The rapid growth of mobility in the workplace has brought with it a whole new raft of challenges for IT teams. In most organisations, mobile security practices and regulatory compliance top this list, though there’s still some way to go before meeting best practices.
At the same time, in organisations with fast growing fleets of smartphones and other mobile devices, device lifecycle management is also a significant issue. The bonus of managing smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices has the potential to become an increasing drain on IT resources.
Complex mobile device lifecycle management
A comprehensive mobile device deployment process starts with device allocation and initial sourcing and staging tasks all the way through to end-of-life processes such as decommissioning, recycling, and disposal. Managing the lifecycle of mobile devices in enterprises is a full-time job.
Likewise, provisioning the right apps on a device, segmenting enterprise and personal data, and revoking access as employees leave the organisation needs to be performed in a controlled and systematic way. Not only do you need to implement processes and practices, you need a centralised view of your users and the devices they’re on. The complexity associated with each of these stages only increases as fleets expand.
As such, mobile device lifecycle management is a rapidly evolving challenge for all businesses. Mobile device governance, administration, operation and handling can be incredibly time consuming especially if you manage it all manually.
In fact, there are eight different stages you need to address which include:
1. Device allocation
Activating new devices and undertaking asset registration of smartphones and tablets
2. Carrier provisioning
Allocating and registering SIMs and managing recontracts and upgrades
3. Staging
Creating end user profiles, configuring and enrolling devices, and deploying apps and content across your organisation
4. Nationwide distribution
Ensuring devices are delivered to where you need them in a timely manner, protected by appropriate transit insurance
5. End-user services
Preparing welcome kits, providing peripheral connectivity support and training
6. Repairs
Managing faulty devices, fixes, and troubleshooting
7. Secure wipe and redeployment
Wiping corporate data from devices and managing service level contracts for further use by new end users
8. Decommissioning and disposal
Wiping devices and managing the green disposal of end-of-life devices
Optimising mobile device lifecycle management
To overcome these challenges, it’s possible to reduce the impact on your IT team and optimise device longevity by taking a strategic approach. With so many moving parts, it makes sense to consider the management of mobile devices as a structured lifecycle process.
With our experience in managing mobility for Australia’s largest organisations with large fleets of smartphones, tablets and mobile devices, we can help take the complexity away and free up time and resources to work on value adding tasks.
Over the years, we have developed proprietary systems, processes and training to support end-users and IT departments manage device fleet costs and information security. With imei Lifecycle, you can automate device management for the entire user lifecycle, eliminating manual effort and making your mobile environment more secure. In one move you can free up your internal resources from mobile device governance, administration, operation and handling, while increasing the uptime of devices and users.
Get in touch
Get in touch if you would like more information about imei Lifecycle. Our complete management approach – from provisioning to decommissioning smartphones and other mobile devices – can help you drive down mobile device costs, and streamline device support.
Original post: 10 October 2018
