RIYADH, 13 November 2007 — Local companies are adopting strategies for mobility with corporate security as the main consideration, according to a recent survey conducted by Nokia.
“Of the local firms surveyed in the Kingdom, 97 percent cited corporate security as the biggest concern against employee productivity, compared to a 66 percent average of the other countries surveyed like Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa,” the survey said.
Corporate standards and policies for enterprise mobile usage were in place in 47 percent of Saudi Arabia’s companies against the average 48 percent for the other three countries.
As a whole, 46 percent of companies had a device management system in place, while many of the remaining 54 percent said they were intending to implement one in the near future.
“Enterprise mobility in Saudi Arabia is picking up momentum, with Saudi Arabia’s businesses keen to follow a well-planned approach that safeguards corporate security,” said Joe Devassy, Nokia’s head of enterprise solutions.
He added that “more and more enterprises throughout Saudi Arabia, which have seen the example of enterprise mobility successes in the region, are ready to adopt a mobility strategy to enable greater employee productivity and to expedite business progress.”
Portable devices today contain an increasing amount of critical information, which adds to the need for device management security and support, as companies seek to introduce productivity-enhancing mobile solutions to a greater proportion of the workforce.
Of those surveyed, 62 of Saudi firms considered device management as “very important” to their enterprise’s operations, compared to the 65 percent average.
Solution that allows enterprises to provide better control and safety for their increasing number of smart devices means improved efficiency and a reduced risk of device downtime.
“Having ready access to corporate data is increasingly important to a growing number of mobile workers, with secure technology being developed to ensure it is a safe practice. With employees requesting fast, remote access to everything from email, contacts and calendars through to customer relationship management, resource planning and supply chain management systems, we need to be focused on making sure that corporate security is at the top of the agenda,” Devassy added.
From a device management perspective, more than 56 percent of Saudi Arabia’s respondents said troubleshooting and configuration were the main challenges that can face a mobile enterprise.