How IT Can Get Control over Mobile Apps

Consumer-driven IT will require CIOs put policies in place, provide mobile capabilities and optimize performance to keep end users happy.

Mobile devices and applications will force IT executives’ hands in 2012, but the change could be for the best if CIOs and other high-tech leaders better understand what end-users want, enable an agile environment to support new technologies and minimize risk when it comes to smartphones and cloud apps.

If it isn’t obvious enough in everyday life that smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are becoming the norm – meaning their introduction to the workplace is here – recent research gives IT executives the proof they need to prepare for the mobile revolution of 2012. For instance, according to early estimates from Flurry Research, some 6.8 million Android and Apple iOS devices were activated and nearly a quarter of a billion apps were downloaded on Christmas Day 2011 alone.

Savvy IT professionals know to be worried about this deluge of devices. A recent CA Technologies survey of 729 respondents show that 53% find security the biggest challenge their organizations face with mobile technologies. Eighteen percent cited mobile readiness. A second question asked what challenges an IT organization faces when employees use their devices at work; one-third of 433 respondents cited sheer variety as the biggest challenge, 26% said non-supported devices and 17% worried over providing apps.

CIO.com recently ran an article “CIO Challenge Mobile App Vendors Bypass IT” pointing out that in some cases IT is being bypassed by end-users seeking mobile apps and cloud services from vendors or on their own.  While CIOs are right to be worried, that worry will hopefully lead to awareness and action to help IT organizations get in front of mobile challenges or at least meet end-users halfway when it comes to providing secure apps. And now with end users bypassing IT as CIO.com reported in some instances, IT leaders must get proactive when it comes to mobile.

Here are just a few actions CIOs can take to stay in control of mobile in their environments.

Set the Standard: IT organizations that want to better control the mobile devices and applications entering their environment must establish use policies and present those to end users. The previous stereotype of IT simply saying “no” to new technologies goes out the window, and IT leaders must communicate to end users that the IT organization understands the needs of the end-user community and can create the standard of use for mobile devices, apps and other technologies. Obviously, once established, the policies must be enforced and perhaps updated at times to meet the demand of the end-user community as well as the security constraints of IT, but in 2012, denial is not an option when it comes to mobile technologies in the workplace.

Become Mobile-Ready: IT leaders know mobile is a reality now. All the talk of consumer driven IT, bring-your-own-tool/technology (BYOT) or bring-your-own-device (BYOD) isn’t lost on IT. Online technology jobs board Dice.com reported this month that tech hiring managers and recruiters are seeking mobile developers this year. If end users are bringing their devices to work and expecting to download applications, IT can start by offering mobile-ready versions of in-house applications and enable some productivity improvements for employees. Customers could also take advantage of such mobile updates and the business will ultimately win.

Minimize Risk with IAM: When IT accepts that consumer devices will become tools in their environment, they can start to optimize mobility for their enterprise and their consumers. Restricting devices entirely might not be realistic, but IT leaders can determine which company data, applications and other resources will not be available to mobile platforms. For instance, identity and access management (IAM) technologies can help IT organizations allow access to corporate apps to those end users with privileges from mobile devices.  The challenge is to protect the data and apps when accessed via mobile devices.

Put Business First: Personal devices in the workplace shouldn’t blur the lines between what’s important to the business and what matters most to the end user. While smartphones and tablets can provide productivity benefits to employees, they can also be used for non-professional pursuits during work hours. IT organizations can monitor the network to understand the application traffic, identify the business-critical needs and perhaps even throttle the apps that aren’t relevant to the business.  IT’s priorities will continue to be focused squarely on the business and by monitoring traffic and prioritizing problems, tech leaders can ensure they continue to deliver high-quality IT services.

Keep an Eye on the Cloud: The monitoring shouldn’t stop at the physical network. If IT suspects business managers or other employees are signing up for cloud services without their approval, then IT should also monitor the cloud. CIOs must understand what is being used by the company employees and how. Technologies available today can help IT gain visibility into applications on premise or in the cloud, whether it is private, public or a hybrid of the two. Monitoring traffic and cloud activities will also ensure applications perform as expected for end users and the business.

For tech leaders, awareness is critical to gain control of mobile apps in today’s sophisticated IT environments as it is now easier than ever for end users to download apps or adopt cloud services without necessarily going through IT.

How is mobility changing your IT organization? What are you doing to maintain control but also offer end users what they want when it comes to mobile devices and applications? Please leave a comment here, let me know via Twitter @DDubie or e-mail me directly at Denise.Dubie@ca.com.

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