Your planned program, where employees are offered a choice of company-owned devices, can improve end user satisfaction and flexibility, at the same time as ensuring data and device security. With device management under IT's control, risk exposure is greatly reduced.
Manageability will be easier with IT controlling the program in-house. Because devices are approved by the company, IT can recommend suitable PCs for each user type, so that applications run more efficiently. And if all devices have the same connections, it's easier for IT to set up meeting rooms and hot desks that are compatible for every user. Which means your users will also experience better collaboration and increased productivity.
Recommendations for Your New Program
According to Forrester, a large majority of manufacturing companies see reliability as the main criteria for selecting devices.* As you ramp up your program, Lenovo recommends the following:
- Audit job roles in your organization to get user input on preferred device types. Today there are many types of device available, each with their own advantages for different worker roles. Gain user buy-in ahead of time to ease the transition to your new program.
- Select a vendor that can meet the hardware needs of all user types. This means everything from mobile devices with rugged cases for production staff, to powerful workstations for CAD or data visualization for designers and analysts. Your vendor should also provide an ecosystem of services and accessories, to help users make the most of their new devices.
- Include only business -grade devices in your portfolio. These devices have the highest level of build quality, support services, security features and connectivity options. For example, access prioritized tech support and on-site servicing. Achieve the highest security standards with hardware-based fingerprint readers which are much harder to hack.
- Balance users' personal preferences with productivity. Offer enough variety—especially if you're shifting from a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) culture — but test products exhaustively.
- Plan and implement a comprehensive mobile protection strategy, factoring in features such as Windows 10 Pro mobile device management (MDM).
- Put in place a process for recycling old devices, ensuring that data is properly destroyed and assets are disposed of in an environmentally responsible way. This can be outsourced, for example with Lenovo Asset Recovery Service. Such services can also provide cash for your old devices, which can help to reduce the overall cost of new device acquisition.
* Forrester Technographics Infrastructure Survey, 2018
With your new program, you should have a mobile device policy in place. Some best practices for manufacturing organizations include:
- Factoring in a mix of business and personal use. Set restrictions on corporate data and intellectual property using a mobile device management (MDM) solution.
- Having a viable process for handling old devices. Do they get reassigned to another employee? What happens to stored data that might be confidential?
- Considering the latest solutions for remote erase of data on devices which are lost or stolen.
