The document discusses the critical importance of having a comprehensive mobility strategy in place for organizations due to the rapid evolution of technology and increasing business demands. It outlines key aspects of defining and implementing such a strategy to enhance productivity and prevent downtime due to device issues. The conclusion emphasizes the necessity of training staff and maintaining connectivity across devices to ensure continuous communication and efficiency.

1. WHITEPAPER
WITH THE EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY, A
COMPREHENSIVE MOBILITY STRATEGY IS IMPERATIVE
By Kim Greyling, Business Analyst & PA to Managing Director, EES Africa (Pty) Ltd
With the constant evolution of technology and ever increasing business demands, it
is imperative to have the necessary mobility strategy in place to enable a company to
perform at maximum capacity irrespective of device.

2. CONTENTS
Page 2 Introduction
Page 2 Defi ning the Mobility Strategy
Page 2 Implementing the Mobility Strategy
Page 2 Conclusion
ABOUT EES:
Established in 2001, EES Africa (Pty) Ltd specialises in the integration of multiple
system infrastructure including ICT, Data Centres, Audio Visual, Life Safety, Security
and Building Automation Systems. As an ISO 9001:2008 certifi ed company, our
vision is to be Africa’s management, engineering and auditing professional service
provider of choice. The EES Value Proposition focuses on translating technology into
tangible deliverables for clients through the experience of a talented team of Engi-neering
and ICT Consultants and Project Managers. With offi ces in Cape Town, Jo-hannesburg
and Stellenbosch, EES operates predominantly in the Financial Services,
Hospitality, Infrastructure, Mining, Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy, Retail, Telecoms
and Utilities sectors.
EES Cape Town offi ce:
G11 Silverberg Terrace
3 Silverwood Close
Steenberg Offi ce Park
Cape Town 7945
PO Box 31322, Tokai 7966
Western Cape, South Africa
Email: info@eeslive.com
Tel: +27 (0)21 702 8340
Fax: +27 (0) 86 532 3532
EES Johannesburg offi ce:
Unit 8, West Block Loft Offi ces,
First Floor, The Zone Phase II,
26 Cradock Avenue, Rosebank, 2186
PO Box 31322, Tokai 7966
Western Cape, South Africa
Email: info@eeslive.com
Tel: +27 (0)10 590 6270
Fax: +27 (0) 86 532 3532
EES Stellenbosch offi ce:
18 Tegno Road
Techno Park
Stellenbosch 7599
PO Box 31322, Tokai 7966
Western Cape, South Africa
Email: info@eeslive.com
Tel: +27 (0)21 200 5939
Fax: +27 (0) 86 532 3532
I MANAGEMENT I ENGINEERING I AUDITING I www.eeslive.com 1

3. WITH THE EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY, A
COMPREHENSIVE MOBILITY STRATEGY IS IMPERATIVE
Introduction
Several years ago, if a business laptop crashed, was sto-len
or damaged, this would have resulted in the end of
one’s working world, fi guratively speaking of course.
Days would be spent trying to reconnect, resulting in loss
of productivity and income for the organisation. Realisti-cally,
without a formal mobility strategy in place, this un-fortunate
scenario is every company’s worst nightmare.
However, with the correct technology and mobility strat-egy,
this scenario never has to become a reality for an or-ganisation.
Downtime inconveniences can be drastically
reduced to the point where if one device is stolen, one
could simply carry on working from a different device.
This paper’s focus is based on a real-life incident in which
a laptop was stolen. The employee, as with most employ-ees
in an organisation, fulfi lls multiple roles, those of be-ing
a member of the company’s technology team, part of
the administration team and a business analyst assigned
to various projects. These roles rely heavily on the use of
a laptop and connected devices. Because of EES’ tech-nology
strategy, downtime was limited to just one hour!
Defi ning the Mobility Strategy
Technology refers to the collection of tools, including
machinery, modifi cations, arrangements and procedures
used by people.
Mobility represents the movement of a technology user
and how his or her location, requirements and behav-iour
patterns change over time. Mobility management
for mobile communication systems makes use of mobility
models for predicting future user requirements.
Technology is and always will be in a constant state of
evolution. Simply put, if an organisation does not con-tinuously
review and adapt its mobility strategy, it will
be left behind which is not a position any company can
afford to be in. Since more and more mobile devices are
being introduced into an enterprise as part of Bring Your
Own Device (BYOD) and being used to access business
critical data, there are three key aspects to consider:
1. In today’s mobile world, enabling enterprise mobility
has become mission critical. Start with a mobility assess-ment
and a mobility strategy for the organisation. While
the use of mobile devices can offer many benefi ts for
employees in terms of productivity and effi ciency, it also
puts a signifi cant burden on the management of IT.
2. To get the most from mobile technology, one has to
know exactly how it will impact the workplace environ-ment.
Defi ne a policy for your organisation’s mobility
strategy. Currently, the average employee uses three de-vices
a day to connect. Personal devices are often used
for work purposes, and therefore need to be covered by
the same policy.
3. Understanding usage patterns is crucial to enabling the
correct data in the right format per device. Thus, defi ning
intended purposes for each device will assist greatly.
Implementing the Mobility Strategy
The willingness to embrace technology creates an op-portunity
for businesses to prepare themselves for the
changing ways in which employees will be using tech-
September 2014
nology in the future. In order to implement a strategy to remove the risk
of data loss and keep staff working, consider the following practical tips:
1. Budget accordingly for the increased costs. A study conducted and pub-lished
by the online technology forum, Mashable, indicates that most busi-nesses
do not budget accordingly when implementing an organisational
mobility strategy. Allowing employees to bring their personal devices to
work does assist in decreasing costs.
2. Providing staff with virtual desktop access from any zero (or thin) client
enables them to work in ways that previously may have not been practical.
3. Tablets (or even a phablet for those individuals who prefer to streamline)
are often better suited for meetings and conferences. Make these devices
available for such cases. Microsoft has rolled out Offi ce for tablet and the
experience is just as good as the traditional desktop.
4. Enable a technology platform that is hardware agnostic. This allows vari-ous
computing components to work with various systems without special
adaptations and enables connectivity across devices.
5. Establish back-up schedules and make a back-up of the back-ups. Typical
data includes project data, personal data and application settings.
6. Plan for an infl ux of devices and the impact they will have on capacity
and bandwidth. Organisations should ask themselves what changes they
need to make to the existing infrastructure or what infrastructure do they
need to put into place to accommodate this infl ux?
7. Make sure that the organisation’s applications are protected (this goes
back to having the endpoint requirements in order) no matter what de-vices
are connecting to the network. Protecting data at the application
level should keep businesses in good stead. When dealing with data of a
sensitive nature, two phase authentication becomes highly useful ie. the
users enters their password on the relevant site that they wish to access and
a message is sent to their cell phone authenticating that they, the correct
users, are trying to access the site. Organisations also need to offer security
and support for BYOD when they are being used for business purposes.
8. Training, communication and simulations are critical to being ready.
Conclusion
Today, it is essential to have access to the internet, cloud and company
data, as well as be able to communicate with co-workers, associates and
clients no matter one’s location. Ever increasing advances in technology
make this possible. It is vital for an organisation to have a cutting edge
mobility strategy in place to optimise effi ciency and ensure that should a
device be lost, stolen or damaged, communication continues. Fundamental
to this, is connectivity across devices as well as backup. All staff members
need to have training in and knowledge of technology and devices needed
for connectivity. This ensures maximum performance of a company and its
people at all times.
Written by Kim Greyling
Business Analyst and Executive PA to MD
Tel +27 (0)10 200 5939,
Email info@eeslive.com
Kim studied a Business Management
Diploma and is currently the Personal
Assistant to the Managing Director of
EES as well as performing the role of
Business Analyst. Her responsibilities also
include technology administration and
coordination for the business.
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