How to Find the Perfect Mobile Device for Your Business

There was a time when finding a mobile device for your business meant choosing the best laptop. Thanks to all the new mobile devices hitting the market, you now have smartphones, tablets, netbooks, and more to choose from. You can know which device is right for your business by reviewing these five points when doing your shopping.

Ask Users What They Need
Fundamental to purchasing the best mobile device for your workers is understanding what kind of device they actually need. It's important that we make this common-sense point because it's easy to overlook what you need when you're device shopping and come across a tantalizing sale. Let's say you find a good deal on a bulk order of smartphones and you buy it in order to save money. You will see the savings from the sale erase when your staff loses productivity from using a cheap product. This same principle applies when buying an overpriced device just because it's trendy. Your staff may not need all the features that come with the latest devices, so don't waste your money on a product that you don't need.

By talking with your staff and making a detailed list of what they really need, you will be able to shop confidently and arm your workers with productivity tools that will drive profits for your business. Here are a few basic questions to poll your staff with:

1. Do you plan on using the company-provided device as your personal device?
2. How many hours per day will you be using the device?
3. Are you more comfortable using Android or iOS?

At the conclusion of your survey, you may discover that your employees may need a device entirely different than what you originally thought.

Which Platform is Best Suited for the Task?
Choosing which platform will best suit the needs of your company can be a daunting task. For example, Forrester Research took inventory of the mobile devices on the market and found that there are ten distinct categories of platforms just for touchscreen devices! There are new touchscreen platforms like touch-plus hybrids, convertibles, and miniature tablets that the casual PC user may not have heard about. You will want to be familiar with each platform in order to find the best one for your business. This will require a healthy amount of research. Computerware can help.

Don't Forget about the Accessories
When you're trying to find the perfect mobile device, it's easy to focus so much on the device itself that you forget about the accessories. It's important to consider the accessories because they play an important role in how the device is utilized, and the more accessories you will be required to buy will translate into a bigger bill. Sometimes needed accessories are not included, like keyboards with tablets. You may also work in a field that requires extra accessories, like a hard protective case if your industry is labor intensive. Accessory costs can add up quickly, be sure to ask the retailer you're buying from what accessories are and are not included so you won't be stuck with any surprises.

Keep Mobile Device Support in Mind
Be sure to have a support plan in place for your new mobile device. When considering which device to get, you will want to buy one that's backed by a reputable dealer with good support and service capabilities. Another important support feature to consider is if your new device is compatible with your network's mobile device management capabilities. To get the best support possible with your mobile device, you can also take advantage of Computerware's mobile managed IT services. You can give us a call at (703) 821-8200 to find out if the device you're shopping for is compatible with our mobile service.

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
A real cost-effective way to mobilize your workforce is to plan out a BYOD policy for your business. Chances are, some of your staff already have mobile devices of their own that are more than ample for making them more productive. Then you don't need to purchase anything, and your team can use the devices they have. If you need help putting together a BYOD plan for your organization, reach out to us. There are many security policies that can be put in place to protect and control your data in the event of the employee leaving or losing their device.

You may not look forward to shopping for new mobile devices, but this is where we come in. We love technology and we work hard to stay on top of the latest trends in order to provide our clients the best solutions possible. Armed with the right technology, your staff can get more done and make your business more money. Call Computerware at (703) 821-8200 to make your technology work for you!