Deployment disasters

Managing mobile teams presents a unique set of challenges, particularly when it comes to providing IT services. Mobile workers expect the same level of continuous access as those in the office and IT departments need to support business with the same efficiencies. Knowing the challenges beforehand will go a long way to ensuring a smooth deployment.

There are 12 specific challenges organisations face when expanding a mobile workforce. We take a look at what they are and the solutions that will help overcome them.

IT service delivery

Automate patch management and upgrades

Managing a large mobile deployment device by device can be an administrative nightmare. Ideally, the same systems management suites used on the internal wired network can be extended to the mobile environment, allowing those devices to be managed ‘over the air’. To avoid impacting productivity, patches and upgrades should be applied after-hours, or at other times when users aren’t actively using or logged onto their devices.

‘Bandwidth-aware’ capabilities ensure that systems management occurs not just at an appropriate time, but over a connection with appropriate speed. Depending on use patterns and the connections available, that optimal connection may vary: over a cellular network after-hours, while a device is in range of a corporate Wi-Fi connection in a parking garage, connected via home Wi-Fi or mounted in a docking station.

Keep trouble tickets in check

A mobile environment adds new variables to the application-delivery equation including intermittent connectivity, access over third-party networks, and a need for more complex security and authentication schemes.

It is difficult for typical workers to recognise when a problem is connection related as opposed to device or application related, or to conditions on the host network or server.

A solution that manages the complexities of connections on the worker’s behalf, effectively taking these problems out of the equation, has been shown to greatly reduce the number of help desk calls. This not only lowers support costs but eliminates the lost productivity that those support calls represent.

Achieve reliable operation without burdening IT

Just as the wireless infrastructure should be ‘hands off’ for the user, it should be ‘hands off’ for IT as well. Active load balancing and automated failover built into a solution allow ‘set-and-forget’ operation. A proactive alerting capability allows the IT department to manage by exception and receive automatic notification of problems or potential problems, without having to constantly monitor the deployment. Oftentimes, they can intervene before issues impact workers and trigger trouble tickets.

Organisational security

Enforce security without hampering workers

Protecting data and devices from unauthorised access is important, but sometimes requires a balancing act. Whether single-factor passwords are sufficient or two or multifactor strong authentication is called for, authentication needs to be straightforward and a lost connection shouldn’t require workers to have to perform repeat logins.

Devices need verification that security precautions are active to avoid introducing malware that would place the enterprise and its user community at risk. Data streams need to be encrypted to protect corporate information and, in some cases, to meet regulatory requirements. An ideal solution accounts for all of these security concerns, in a way that doesn’t burden the user into having to take extra steps, and protects assets in a way that is as hands off as possible.

Protect against stolen devices or unauthorised access

A mobile device configured to access internal applications and data that is lost or stolen can be a huge security risk. The ability to immediately quarantine a lost device or to recognise that a device is being used by an unauthorised person protects the corporate network.

Digital certificates may also be used to verify that only devices that have been preapproved may connect to corporate resources, which prevents a user from using corporate credentials to connect via an unsecure home machine or other personal device. A common practice is to automatically place any newly distributed device into immediate quarantine on the first connection, so the administrator can verify the configuration and user identity before allowing full access.

Protecting data and devices from unauthorised access is important, but sometimes requires a balancing act.

Gain control over workers, devices and networks

Mobile assets are constantly on the go and this presents challenges that don’t exist with fixed assets tethered to a wired network. Administrators need control over use access through authentication that integrates with corporate directories for easier management. This includes control over which devices may connect and the users who are authorised to use them, as well as control of access by specific applications and over which networks.

The ideal solution incorporates flexible policy control. Devices and users may be given a degree of freedom to access the internet and use other applications. Alternatively, they may be tightly locked down so that only specific applications are allowed access, only over authorised networks, with enforcement via controls that cannot be bypassed.

User experience

Foster user acceptance and manage change

Mobile workers are like any other — their focus is on doing their job. If technology is too cumbersome, the entire mobile deployment may fail. Furthermore, users themselves may introduce problems of their own making. Putting too many options in their hands might allow them to accidentally cripple their devices, open security holes or bog down the access networks.

The best solution is one that requires minimal user intervention and makes the underlying technology as transparent as possible.

Make wireless network use seamless

Most mobile deployments require multiple cellular networks, often augmented with Wi-Fi access points, to provide reliable coverage throughout the organisation’s entire service area. Mobile workers shouldn’t have to log in to separate networks, worry about making configuration changes or deal with the other intricacies and complexities of mobile access.

Ideally, the mobile environment mimics the in-office wired experience. It furnishes a single sign-on; allows the worker to access multiple networks as though it were a single network; does it all within a single persistent session so workers only have to log in once; and pushes down any necessary configuration changes without user intervention. This user-transparent experience is also easiest for the IT department to support.

Deliver seamless access to more applications

The number of applications and types used by mobile workers is growing, beyond scheduling and dispatch. More and more, customer and task-specific applications are being deployed that are an integral part of doing the in-field job. They can include CRM, work-order management, GIS and mapping, parts inventory databases and many more.

Voice-over-IP, camera software and video software enable new capabilities for communicating from the field. These applications are rarely, if ever, designed with mobile access in mind, where connections break without warning (for instance, when a user goes out of range), which in turn makes the applications prone to crash.

The easiest way to manage the problem is with a solution that allows any software used in a LAN environment to be used in a mobile environment. It is also useful to prioritise application traffic that is critical or time-sensitive over less-critical traffic.

Business operations

Gain visibility into use of corporate assets

Investments in wireless technology including devices, networks and the supporting infrastructure are like any other business investment and it is important to know they are performing and delivering properly. An ideal solution will deliver visibility on three levels:

• Real-time visibility: Lets administrator immediately see which devices are causing problems and take immediate action.
• Proactive alerting: Notifies administrators that devices or users are in need of attention, so that IT personnel don’t have to spend time watching for problems, but can focus instead on fixing them.
• Reporting and analytics: Allows administrators and managers to see the big picture of service delivery, know when assets are being underutilised and plan for the future.

Keep wireless access charges in check

As cellular carriers replace unlimited-use data plans with usage-based rates, enterprises face a new cost-control challenge — analytics capability that monitors network use for appropriateness and, combined with a finely tuned set of policies, helps administrators keeps unnecessary tasks off of cellular networks.

User transparent connection management switches automatically to free or lower cost Wi-Fi where it is available. Measures such as compression and link optimisation can significantly reduce bandwidth consumption while improving performance.

Be ready to scale

For organisations that have overcome the preceding eleven challenges of a mobile environment, the twelfth is scaling the mobile environment. Successful organisations have often extended their original mobile deployments to new users, including additional classes of mobile workers and even executives, sales personnel and other ‘road warriors’.

While some of these users might be served by an SSL-VPN or IPsec VPN, their organisations have determined they can be more effectively served by a solution with the richer feature set and user transparency afforded by a solution that handles the specific demands of a fully mobile workforce.

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