Supporting a Mobile Workforce

The Challenges According to the International Data Corporation, the world’s mobile­worker population will pass the one billion mark this year and grow to nearly 1.2 billion people—more than a third of the world’s workforce—by 2013.1 Organizations face several chal­ lenges in supporting such workers. The first challenge is pro­ viding multifaceted technical support, given the mixture of dif­ ferent mobile devices and services. A lack of standards also compli­ cates technical support. Further­ more, bumpy roads, accidental drops, or spilled coffee can all wreak havoc on mobile devices. The next challenge is address­ ing security risks. Although mo­ bility offers many benefits to an enterprise, it also introduces the risks inherent in allowing sensi­ tive data to sit on small mobile devices, which can be easily lost. Finally, it’s difficult to keep track of employees’ locations and the time they actually spend working. Making sure employees are doing what they’re supposed to be doing also requires special tracking and monitoring capabilities.