Elephants and Enterprise Mobility

Blind Men and The Elephant

Remember the fable about the blind men and the elephant? No? Do enjoy the poetic version by John Godfrey Saxe at the end of this post.  For now, it is sufficient to remember that each of the six blind men describe an elephant differently because none of them are able to see/feel the elephant in its entirety.

Ask a few separate people about Enterprise Mobility (EM) and its impact, and you are likely to hear differing views from each of them. All of them partly correct, but not the full picture. There is a general understanding that EM covers everything that allows mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to be used for business purposes. But beyond that, the details start getting fuzzier. The Enterprise Mobility “elephant” is emerging and taking shape as it evolves to transform the way business is conducted in the near future. A quick look at five factors that are converging to make this transformation happen;

1. The BYOD is upon us: Smartphones are already the majority of new phones sold in the US. Globally as well, the growth in mobile phones sold is fuelled by a strong surge in the numbers of Smartphones. Tablet devices, specifically the iPad, have taken off. This in turn has led to the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) world, wherein employees/customers/partners bring smart phones and tablets into the enterprise and look for ways to use them for business purposes.
2. Mobile Broadband is here: The speeds at which mobiles access data has grown exponentially from GPRS to 3G, and beyond to LTE. With 3G deployments now widespread and LTE already deployed in several western countries, the availability of Mobile Broadband is unleashing a wave of data access from mobile devices.
3. Cloud Computing: The “Cloud” can take care of both processing and storage requirements thereby reducing such demands of the client devices. Mobile devices, relatively constrained for processing power and storage, are uniquely positioned to leverage the “Cloud”. This convergence bodes well for usage of mobile devices.
4. Digital Interaction is increasing: In today’s world, one of the first interactions a customer has with a company is usually through its website, increasingly via a mobile device. An order can be placed (with a mobile app), transaction status checked and even post-sale processes such as service, resale and replacement performed entirely digitally with minimal human intervention. Digital Interaction is replacing human interaction, and this interaction is reaching directly into internal IT systems that were traditionally tightly controlled by an enterprise.
5. The Ecosystem is falling into place: Rapid technological evolution in consumer devices and the adoption of these into enterprises present many challenges to IT departments. Mobile devices run on heterogeneous and frequently updated operating systems, transmit data on public networks, and are used for personal and well as professional purposes. There are challenges of managing these devices and securing sensitive corporate data. This is now being addressed by a range of software platform providers who offer solutions for Security and Manageability concerns. An Ecosystem, consisting of mobility platform providers, specialized product vendors, mobility experts that can support adoption of Enterprise Mobility is in place.

The Desktop Computing era is drawing to a close, and Mobile Computing is well and truly on its way. It will have far greater impact because of the ubiquity, convenience, and price points associated with mobile devices. This “elephant” is still shaping up, and the impact will be far-reaching and positive. It is imperative therefore for every forward looking enterprise to consider the changes underway and put a strategy in place to address the use of mobile devices in business.

And now, what you have been waiting for. Enjoy the poem below, written in 1872 but as relevant today as it was then!

THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT.

A HINDOO FABLE.

i.

IT was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. ii. The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl: “God bless me!—but the Elephant Is very like a wall!” iii. The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried:”Ho!—what have we here So very round and smooth and sharp? To me ‘t is mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!” iv. The Third approached the animal, And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is very like a snake!” v. The Fourth reached out his eager hand, And felt about the knee. “What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain,” quoth he; “‘T is clear enough the Elephant Is very like a tree!” vi. The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: “E’en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!” vii. The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging tail That fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is very like a rope!” viii. And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! moral. So, oft in theologic wars The disputants, I ween, Rail on in utter ignorance Of what each other mean, And prate about an Elephant Not one of them has seen!

John Godfrey Saxe (1872)

Ref: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Blindmen_and_the_Elephant

Image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Blind.JPG/300px-Blind.JPG