Nov 13, 2014

Today’s employees are coming into the job with an ever-increasing level of technological know-how. Thanks to the rising use of mobile devices – not only for personal recreational purposes, but for business processes as well – employers are now expecting that their staff members have certain technical skills.

However, just because workers understand how to operate their smartphones, tablets and laptops, this doesn’t mean that they are utilizing the best strategies for collaboration. Computer Weekly contributor Jeff Mann noted that device capabilities are amplifying and shifting the way employees connect and work together. For this reason, it is critical that administrators train their workforce on best strategies for improving their collaboration. Without these skills in place, companies’ BYOD initiatives are at risk for failure.

Importance of cross-platform functionality
CIO contributor Jennifer Lonoff Schiff noted that an important element to enhance collaboration is to make sure that the mobile business resources being offered will be able to operate on a range of different operating systems. BYOD management requires that managers enable their workers to utilize their personal mobile hardware, whether it is supported by Android, iOS or another platform. However, to ensure that employees will be able to leverage their own devices to access mission-critical applications and content, these components have to be able to function correctly on the operating system.

“If employees aren’t able to access, work with and collaborate on a document with their preferred device, mobility falls short,” stated mobility expert Ryan Kalember. “Having to convert file types or use multiple apps to edit or annotate a document disrupts workflows and decreases productivity.”

Provide a secure file sharing solution
One of the biggest parts of collaborative efforts within a business setting is the ability to transmit and receive documents and other important content. When these processes take place over a mobile platform, however, users could be opening this data up to protection vulnerabilities. With a secure mobile file sharing system in place, administrators can ensure that sensitive company information is transmitted across workers’ mobile devices safely.

Utilize mobility to connect in the real world
Although enterprises are relying on mobile capabilities more and more, this does not mean that face-to-face collaboration is a thing of the past. InfoWorld contributor Galen Gruman noted that mobile abilities can be utilized in these means as well by sending calendar invitations to co-workers with the time, date, location and other details. This will allow staff members to confirm meetings with one another and remain on the same page as to their in-person conference.