The importance of communication

By Tarek Hassaniyeh, Regional Channel Manager, Motorola

When considering what obstacles might companies in the Middle East face when considering unifying their communications, first and foremost, sheer scale can pose a significant challenge to any IT project today. Many IT departments are considering management systems because companies in the Middle East are growing at such a rapid rate. In the past, most communications structures were under control because the mobile workforce was small and easily manageable. Today, companies are rapidly expanding – not only in the country but across the whole region – and this puts stress on IT systems. Proper management systems to control such a growth are needed if companies are to allow their technology to keep pace with the growth.

The Middle East’s technological developments have improved rapidly in recent years. In the past, few workers carried mobile devices. Today, the network has expanded and people are using handheld devices, utilizing WLAN and GPRS and capturing critical information from the point of business activity, as well as accessing information from their host systems whilst they are in the field.

Management suites can provide valuable services such as ensuring consistency in the software used on the devices, simplifying upgrades, application deployment and troubleshooting. Management systems also ensure that only authorized devices can access the system, which guarantees the security of critical information. At the same time, should users lose or misplace a device, a management system can make sure that if the device is locked out of the company network. This renders the device useless, protecting any sensitive data.

The communications landscape is not keeping up with the growth in the Gulf region at the moment – there are simply not enough resources to match the explosion in business. Companies depend on IT to help them react to their growth but, with such rapid expansion, they need to keep up with trends and review their IT resources regularly to make sure they have the solutions they need to support them.

Risk

Allowing mobile and wireless access to your networks is safe so long as you protect them with appropriate security methods but it is imperative that Middle East companies incorporate wireless technology into their security strategy as they do for their wired networks. For example, if the devices are connecting over a wireless LAN, the businesses should ensure that there is proper encryption of data, that they are using WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and have a Wireless Intrusion Protection System (IPS).

The future

Enterprise mobility will continue to grow at a pace as more companies incorporate mobile computers and wireless handheld devices across a range of sectors. In the past, the term ‘enterprise mobility’ was used to talk about mobile solutions within the four walls of a company and mainly operated in harsh environments within the industrial sectors like warehousing, manufacturing, and retail. Nowadays, these applications are moving outside of the four walls and into areas like field service, courier service, and health care environments. We have already seen an increase in white-collared workers using mobiles devices for their CRM systems and other applications being incorporated into the devices such as push email systems.

Now we are seeing a rise in government establishments utilizing mobile technology for traffic citations and meter readings and postal companies recording deliveries on mobile computers. Mobile technology is growing and companies are quickly recognizing the benefits that it has for their company and workforce.