Corporate mobiles

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BlueShift

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#198757 21-Jul-2016 13:35

The outfit I work for specifies Windows Phone as their standard mobile device. Which currently means the Lumia 650. We have about 800ish staff, but only about a quarter of them have company phones. Given that it looks unlikely that Windows Phones will be available through the Telcos by the end of the year, what do other reasonable sized businesses do for mobile?

Do you have an official company handset?

Do you have a BYOD policy?

Does the company provide the hardware, or give an allowance towards buying what you like?

What about security? And access to corporate data/servers?

Oblivian

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#1596248 21-Jul-2016 13:45

Here its a base handset cost, so current model that works for that amount bracket (usually the likes of a J2 for a 2 or 3 year expected life). BYOD allowed. Small allowance discount for BYO if current shop model purchased.

Have seen MDM airwatch deployment, which is an advancement on security policies over normal Exchange administration rights. (and can brick a phone even rooting wont bypass if it de-registers itself from a subscription model like spark offer http://www.sparkdigital.co.nz/solutions/mobility/managed-mobility/ )

xpd

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#1596249 21-Jul-2016 13:46

High level staff (managers etc) tend to get iPhones, or Samsung Galaxy S(Insert latest number) (whatever the latest model is when they start)

Mid level get mid-range Samsung Galaxy (Xcover for those in the field)

Low end get basic Samsung smartphone

We allow staff to choose which brand/models but if the price is above their level (ie: Mid level wants iPhone), then they pay the extra cost.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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trig42

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#1596250 21-Jul-2016 13:47

We have about 30 staff with phones.

We support iOS and Android - majority are iOS (and we get iPhones from Vodafone on resigning of contracts every couple of years). Some staff have Android phones that they have either been given or brought themselves.

Phones connect to Corporate WiFi and exchange (Wifi is managed by AD credentials).

andrew027

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#1596304 21-Jul-2016 14:58

Where I work there is a list of approved roles who quailfy for a company mobile - usually those whose jobs require they move between sites and/or may need to be contacted outside of normal working hours. If you're in one of those roles you can choose any phone you want up to a set maximum purchase price (which is enough for a decent phone but not "top of the line"). We don't allow staff to "top up" the price to get something better.

You tell your manager what you want, they approve/order it, and it goes to the IT department to be set up to synch with your work email account and a couple of other things, and then is delivered to you. On the intranet the The IT guys say "we prefer iOS" but there's no pressure* and you can choose Android or Windows if you want.

* Except sometimes there's pressure to take over an old phone if someone left the company and their phone is sitting around gathering dust.

timmmay

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#1596306 21-Jul-2016 15:04

Here staff who really need a phone are given a standard corporate phone with MDM enabled, currently an Apple device a step or two behind the current model, in order to save money. BYOD isn't allowed as it caused too much extra work.

MikeAqua

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#1596315 21-Jul-2016 15:22

Our IT team (provided by an affiliated company) strongly prefer users to have iPhones. This is because it's easier for them. At least they are honest about why.

They tolerate me having an Android, but not without a large amount of whinging.

Mike

BlueShift

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#1596672 22-Jul-2016 09:18

Thanks guys, that's all useful info.

Basically there's a tradeoff between flexibility and support. The more options you let staff have, the trickier its likely to be for IT to support a wider range of devices.

I suspect we'll end up standardizing on a platform, probably Android, and pick 2-3 'official' handsets to cover a range of uses and prices.

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lxsw20

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#1596713 22-Jul-2016 10:51

Fully iOS. Higher ups get the latest, everyone else gets whats available. Nothing older than 5S for secure enclave reasons and we require complex passcodes, which sucks on a phone with no touchID. We use MobileIron as the MDM. About 250 phones total.

MikeAqua

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#1596794 22-Jul-2016 12:44

BlueShift:

Basically there's a tradeoff between flexibility and support. The more options you let staff have, the trickier its likely to be for IT to support a wider range of devices.

Unless you outsource IT. Then (in my experience) you get exactly what you want ...

Mike

BlueShift

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#1596862 22-Jul-2016 13:09

MikeAqua:

BlueShift:

Basically there's a tradeoff between flexibility and support. The more options you let staff have, the trickier its likely to be for IT to support a wider range of devices.

Unless you outsource IT. Then (in my experience) you get exactly what you want ...

No, I don't want that - I am IT

tchart

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#1596882 22-Jul-2016 14:32

We are given an allowance for a BYOD device every 2.5 years. Work just supplies the SIM and plan.

There are obviously guidelines as to features required (e.g. exchange email capable etc) but otherwise we can get whatever we want.

We only have ~80 employees so no remote management etc.

olivernz

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#1597907 25-Jul-2016 07:58

Still don't get why people are stingyabout mobile phones (mobile phones locked to roles for example) but everyone and their dog gets a desk phone. On the long run most desk phones are more expensive as you have to include cost of backend, cabling, maintenance,.... I'd always pledge drop the desk phones for everyone except reception and sales staff.

timmmay

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#1597912 25-Jul-2016 08:37

olivernz:

Still don't get why people are stingyabout mobile phones (mobile phones locked to roles for example) but everyone and their dog gets a desk phone. On the long run most desk phones are more expensive as you have to include cost of backend, cabling, maintenance,.... I'd always pledge drop the desk phones for everyone except reception and sales staff.

Desk phones are thought of as standard required equipment most places, though with telecommunications as a service that might be reconsidered. Mobile phones are an easier cost to see.

I don't want a work phone, then people could call me on it. Back in the day I had a work phone I set up call forwarding to my own phone and kept it turned off. I turned it on once a week if I needed to make a call - back in the days when calls cost money.

andrew027

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#1597941 25-Jul-2016 09:38

olivernz: Still don't get why people are stingyabout mobile phones (mobile phones locked to roles for example) but everyone and their dog gets a desk phone. On the long run most desk phones are more expensive as you have to include cost of backend, cabling, maintenance,.... I'd always pledge drop the desk phones for everyone except reception and sales staff.

Where I work, most of the calls made/received on my desk phone are to/from other extensions in the same company. I guess if everybody had enough free minutes in their mobile contracts this would be fine, but a desk phone makes this a lot easier. In my experience though, once someone has a work mobile they're always on the clock. I'd prefer to not have one, given the choice.

xpd

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#1597983 25-Jul-2016 10:04

We use Skype for Business for internal calls globally, but still have desk phones and mobiles.... yet getting more and more requests to just have the desk phone diverted to the mobile as people just are not at their desks anymore. I'd love to move to a decent phone system that supports VoIP and throw out the desk phones, theyre a pain in the butt to sort out (ancient NEC system).........

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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