Unlocking your enterprise mobility strategy

AN INCREASING number of industries are mobilizing their workforces. According to Cisco, a worldwide leader in IT and networking, businesses are increasingly using mobile devices to enable staff to perform tasks such as viewing documents and accessing employee portals, email, and calendars.

The use of video and photo in mobile is also gaining momentum, with businesses implementing apps that allow employees to watch videos for purposes such as corporate training, meetings, and conferences.

Today’s mobile devices are powerful enough to perform many of these tasks. However, consumer versions of phones are often unsuited for very specific enterprise needs. Businesses may require more custom software and configuration tools, as well as additional services.

Enterprise organizations are frequently turning to unlocked devices in order to solve the many IT pain points that more traditional deployments bring with them.

With unlocked mobile devices, businesses can choose the carrier of their choice and manage the device internally. The benefits that come with unlocked devices include customization and the ability to add additional services.

The number of unlocked device shipments in the enterprise is set to almost double from 2017 to 2021. But why are businesses making this switch to unlocked phone deployment?

Extreme flexibility for your employees

Employees who travel often for work will have probably experienced the profound inconvenience of varying service strengths from carrier providers. Weak service can prevent communication with colleagues, speaking with clients, and completing important tasks.

Unlocked phones avoid these problems by giving employees the flexibility to choose a carrier that suits their situation best. Furthermore, employees can utilize pay-as-you-go service plans when traveling.

Increased storage space

With unlocked phones coming with fewer pre-installed apps & software than mobiles on traditional service plans, there is more space to carry out tasks which of more value to the business: for instance, downloading enterprise-specific apps or storing important documents.

Tailored deployments

Unlocked mobiles enable enterprises to tailor devices according to their needs, without the complications that may arise from negotiating a service contract. For instance, if a hospital requires specific software for electronic records management, it can work with a channel partner to install the variety of necessary apps and support services.

Reduction in cost

Though businesses will have to pay a higher initial cost to purchase an unlocked device, in the long run, the service costs will be lower. A recent survey by IDC revealed that more than 40 percent of respondents said they chose an unlocked device as it enabled them to subscribe to the best rate plan available.

As well as a lower total cost of ownership from unlocked devices, there are the potential savings from productivity costs derived from limiting distributed employees to just one carrier’s options.

So, through offering opportunities for customization, flexibility, and savings, unlocked mobile devices are increasingly helping businesses around the globe to take advantage of a more mobilized workforce.

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