Mobile Reach President Nasrin Azari on why the end user is the most important factor to consider when choosing mobile enterprise application platform:

Everywhere you turn these days, someone is talking about enterprise mobility. The latest gadgets, MEAP (Mobile Enterprise Application Platform) options, MDM (Mobile Device Management), HTML5, the debate around BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) – which seems to be moving quickly from “If” to “When” and “How” – security concerns, integration challenges, support and telecom costs, apps, etc.

If there is one thing that’s certain, it’s that Enterprise Mobility is a complex business. And, like it or not, it’s here to stay! Many organizations are appointing individuals to positions with titles like “Enterprise Mobility Architect” or “Enterprise Mobile Solutions Lead” to figure it all out. I applaud these organizations!! The first step to finding “the solution” is admitting that there is “a problem” to be solved ☺ However, I don’t like to call enterprise mobility a problem so much as an opportunity. And that opportunity is the direct and positive influence to your organization’s bottom line that your mobile workers will provide when they become more productive with an effective mobile solution!

So, although it is very tempting to focus on the concrete challenges of enterprise mobility – things like finding the right MDM tool, coming up with a BYOD policy, etc, the real fun in Enterprise Mobility is in deciphering and understanding the business opportunity in front of you. As an organization, you have mobile workers. And, you probably also have desk-bound workers who would be more effective at their jobs if they could be mobile. Those individuals are your key to understanding your enterprise mobile business opportunity. Those individuals are, in fact, the only reason you should be considering a MEAP investment, or figuring out how to protect your company’s confidential information that makes its way onto their personal devices. You provide these individuals with a mobile device (or configure their device) and give them a suite of mobile applications to help them do their job(s) faster and/or more effectively. But, the device and the applications and the environment all have to FIT the needs of your mobile workers in order for the organization to receive optimal benefits.

Once you understand the mobile responsibilities and processes of your end-users, you can identify which applications you need to provide access to, who requires access to those applications, what platforms you want to support, and what sensitive information is required to expose and how it needs to be protected. Then it’s time to find the technology and tools that will best meet your needs.

I liken this process to my experiences in one of my favorite hobbies, triathlon. As a triathlete, one of the most important pieces of equipment I use is my bike. A good bike (and, more importantly, a good fit on that bike) is going to make the biggest portion of my race much faster and much more comfortable than it might otherwise be, and it will improve both my training and my racing in the sport. However, I cannot just simply go out and buy the same bike that Chrissie Wellington rides or the latest hype in Cycling magazine and expect it to work well for me. I’ve got to consider my own needs (body shape, riding style, handling preferences), and choose a bike that I’ll fit best on and be most comfortable riding. So, while Chrissie wins races on her Cannondale Slice, I compete best on my Kuota K-factor … two different bikes, two different fits, for two different athletes with different riding strategies and goals.

Similarly, it’s important to put your users, their processes, and their needs first, and then find the technology that best meets those needs to take your business forward. i.e. try not to get carried away by the technology until you really understand your end-users’ needs. Whenever I speak with a customer or prospect, I always make it a priority to focus on the target end-users first, because in order for me to be able to advise you and know if I can provide a solution that will meet your needs, I need to understand them. I know that the only way for me to be successful is to help make you successful. So… bring on the challenges and let the fun begin!! ☺

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