Look at how smart phones are reaching into the enterprise and it’s clear a cultural shift is taking place that is transforming the relationship between IT and business users.
Smart phones in the enterprise are a user-driven phenomena. People buy smart phones to do work, but also for personal use. IDC is estimating that by 2013, a billion mobile devices will access the Internet.
In light of this onslaught, how do IT managers keep things in check? MobileIron believes the trick is in treating smart phones as computers. By employing a data-centric model, IT can manage and control how smart phones are used, while at the same time creating a cooperative environment with users.
MobileIron uses the data from smart phones to help IT administrators create social graphs for users that gives insights into the business. Call histories and SMS messages are no longer locked in the phone. Instead, the information can be aggregated and analyzed.
IT is slowly learning that the days of using command and control tactics are ending. As smart phones become ubiquitous, IT is struggling to keep up with security and the costs of managing how employees access information and applications. Serving as a police agency is ineffective. The real answer is to develop a cooperative culture.
For example, MobileIron provides the capabilities for an enterprise to establish its own “app stores.” IT can manage what applications may be accessed by users.
The MobileIron methods allow for all sorts of opportunities. Costly roaming charges can be monitored as can service quality.
MobileIron demonstrates how smart phones are becoming an icon for cultural change in the enterprise. In many ways, the social Web is changing how we view the way we work. The advent of smart phones accelerates that shift and will force the enterprise to alter the way IT has historically worked with business users.
