Enterprise mobility will get rolled out proactively, reactively or simply by stealth but one thing is for sure: it is happening, and it will happen in every enterprise that is still around in 5 years time. It is a natural consequence of the consumerisation of IT, and it is up to an enterprise to choose how to roll with it.

I pick two inflection points that led to the IT department losing the ability to simply say no: first, wireless networking and secondly the iPhone. Both are disruptive, both make life for their users easier by changing their work habits to the point that changing back is not an option, and both bring their own challenges to IT particularly around security.  When someone with authority gets a taste of the benefits of such disruption, watch the fur fly…

So, mobility is coming just like wireless networks now permeate every corner of enterprises and BYOD is embraced.  The benefits brought by mobility depend on how much the technology is really adopted, but some examples:

• Improved customer service, optimising every contact to provide the right information needed
• Better supply chain logistics by elimination of waiting time in human-centric processes
• More productivity through elimination of system dependence
• Location/spatial aware innovation
• Decision making anywhere
• Better adoption of straight through processing approaches, driving efficiency, data quality and better decision making

There is a common theme to these benefits: the situation that employees -or clients – find themselves in is brought into sharp focus by the availability of an always on, always connected, rich device.  Because of the limited real estate on screen, the interaction must be optimised to put the right piece of information and the right options in a small area.  That implies an in-depth knowledge of the situation, and the task at hand.  Such focus is essential to succeed, and is an intrinsic part of mobility.

So what’s the way forward?

• Identify a champion team: an exec sponsor who loves innovation, a technologist who loves delivering the Next Big Thing, a realist to keep things moving forward through the hype cycle…
• Identify current inefficiencies that block or interfere with your most valuable team members doing their job: think situation-led, but don’t ignore process.
• Run an innovation dragon’s den – perhaps shortlisting ideas, and having someone champion them.  Vote, agree the ideas to go forward, and start!
• Set objectives for a proof of concept, including KPI metrics and success criteria.
• Start small, but evangelise and keep an eye on the biggest picture

Of course, this doesn’t solve the problems associated with a heterogeneous device population or app distribution, but it’s a start.  More on addressing the issues in a future article.

But most importantly:

• Forget fighting enterprise mobility: embrace it, and it’ll make a positive impact to growth and productivity.  Fight it, and you’re trying to stop the tide.
• Think different: think always on, always connected, location aware, but most importantly situation and user centric!
• Pragmatism rules!