If you have a mobile workforce who use mobile devices within your business you want them to be productive, connected and have secure access to your companies applications and data. According to a recent research report by the Computing Technology Industry Association, mobile workers complain about poor connection speeds 49% of the time. In addition, mobile workers have difficulty transferring data and also are challenged by applications that are not optimized for the mobile environment.
Make Sure Your Network is Ready for the Mobile Workforce
Your Mobile workforce need ssecure and ready access to your network via WiFi communications while in your office. If you WiFi is insufficient your workers will suffer unnecessary downtime or slow connections and you will lose productivity and have decrease worker satisfaction.
Secure your Mobile Workforce
You also need to make sure those devices connecting to your corporate network are authorized and secure with the latest anti malware updates and O/S Patches for their specific mobile device. Mobile devices are the target of malware, phising schemes and virus threats. These exploits could expose your company and your data to data leaks or losses resulting in privacy and data breach. Undetected, your company could face fines, loss of reputation and other business interruption issues.
Make Sure Your Data and Voice Plans Have Policy Control
No one likes big surprises at the end of the month, so managing expenses for your mobile workforce should take into consideration travel and various roaming and out of network charges. Make sure your policies are clear who is responsible for voice and data usage and what is or is not reimbursable by your company.
Don’t wait until it is too late to detect challenges with your mobile workforce. You should have a plan that includes decisions on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), Acceptable Use for your mobile workforce and methods to manage mobile devices, mobile applications and their data. Contact your IT Support organization for an assessment of your readiness for supporting a mobile workforce.