Mobilizers: Use Cases for Dynamic Policy Framework

Enterprise mobile apps are changing how employees work. Online work was once performed only within an office and behind a firewall, in a controlled and observable environment. The proliferation of smart phones with installable apps allows work to be performed anywhere the phone goes – a movement called BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Though empowering to users, corporations are rightly concerned by how easy it is to side-step IT controls, support, and visibility. A dynamic policy known as app wrapping not only solve those problems, but deliver new opportunities for securing, optimizing, and understanding the mobile experience. Mobile application security is the first concern. When proprietary corporate information is available via enterprise apps, whether sensitive business information about an upcoming merger or simply access to internal email, it must not be compromised.

Risks include interceptable communications to the device, interactions between apps on the device that allow data to leak, and device theft. Mobile security policies must include FIPS 140-2 encryption to secure communications, cut-and-paste protection to prevent data from moving from one application to another, and corporate authentication. These policies can be turned on and off for apps already deployed to users, and, in an emergency, apps can be disabled. Management policies simplify and streamline control of all deployed enterprise apps, allowing rapid response to either problems or opportunities. In the new, agile-based development world of continuous incremental software releases, being able to update deployed apps at scale is more than a convenience – it’s required. If there’s a problem with a release, a mobile application management (MAM™) policy can force in-field app updates to a better version without waiting for users to initiate the update. And if a user has a problem with an app, another policy allows your centralized management system to access the app remotely to resolve the problem. Your customers will love the pro-active and swift customer service.

Another class of dynamic policies provide analytics on what apps are being used, by whom, and for how long. Information previously unavailable about the user experience on a mobile device – how your users interact with your apps – will be displayed in a graphic dashboard. These mobile analytics will help you tune and improve the operation of your apps, and provide insights into your user’s behavior and interests. In this ever-more competitive world, those insights may be the difference between so-so enterprise mobile apps and a compelling experience that locks in user loyalty. All these policies are dynamic, meaning that they can be applied to enterprise mobile apps that have already been deployed. No need to rebuild and re-sign apps, just simple clicks turn these features on and off. A dynamic policy framework adds critical capabilities to all of your apps, turning them into trusted extensions of your business. Your business and the users of your apps will be safer, better informed, and more productive.