According to Information Age, mobile performance management solutions be one of the next big evolutionary steps in digital transformation. This is because such solutions enable more effective management in relation to security, performance, analytics and expense control (each of which is an important concern of many businesses and each is key to developing a mobile workforce). Meetings and other communications need to be added to these areas; businesses need to establish operations that function even when everyone is not in the same room.
The world of work is changing, with ore flexible forms of employment and a rise in remote working. Mobile devices are now a staple for any professional on the move, meaning that it is important that suitable applications are in place allowing business people to access services and support efficiently. This has required companies to alter the approach to technical support, especially to cope with an increasingly distributed workforce. IT services are required to be proficient in procurement, deployment and management of mobile devices, mobile apps and PC software.
Furthermore, for remote working to be effective, business employees as well as freelancers need access to reliable equipment. This is where the concept of mobile application performance comes in.
Mobile application performance is defined by the user’s perception of how well an application is performing. Criteria for such an evaluation includes how responsive an application is; how quickly it starts up; how well it uses device memory; and how it uses device power.
The Information Age assessment predicts that this year will see greater use of ‘always-connected laptops’, which are reliant upon mobile networking technology in order to stay connected. Moreover, there will be an increased push towards deploying 5G networks. There will also be calls for increasing the use of 4G/LTE micro-cells and public Wi-Fi access points
However, this demand, together with the continued rise of Internet of Things connected devices, means better management band support. The Internet of Things is promising for companies with a mobile workforce since connected technology provides the ability for organisations to integrate any device with their communications platform, such as allowing an employee who is driving to have their calls forwarded to their in-car communications system. There are other ‘connected car’ developments, such as VW’s Mirror Link operating system of Ford cars powered by Apple’s CarPlay or Android Auto. These platforms have intuitive interfaces, integrated steering wheel controls and work by voice actions designed to minimize distraction to keep the driver focused on the road
Although there are many convenient factors with the implementation of mobile solutions, there are also security implications, where the increased use of mobile technology means a move away from traditional endpoint strategies to a focus on mobile threat detection and prevention.
