Did you know that the first smartphone in the world was launched in 1992 (that\u2019s right!) and was none other than IBM Simon? It was a huge failure! Since then, things have drastically changed and today even the smallest manufacturer has a series of \u201csmart\u201d mobile phones. These devices have invaded the business world and are now a valuable asset for many organizations and business users, thus essentially changing modern business practices.<\/p>\n
We have reached a point where the rules of the game are no longer defined by IT systems, but by users themselves. The policies implemented by a growing number of businesses in order to allow users to choose their own mobile device for business purposes and the personalized feeling of business applications are two of the factors that shape the present and the near future of mobile working.<\/p>\n
As it can be easily understood, mobile devices are only the means. The essence lies in applications. This is where businesses should focus their interest on, as new ways and habits usually come with risks. And these risks increase exponentially due to the policies allowing employees to use the devices they want – since this freedom comes hand in hand with the ability to also choose the applications they prefer – and the growing number of executives and employees that use their mobile device, a free online email account and a simple WiFi connection to work and share corporate files and data online. Actually, based on a survey conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), 36% of the participating businesses were aware and 21% were suspecting that their employees were using unsafe online accounts. It should be noted that these businesses had established official, strict policies on the matter! It is easy to imagine what the situation is with those that have not considered establishing such policies yet…<\/p>\n
It is evident that today more than ever all businesses regardless of their industry must place their users-employees at the center of their attention! They should take into consideration the input collected through the evaluation processes and properly weigh the importance of usability. The idea is quite simple: as soon as a business determines that its employees are using a specific application, it can automatically secure its corporate data. After all, there is no shortage of end-to-end encryption solutions, antivirus programs etc. in the market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"