For the FD and his team "going mobile" is no longer a question of 'if', more when? With the cost of mobile devices plummeting and the choice extending, there is every incentive to increase accessibility to data on the move. But in the sensitive area of finance, are FD's right to be concerned about the loss or theft of valuable information? FSN contributing editor, Mark Dye takes a look at what's driving the market and starts to explore what is available in part one of a new series.
These days, the idea of a Financial Director (FD) or his team being tied to the office is unthinkable. Most firms require access to data on the move in order to be successful, whether it be email, statistics or figures. And according to Datamonitor, there are some 650 million corporate email inboxes worldwide of which 30-40 per cent could potentially be mobilised. That's a lot of potential business to be had for companies offering mobile solutions such as laptops, PDAs, Smartphones, Blackberries and the like.
The smart FD, says Simon Ratcliffe, head of the managed services division at Business Systems Group (BSG), should be looking for solutions that allow the workforce to be truly mobile and achieve economies by moving from job to job rather than job to office to job. However, with a variety of business applications that can be delivered through mobile devices, the FD that looks at mobile devices as a means for email only may be missing the point.
"There are a plethora of devices from rugged handhelds to small phone sized devices, so the choice of format should now liberate mobile workers not constrain them," says Ratcliffe. "The ability to either manage and encrypt data on the devices or use them as access terminals, i.e. no data reaches the device, makes them secure."
The key factor when looking at this area is that the mobility refers to the data not the device: if data is mobile it is capable of working harder for your business. "Like any other asset, if data is held in stock or moldering in work in progress it's not working," adds Ratcliffe.
John Forsyth, head of propositions at Symbian, agrees. He believes that more and more companies are realising that providing employees with one device, such as a smartphone not only significantly reduces costs in terms of the actual hardware and IT support for that device, but actually empowers workers to be more productive on the move.
"Employees no longer have to boot up their laptop in a crowded train relying on its dismal battery life to carry them the length of their journey, nor do they have to take out a PDA and try and get it connected via a mobile phone to get online," he says.
Staying connected with colleagues, customers and partners throughout the day and managing to do it with minimum effort has become a top priority for businesses wishing to promote increased productivity from their employees.
A primary driver in all this is agility. Today, a successful business needs to be able to work smarter, delivering the right people and things to the right place at the right time. Obviously the key to this is mobile data and if this is agile and can be moved to where it is needed, then the business itself becomes more agile and responsive.
Generally speaking, says Ratcliffe, most businesses have already sweated their primary asset – people – to the maximum and are looking to find gains elsewhere. "After people, data is generally the most valuable asset within a business," he says.
But going mobile brings hidden dangers. Although mobile devices, along with removable media are becoming essential business tools, providing greater freedom and flexibility, the downside is the potential exposure of confidential data to additional risk, says Mark Blowers, senior research analyst at The Butler Group.
"Most mobile devices must be provided with the necessary protection from these dangers found outside the workplace, and it is important that organisations take steps to protect these handheld devices and information stored on removable media," he says. "There is no excuse for inadequate mobile device protection, as the tools are available to help."
The risk, says Rob Bamforth, principal analyst, service provision and mobility at Quocirca, is what is stored on a mobile device and how easy is it for it to be lost or stolen.
"Some devices can support on the fly encryption, but perhaps the safest bet is to leave everything in the office and use a mobile device as a 'thin client' to applications and data resident back in the organisation," he says.
So, apart from security and the risks of exposing critical financial data what else does the FD have to be aware of? Keeping a rein on costs should be next on the agenda.
Of course, there are costs associated with most technologies, but the true costs of mobile access can often be difficult to assess, according to Bamforth. Things that need to be addressed are questions on the amount of mobile data traffic in megabytes that needs to be sent. Also, high up there should be a check to see whether the cost is open ended if you cannot predict this in advance. Then, if you choose something like wi-fi, you need to be aware whether the service provider has a contract that has coverage at places such as airports, hotels and coffee shops. If not, things like this can come through 'invisibly' on expenses.
With so much choice out there, both in terms of the hardware and software available, it's easy to see why companies tread carefully about investment in a mobile workforce. But with due diligence and a keen eye on the purse strings the FD needn't fret too much. And for those worrying where all this might go, Bamforth has an idea.
"The ability to access key MS Office applications may easily be the next requirement, but while viewing and minor work on Excel and Word docs on a smart handheld may be possible, anything serious or complex spreadsheets is going to require a real computer, a laptop," he says.
