3 Overlooked Problems in Enterprise Mobility—And How to Solve Them

In a time of digital transformation, mobile enterprise technology is the key to staying competitive. Connected devices allow companies to track shipments accurately and manage chaotic supply chains. Workers in the field use handheld devices to access paperless records. Self-checkout machines keep retail lines short. The solutions are endless.

But for all their diversity, enterprise mobility systems have something in common. They are hard to implement and maintain. Luckily, a growing field of technology has the solution: Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM). But if EMM solutions have the answers, what are the questions? 

You’re probably familiar with some of them: system design, reliable connectivity, cost limitations. That’s not all you’ll have to deal with. Here are three surprising challenges you must overcome to get the benefits of IoT at your business. But the news isn’t all bad. For each of these problems, we’ll describe an EMM tool that offers an ideal solution.   

#1: Changing Device Batteries

Mobile devices run on batteries and overtime they need to be replaced because they don’t last as long as they did originally. But today, most IT teams don’t know when battery capacities are running low. So, to avoid any downtime that can occur, they handle battery replacements with a prescriptive schedule, and that leads to serious inefficiencies. 

To prevent outages, IT teams change healthy batteries more often than they have to. That adds up to thousands of wasted dollars every year. It also requires technicians to access devices physically, which may be very far away. Even if mobile devices are easy to access, it takes time to replace a battery in every single device. That drains IT productivity, compounding the costs. 

The Solution

Look for an EMM platform that offers diagnostic intelligence with battery analytics; think of it as a condition-monitoring system for every device’s power supply. With real-time visibility into battery status, IT teams can replace only what needs replacing. It is much more cost-effective than a rigid schedule or replacing devices based on the suggested warranty expirations. 

Some EMM and diagnostic intelligence platforms take battery analytics even further, reporting on trends and predicting potential power outages before they happen. Automated problem detection alerts staff when a battery needs attention. Altogether, these features lead to significant savings in both time and money.

#2: Visibility Into App Usage

The true utility of a mobile device lies in its software. In other words, apps. But enterprise apps are expensive to develop and to keep running. If no one’s using them, you’re wasting money. Despite this inefficiency, most companies have no idea how or when people are using their apps. 

Employees may find your latest in-house app unhelpful and try something else. Customers may not adopt your latest features. If you continue to invest in an app that no one wants, there’s no way to generate a decent return on investment.

The Solution

One word: Visibility. Choose an EMM and Operational Intelligence platform that includes analytics for apps. An app dashboard tells you which apps people use, when, and for how long. It reports on 3rd Party and company app usage. Altogether, this visibility allows you to optimize your software investments. In short, it creates a leaner, more efficient IT system overall.

#3: Security at Scale

Everyone knows security is a core integration of any good IoT system. But, have you considered how security vulnerabilities can scale along with your deployment? The more devices you have in the field, the more chances there are for a whole range of security issues, such as: 

• Failure to document security issues
• Lack of resources to respond to reported threats
• Incorrect device usage, leading to data leaks
• Inability to train an influx of users on security

Essentially, scaling security along with deployment is a question of time and expertise. Your technicians must be able to respond to every security issue as it arises. That becomes difficult or impossible as you expand in scale.

The Solution

The key to super-powering your IT team is diagnostic intelligence. To keep up with security at scale, try an EMM software that gives you remote control of every device in the field. That way, technicians can solve problems from anywhere as if the device were right there in the office, in their hand! 

An EMM tool with diagnostic intelligence supports IT agents at every level, offering quick access to device information; hard-to-find data such as log files (without asking the user); and incident reports that contain images and videos of the issues. With the extra help, it is easier to rapidly add more technicians to the team on demand and get up to speed on issues in seconds. And when every ticket moves faster, existing IT teams can address more security issues as they arise. More importantly, end users are down for less time, increasing worker productivity.

EMM to the Rescue

Of course, these aren’t the only three challenges you’ll face as you expand IoT at your business. Odds are, EMM has a way to help no matter what comes up. You just have to find the right platform. One that gives you tools to avoid unplanned downtime, address security risks and maintain the visibility you need to make smart business decisions, every time.

Good news: That EMM platform is out there.