Today’s workforce is defined by a familiar
mantra: business users expect to be able to work from anywhere, at any time,
while using any device, all without limitations. As such, mobile devices are
rapidly becoming the conduit into the enterprise. However, these expectations
for seamless access to information put a strain on IT to create and support an
environment where expectations meet reality.
Users expect that experience to remain the
same as they switch from their desktop interface to their smartphone or from
their smartphone to a tablet, and back again, often multiple times per day.
And, in some instances, users are not even using their own devices to access
cloud-based applications and data – meaning that traditional mobile device
management solutions alone don’t provide the functionality required for truly
seamless access. Often, security concerns keep businesses from fully realizing
the advantage of mobile applications.
To change those perceptions, and enable the
increasingly mobile user base, organizations need to embrace a robust identity
management solution that protects the enterprise while making it easier for
employees to consistently access their preferred browser-based and native mobile apps. Modern mobile identity management solutions should provide single
sign-on capabilities for accessing both cloud-based and legacy applications and
systems. Each app requires credentials, and with a fraction of these apps on a
user’s device, sign-on can rapidly become a daunting, time-consuming task.
This only works if identity management is
paired with a workspace solution with OS-native capabilities. Otherwise, even
if the single sign on populates the device with the same apps each time the
experience is often clunky and far from seamless. The overarching goal of any
identity management solution – especially within the mobile arena – is to
ensure the level of security necessary to protect the business. This is
especially true when IT doesn’t have the luxury of always knowing what devices
its workforce will leverage.
Identity management also represents an
opportunity for IT to track app and device metrics, as well as provide an
individual user or entire user base with credentials needed when the
organization rolls out a new business app. Furthermore, it enables the use of
customized app stores for simple, automated provisioning.
Mobile identity management is continuing to
evolve with various biometrics entering the scene, especially as the looming
Internet of Things environment promises to introduce significantly more
connected devices.
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