The Science of Mobile Cost Erosion

I can safely predict that for the foreseeable future each month will bring new networks, new devices and the need for more bandwidth. Bleeding edge users, also known as your executive management team, will be the first to introduce the latest consumer device to your network, and you’ll need to support it. At the same time you will continue to have some employees clueless about their mobility costs; check out our vlog on the $27,000 pay per view video.

It is the Wild West out there. Mobility is complicated and this isn’t going to change anytime soon.

In fact, we recently surveyed IT managers at large companies, and what we found is not surprising.  68 percent believe their mobility costs will increase in the next 12 months, 40 percent believe it will outpace inflation and 30 percent believe costs will increase by more than 10 percent annually.

So, how do you take this cost explosion and put what I like to call mobile cost erosion in motion. What I mean by mobile cost erosion is that while innovation will continue to drive mobility costs higher, you can put a strategy in practice to help you erode the base of your mobility budget over time. 

At this moment you might be thinking, “Well, exactly how do I do that? The carriers have the power!”

1) Go Digging – You need to find out how much you are spending on mobility.  Knowledge is power. The more you know, the easier it is to bargain with your vendors.

2) Jump into the Driver’s Seat – You need to define and own your own mobility service. Why can’t you be your own carrier? Mix and match offerings to meet your needs. Provide your employees with a highly customized service that is all your own.

3) Be the ombudsmen – You need to get a piece of your employees’ mobile device, whether it is a laptop, netbook, tablet or smartphone. I’d suggest controlling the point of connection, with a master connection manager. Doing this will give you insight into your employees’ behavior, but more importantly let you prioritize networks based on cost and bandwidth and apply policies.

4) Be willing to walk away. Protect your infrastructure, and ensure that you can make changes without disrupting the employees’ experience, whether it is the latest mobile device or a carrier’s network.  Flexibility to make changes means that you can make them compete for your business for a change.