Timing is Everything in Mobility Lifecycle Management: Mobile Procurement in 2017
Enterprises who provide their employees with mobile devices are ahead of the curb compared to the cheaper and riskier BYOD mobile policy. While the COPE mobile policy is a better fit for a more successful and evolving mobile lifecycle, there is some debate as to how and when to put smartphones and other mobile devices into the hands of those employees who need them.
There are many things to consider when a business decides to furnish staff with mobile devices. The logistics of shipping and verifying delivery of new mobile devices have certain factors to look at: timing, locations, and method of delivery. If it takes several days to have the devices ship to the IT department, that may be problematic with a staff that either work remotely or travel frequently. Another issue to mull over regarding coordinating delivery is to determine whether deliveries of mobile devices should dovetail with training at specific company locations. This could be advantageous: employees who are being trained for their specific roles can also be trained on appropriate mobile device policies after being provided with the device. On-schedule delivery may be key to new business practices. Equipping new employees on Day 1 is also crucial to productivity. There is also a risk that a new employee could suddenly quit or be terminated during a trial period and walk off with the newly provisioned mobile device, which could cause a headache as the IT department seeks to minimize corporate data loss. An IT department must be able to ensure that the quality and quantity of delivered mobile devices can be verified with ease. The goal is not just to safeguard against mobile device theft but also to avoid incurring excess expenses in replacing said devices.
Here’s an important question to ask when determining the efficacy of this aspect of mobility lifecycle management: can it be beneficial for different locations and employee groups activate on different carriers and/or plans? Often organizations shy away from using multiple carriers for teams in different geographic locations. This gives the impression that this adds more to an IT department’s workflow. However, this may also benefit the company by providing teams with better coverage and potentially reducing wireless expenses.
Who can guarantee that deploying hundreds or even thousands of mobile devices to hundreds of addresses won’t devolve into a confused mess? Now, some readers may think “this is too complicated for my team to handle, it might be better if we let our employees use their own devices.” While a BYOD policy may give the impression of a cheaper and easier method of mobility management, a BYOD policy has additional costs and risks associated with it. The best bet is a mobility lifecycle management solution that includes mobile procurement. They have the expertise in tracking systems to maintain organization and processes to confirm that devices have arrived at their optimal destinations and are in use by the respective employees. Often these solutions have staff dedicated to carrying out delivery logistics and end-user support for the new recipients of the mobile devices. There are some mobility lifecycle management companies that can meet these mobility needs at no net costs. Regardless of what strategy an organization chooses to manage provisioning and procurement one must make sure that the timing, locations, and method of delivery of mobile devices are efficient and cost-effective.