When one thinks of the modern workplace today, immediately a vision of employees and managers coordinating via mobile devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablet computers comes to mind. The business world is continually evolving, thanks to mobile technology that does everything from routine scheduling and meeting administration to information exchange and data security. But one thing remains a stable trend – mobile technology is a major database security changer.
A recent report called the Worldwide Mobile Worker Population 2011-2015 Forecast was released in 2012 by International Data Corporation, a leading technology media, events and research company. In this report, research has shown that the move to mobile devices in the workplace will continue to expand in the next several years, with an expected 1.3 billion mobile users by the year 2015. To put that in layman’s terms, that number represents 37 percent of the world’s workforce. Additionally, Portio Research a mobile technology research firm, has predicted that by 2016, there will be more than 8 billion mobile subscribers worldwide, representing more than 80 percent of the entire world’s human population.
A key factor in the shift towards more mobile data management is how each organization will maintain its identity. Oftentimes referred to as branding, each company is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all interchanges that take place do so in a controlled way so that the company’s ID is maintained. With so many users taking advantage of apps, search engines, and other business tools both on their work devices and personal mobile devices, how will a company manage to represent itself professionally to the rest of the world in a mobile environment?
There are a few quick guidelines that a company HR department can add to their corporate policy on mobile use now that can help.
- Actually take the time to write a corporate mobile use policy to create a foundational set of guidelines for the ethical use of mobile devices while on work devices or work time.
- Decide what devices will be standardized and branded to your company for work use only.
- Incorporate a secure web-based system for database storage with password protection for all proprietary information.
- Discourage the use of personal emails for business communications, and instead assign all employees a central corporate email address behind a secure server.
- Maintain a corporate manual of style and communication so that all employees must refer to this when creating documentation, conducting presentations, or sending out correspondence.
While the use of mobile devices should not be discouraged in a corporate setting, as they can have many benefits, there need to be clear guidelines. This can help to preserve your information processes and company identification.
Feel free to review our previous blog posts on topics pertaining to workplace technology here.
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