1.Usability
Information workers (iWorkers) have become used to things working on their device — and working well. They will be highly intolerant of enterprise solutions that do not meet expectations. They will not use the solution and will find creative ways to circumvent the existing systems over and over again.
2.Transparency
iWorkers are not concerned with where or how corporate information is stored. The quality, currency and accessibility of the information are what matters.
3.Offline access
iWorkers need to be able to access corporate knowledge anytime, anywhere. Not all iWorkers can be guaranteed a responsive network connection, however. As such, any effective corporate mobile solution needs to work regardless of whether or not a device has network connectivity. If a user needs to access information, this will occur regardless of, and perhaps in spite of, the current network status of the device.
4.Accessibility
Tablet computers now have the ability to store vast amounts of corporate information. Having access to large volumes of information creates its own issues. The information needs to be navigated by the iWorker within the confines of the mobile interface.
iWorkers will demand the ability to be able to switch on their tablet device anywhere and access information in as few steps as possible. This requirement needs a rethink of the simple file system mirroring available in many consumer mobile applications today. Effective mobile solutions allow for a combination of rapid browsing, powerful searching, and the custom flexible grouping together of information.
Successful solutions, therefore, need both effective information management and retrieval solutions, and information replication and synchronisation systems.
5.Security
iWorkers may be oblivious to the inherent risks in the solutions they provide for themselves through downloads, but the number one issue within any corporate tablet deployment strategy for the CIO will be security. A mobile security analysis must consider security at a variety of levels.
Read A tech-tonic shift — from consumer device to enterprise tool.
On the device
It is the point where corporate information is most vulnerable. Any tablet computer rollout strategy must employ a variety of techniques including data encryption, enterprise user authentication and authorisation, and the ability to remotely wipe any corporate information stored on the tablet computer.
Over the network
Ensure the secure and encrypted movement of information from the enterprise, across potentially open networks onto the tablet computer.
Within the enterprise
Synchronise an iWorkers enterprise access control permissions with a tablet computer to ensure that changes made to an end user’s access rights to corporate information are both reflected and respected on an iWorkers tablet computer.
Auditing and reporting
Central reporting on corporate information access from device and potentially location is vital.
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