Mobility a game changer in Kiwi businesses

Bring Your Own Device and remote working trends are pressuring businesses to implement mobility features within their organisations.

The ability to work from anywhere and employees looking to use personal devices at work is having a significant impact on how businesses are operating.

Business solutions provider Acronis says mobility can be a game-changer for real-time collaboration and productivity for organisations of all sizes. However, small- to medium-sized businesses are at a disadvantage due to budget limitations and a lack of on-site IT support.

Lincoln Goldsmith, general manager ANZ, Acronis, says, "It is clear that SMBs need to implement and support mobile technologies to grow their businesses and improve their processes.

"Unfortunately, their movement towards implementing a mobile strategy can fall short due to limited budgets, lack of resources and little time to plan. These hurdles can be avoided with a little forward thinking.

Acronis has identified three ways SMBs can avoid being overwhelmed by mobility demands:

1. Review budgets

SMBs constantly juggle priorities when it comes to budgeting. As capital investments shift to operating expenses and priorities begin to shift, these factors can be difficult to control.

A mobility solution can deliver real bottom-line returns on investment, making budget concerns potentially less inhibiting. However, it is critical to fully understand the upfront and ongoing costs before launching a project, including evaluating the anticipated return on investment. This should be measured in terms of improving employee productivity so that they can achieve more in less time.

2. Consider outsourced IT and infrastructure resources

The technical aspects of mobility must be addressed. If the knowledge is not available in-house then there are a number of outsourced partners SMBs can enlist. T

his can include IT channel partners, mobility specialists and even vendors. They may offer trial downloads, assessments and mobility workshops.

3. Plan carefully

Like all IT projects, a mobility project will fail if not carefully planned and managed. To ensure a successful mobility project that contributes to the bottom line SMBs need to plan and resource appropriately and consider implementation timelines and milestones, project management, internal communications, and more. It is critical to set clear, measurable goals.

Goldsmith says, "Security, management, control, compliance and visibility are all key components of a successful SMB mobile strategy.

He says, "Many organisations are taking advantage of new access, sync and share solutions to significantly improve collaboration and end-user productivity while maintaining complete control and content security compliance.

"With careful planning and resourcing, organisations can achieve significant returns on their investment in mobility solutions.