4 Benefits of Outsourced Mobile Device Support

When an organization embarks on a mobile-first policy or a bring-your-own-device initiative, it’s easy to underestimate the additional load that mobility can create for IT departments.

IT managers are now challenged with supporting multiple devices per user without disrupting existing help desk operations. Factor in the changing nature of mobile security threats and compliance concerns, and outsourcing mobile device support becomes increasingly appealing.

Here are four benefits organizations can realize from outsourcing help desk services for smartphones, tablets and notebooks.

1. Improved Security

Mobile device security can be complex, even for security professionals. Having a resource-strapped help desk take on mobile device security by themselves can be ineffectual and take staffers out of their usual technical domain.

A mobile device support provider has the tools and processes in place to manage mobile security, including operating system updates, mobile apps and mobile device management/enterprise mobility management (EMM).

2. Access to Expertise

Given all the devices and mobile operating systems available, expertise can be hard to find. Outsourcing mobile device support gives organizations access to skills that might otherwise be out of reach for many organizations. For example, the average organization may not be able to pay the salary for an EMM administrator, or have enough work to justify a full-time position.

A mobile device support provider can assign its in-house experts across multiple customers based on any number of factors. This flexibility spreads out the cost of that expert’s salary and saves customers money while still affording them 24/7 access to specialized skills and knowledge.

3. Strategy Assistance

A mobile device support provider can assist its clients with much-needed strategy support so they can focus on their core business or mission. Whether it’s lending insight about the “gotchas” of a BYOD initiative, such as data ownership and employee privacy, or outfitting a sales force with new tablets and apps, a provider specializing in mobility can guide clients to the solutions they need to empower users to be more productive while maintaining security.

4. Compliance Considerations

Enterprise mobility and BYOD become even more challenging when an organization is subject to compliance standards such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

IT generalists may have difficulty tackling the job of securing the mobile devices that come in contact with an enterprise and touch organizational data, but this is necessary to maintain compliance. An outsourced mobile device support provider with experience managing and securing mobile devices in compliance environments can become a trusted technology partner that works with in-house staff and external auditors to ensure that an organization remains in compliance and avoids costly remediation.