Mobility Solutions Can Transform SMBs

The way people work has fundamentally changed, driven by a convergence of mobile, social and generational forces. Workers today spend more than a third of their time away from their desks, leveraging a diverse mix of devices and applications to collaborate with others and share information.

The ability to support modern, mobile workstyles is central to the so-called “digital transformation” under way in organizations around the globe. More than the adoption of technology, this transformation refers to a fundamental change in business processes and models enabled by new technologies.

Digital transformation is particularly relevant for small and midsized businesses (SMBs). By streamlining operations and improving collaboration, it can enable levels of agility, service and innovation that will make SMBs serious challengers to larger, more established competitors.

SMB executives expressed their overwhelming support for digital transformation in a recent survey by research firm The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Two-thirds of the 201 senior SMB executives surveyed gave digital transformation a very favorable ranking among top priorities in their organizations — in fact, 22 percent rated it as their highest strategic priority.

In a very real sense, this transformation can only take place upon the framework of a solid mobile strategy. By enabling us to share and sync data in real time with multiple users across many different devices, mobility opens up a world of opportunity.

Without question, more work is getting done on mobile devices. Research by the SMB Group consulting firm finds that more than 90 percent of SMBs depend upon an array of mobile solutions to support their business. This includes both collaborative and business applications, as well as customer-facing apps and mobile-friendly web sites.

However, the survey also reveals that SMBs face several mobile management challenges. Effectively securing and managing mobile devices and apps are areas of concern, particularly when dealing with large numbers of employee-owned devices with various operating systems.

To date, most IT organizations have attacked this issue with a mix of device and application management solutions that fall under the general umbrella of enterprise mobility management (EMM). Despite the name, these solutions help organizations of all sizes manage and secure devices, applications and data on the device or in transit. Cloud-based EMM solutions can be especially cost-effective for SMBs.

SMBs may also want to consider integrating mobile devices with their business phone system. This allows employees to stay connected from any location on any network — Wi-Fi, 3G/4G or cellular — while keeping business and personal calls completely separate.

An effective mobile strategy with a sound management platform is key to achieving digital transformation and all the competitive advantages that implies. The Atlantic-IT.net team has specific expertise in developing mobile communications solutions for our clients. Let us assess your current mobile platform and make some suggestions on how you can improve your capabilities going forward.