- 05 September, 2008 03:06 PM EST
- Mobile Devices Are the Tip of the Iceberg: Think Managed Diversity
For many years, analysts in the client computing group have recommended to Gartner's clients that they standardize their PCs to simplify management and reduce total cost of ownership. Completely homogeneous deployment, however, is often impossible or very expensive to achieve and maintain, regardless of managing mobile devices, servers, applications, processes or services (see "Trends Driving Increasing IT Diversity"). This is particularly true when we consider mobile-client devices, such as smartphones and PDAs, where user preferences play an important role.
Affordable smartphone models are entering the market in increasing numbers. Organizations face difficulties in selecting a standard device that favors most users. End users disregard IT organization standards (if they exist), choosing instead to adopt whichever device they believe has the features that will satisfy their workplace and personal needs. A wide variety of device models is entering the business domain, creating havoc for IT organizations, whose operations are based on standards and stable platforms. Attempts by businesses to ban, discourage and control the use of these devices have been unenforceable. The first offenders are often the executives to whom the IT organization reports.
In "Use Managed Diversity to Support Mobile Devices", we propose a unique approach and some very specific recommendations to deal with these issues. We have outlined the key elements that provide a basis for a support strategy for PDAs and smartphones, implementing the concept of "managed diversity" (see "New IT Mandate: Embrace Managed Diversity"). It helps to balance management, security and cost control, while allowing users a wider choice of devices, including personally owned devices. Architects should read this research to understand how to leverage managed diversity as part of their enterprise architecture (EA) practices and how to define a framework for supporting users' needs and the need to manage diverse systems.
If your EA efforts include mobile devices within your organization, then you may also find the following research helpful:
• "A Strategy for Managing Mobile Communication Expenses"
• "Toolkit: Four TCO Profiles for PDAs and Smartphones Can Help Manage Costs"
