Big Data: getting your mobile operations right

When technology fails or it becomes difficult to get connected, employees who are mobile or who work remotely can get very frustrated. IT departments can use this operational and business data in a productive manner to analyse connectivity status and potential security threats.

A recent survey by WBR Digital, commissioned by NetMotion Software, pointed out the problems faced by many employees. Nearly 50% of those surveyed raised the issue of not even being able to get common mobile problems diagnosed. And whilst nearly 40% of those who responded pointed out a significant number of connectivity issues that occurred on a monthly basis, many organisations were looking to expand mobile operations. Clearly this would only serve to make things worse.

When considering how to use big data in order to facilitate mobile IT operations, there are some commonplace challenges that IT departments should have in mind:

Are we using the right tool?

The information contained within most network adaptor or operating systems is very useful as it can contain valuable data on the behaviour and health of a device along with any connectivity issues. The problem is that traditional operational and business intelligence tools are unable to extract this information - they were not designed to deal with mobile deployments. BI visualisation tools should work across all platforms, something that becomes greatly appreciated as an organisation grows. Aside from being optimised for mobile use, any such platform must be able to offer information regarding users, networks, and devices both inside and outside any corporate firewall.

Using an existing tool

Sometimes a tool already exists within an organisation but depending on which department ‘owns’ it then you get control issues that might leave teams waiting around. Ideally of course, every team would have access to the perfect solution for their needs. However, if money is tight then teams will need to compromise accordingly. The IT team and those holding the purse strings should communicate closely in order to achieve a win-win situation.

Have we bought the right tool?

Any tool that is eventually selected should be helping IT teams to perform real-time analysis and receive alerts on mobile connectivity, security and performance, in order that the team can make faster, more informed decisions. Most available mobile BI solutions can effectively understand connectivity challenges and will address security issues on mobile devices.

Not being precise

Organisations will continue to invest in mobility, increasing the numbers of remote workers and adding new devices and business critical mobile applications. Therefore they will need more effective solutions to ensure connectivity and data protection. Purpose-built mobile business and operations solutions are the best way to maximise performance and get the most value from any mobile deployments - the right tools should automate the analysis of mobile data.

Companies need to learn how to work better with big data, to analyse that information for mobile workers and determine ways to tailor it to specific tasks. If they do not, then they run the risk of failing to deliver efficiencies in big data analysis.

Until organisations figure out the best way to present and collect data then we’re unlikely to see a good blend of mobile technology and actionable analysis of big data. Most companies will require years of testing and adjustment, a trial and error approach at best.