Business slowed by mobile gap

Research by VMware has revealed that the average IT company in the EMEA region takes up to three weeks to equip new staff with the mobility tools they need to do their jobs. This isn’t a viable option for organisations looking to survive in the mobile cloud era.

VMware has announced research revealing that it takes three weeks for the average IT department in Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) to equip staff and get them up and running with the mobility tools and applications they need to do their jobs. This time lag increases to four weeks when it involves contract workers, possibly severely compromising the value employees can deliver upon entering an organisation.

The research by Vanson Bourne, commissioned by VMware, explores the implications this lack of mobile readiness brings across the business, as it impacts both IT departments and employees. Just 12% of IT departments, for example, believe they have all the mobile management capabilities to support staff’s mobile needs, while over a third (34%) cannot control access to company information from all employee mobile devices.

Exploring this further, the research questioned both IT and employees on where responsibility should lie for mobile working policies. It found that IT departments across EMEA are undecided on the issue: only 43% believe it’s their responsibility to restrict employees’ access to mobile tools and applications outside of working hours, yet 41% feel under pressure to do this and 57% admit that it’s now become necessary.

With the pace of business today, taking three weeks to equip staff with the tools they need to work isn’t a viable option for organisations looking to survive and thrive in the mobile cloud era”, comments Nick Black, Business Manager, End User Computing, Sub Saharan Africa at VMware. “Any delay in getting employees functioning at full speed may lead to businesses handing over competitive edge to others. Organisations need to empower employees to collaborate with whoever they require, from any location, at any time, while minimising security risks.

Employees, meanwhile, are more decided on the issue. 70% do not agree that their employer should restrict access to mobile apps and tools. As it stands, the vast majority (82%) state they do not yet have full access to the mobile tools needed to work as productively as they can, while more than a quarter (28%) would circumvent the IT department to obtain the mobile tools needed to get the job done – demanding greater mobile enablement from the business, rather than further restrictions.

The phrase ‚Äòfreedom within boundaries’ has never been more appropriate as the explosion of mobile devices and applications disrupts both end-user expectations and functional structures,” continues Black. “Organisations cannot afford any ambiguity over who takes charge of mobile applications and tools in the business. Many employees now expect and require to determine how they work, so the challenge for IT is to cater to this, while also retaining adequate control over how information assets and business processes are used. This must be done centrally, in order to secure data, and not have business best practices compromised in any way.

The good news is that technology is ready to do this today: VMware enterprise mobility solutions are helping organisations like Hertz and TUI transform how they enable users to work – providing secure, immediate access to the resources they need. To translate this potential into reality, many more businesses will need to embrace such solutions.

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