prone to be compromised in the event of device loss or device theft.
It is not something you can hold your employee accountable for, considering how nobody has control over these events. It would be a good decision to buy some of the current smart devices, considering how they have a refined fail safe system in case something like this happens. For example, if someone attempts to access the data on a stolen or lost phone, and it has too many failed attempts, everything will be deleted automatically.
9. Have you planned Network security upgrades?Even if none of the devices gets stolen or lost, your data is still not completely secured. The reason for this is, of course, apps. Users who rely on their smart devices for personal use, clearly have different kinds of apps, and in order to function, apps require certain permissions. Considering how apps have access to our camera, our contacts, or our files, it presents a potential threat to the data which is on your phone.
Commonly, the apps we find on the Google Store or App Store won't take advantage of these permissions, but suspicious apps might, and they can even infect the device with malware that can later acquire information from your network. So, make sure you store the most sensitive data online, and make sure you have encryption on those files. Tell the employees not to store sensitive data on their phone, and to access it only online within your secure network.
10. How is access limitations being planned?
Lastly, you will have to keep the most important documents under limited access, and allow only a few people you fully trust to manage them. Usually, business owners opt for cloud based knowledge management systems that provide secure encryption, and that allows them to set access limitations to certain folders on the online storage.
11. Will you face network limitations and have you planned it?
If you want to have a fluent workflow, without any obstructions, then you need to go an extra mile and secure a strong network with bandwidth that can support the data flow. Basically, you need to do a bit of research regarding web hosting providers. So, opt for a hosting service that is highly praised by its users, to ensure your network works smoothly for both employees and customers.
12. Developing a new platform
Once you go mobile, you will need a quality online platform which acts as an office or store. So, you need to optimize that platform for smaller screen devices, and to create an engaging environment that can drive conversion. It is why making partnerships with other companies or finding new talents is such a necessity for this transition
13. Finalized right fit, quality equipment and sourcing?As mentioned, for security reasons, and for the sake of employee satisfaction, you will need to obtain some quality equipment. This kind of purchase can put a serious dent in your budget, so you need to pick wisely. Moreover, investigate if there is a possibility to get a better deal for bulk order. Another viable option can be buying refurbished equipment form a reliable brand, and then once your budget expands, you can upgrade.
14. Will everything being planned be under organizational compliance?In order to effectively manage enterprise technology, you should establish a policy for mobile devices that everyone, organization-wide, should adhere to. This is the best way to preserve network infrastructure, and to solve a lot of issues that could potentially arise from this arrangement. Additionally, having a clearly defined policy on the device and network warrants rules that are enforced in the event of policy violation. In other words, this is going to take some time to define and some more time until these rules are polished to perfection.
15. Do dependencies have back-up plan?Finally, we need to address one of the obvious problems of this enterprise mobility and that is high dependency on network connection and technology. If your equipment malfunctions, or if there are problems with servers that prevent you from accessing the internet, your business will suffer. Of course, these problems happen from time to time and are quickly fixed, and they happen to almost any business, so it is luckily something the community can understand.
Well these were some of the major challenges and some possible solutions on how to overcome them. Of course, every business is different, and some of them might have more difficulties overcoming these challenges and others. However, it is a business model that is going to be more and more widespread, so you should consider making a switch as soon as possible.
Finoit Technologies is a renowned mobile application development company providing Web and Mobile app development services. We have developed over 450 mobile apps, and have assisted many solopreneurs in their journey of startups by functioning as a tech partner and rolling out their product ideas. For questions/queries, you may write to us at [email protected]
