Enterprise Mobility – You and your team need more green time!

As a consultant and delivery owner for custom mobile application development, discussing with people outside the industry regarding the various ways in which people think about “enterprise mobility” is always a great conversation. There are three basic ways the terminology is used:

Mobile Device Management: Devices and data security management in enterprises environment that COPE (corporate-owned, personally enabled) versus BYOD (bring your own device)
Consumer Marketplace Apps: Consumer facing solutions created custom by an independent contractor (I would typically point out this is not what I consider enterprise mobility)
Internal Enterprise Apps: Proprietary solutions used exclusively by a single enterprise, in which the operational effectiveness gained with on-the-go, on-demand employee activity that is supported by one or more mobile applications

Let’s talk about #3. I love enterprise mobility and being a member of the mobile workforce. I love to build and manage employee solutions for enterprises. Every day is a good day when I am consulting, planning, and delivering on-the-go, on-demand, notification-driven enterprise user experiences – that is my specialty. Part of how I stay “in touch” with the users these solutions serve is by finding and using the marketplace and proprietary apps they use, getting out of the office and off wifi, making every effort to be an ultra-mobile worker – and I love doing it!

Talking Stick Resort – Scottsdale, AZ

Why do I love being an on-the-go, on-demand employee? Less screen time, more green time. As valuable as note-taking can be when it truly captures the full context of what is discussed, I find conference calls and meetings where I have a computer in front of me are consistently sub-par. So when I have several calls in a row (with no screen sharing), I plan to spend that time at a park or forest preserve. I love walking meetings – not the indoor kind on treadmills (though I support that option too) – so when I need a one-on-one “meeting of the minds” with a mentor or mentee, we take it outside and walk around. I go to the gym at lunch most days to give my eyes a break and get my body awake. After all, I can chat, text, and email as easily by mobile between sets as I can between bites at a desk. When there is a tough problem to solve, a couple beers and a whiteboard can help a small group hash out a solution better than a chat group.

We are part of an increasingly mobile workforce. Take advantage of that freedom, encourage it with your peers, empower your employees. You will see immediate benefits!