Mobile Devices and Their Mangement Change Business Processes and Attitudes to IT
In this report, Neil Goodrich, Holly Hunt's Director of Business Analytics and Technology, discusses the introduction, management and use of smart devices (specifically iPads and to a lesser degree Blackberries). He discusses the changes that occur as people discover that smart devices are opportunities for improving business processes. He describes how a Mobile Enterprise Management (MEM) application helped make sense of what might otherwise have been "IT as usual."
Besides talking through decision processes, Mr. Goodrich also describes how mobility issues have positively altered employees’ attitudes towards IT itself.
Holly Hunt, a luxury home furnishings company, introduced mobile devices on the Blackberry platform several years ago. The arrival three years ago of iPads opened up several different opportunities and scenarios. Initially these iPads were thought to be relevant only for the traveling sales force. However, as the experiences described in the case study demonstrate, the potential impact has occurred in all sorts of areas, from customers right through to manufacturing. An altogether unexpected impact was the changing attitude towards IT – from being considered "Doctor No," to one perceived to be constructive.
This case study is the third in a series in which different enterprises discuss the objectives, experiences and benefits that mobility introduces.
