Page 209 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

192 6 Mobile Commerce and the Internet of Things

Enterprise Mobility Management with consideration for the demands and constraints of the
devices and also to take advantage of any specialized capa-
According to TechTarget, enterprise mobility management bilities they have. A gaming app, for example, might take
(EMM) is “an all-encompassing approach to securing and advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometer” (whatis.techtar-
enabling business workers’ use of smartphones and tablets.” It get.com/definition/mobile-app).
includes data and access security, physical device tracking and Mobile applications are very popular for both consumers
configuration, and application management (see i.zdnet.com/ and use inside the enterprise. For example, as of spring 2016,
whitepapers/SAP_Enterprise_Mobility_for_Dummies_ Apple had about 1.2 million approved applications in its app
Guide.pdf). Since more workers are bringing smartphones store. McKendrick (2014) proposes six ways to bring more
and tablets and using them in the enterprise, it is necessary to mobile apps into the enterprise.
support these devices. This is where enterprise mobility man-
agement enters the picture. With an increasing number of Build (or Bring) Your Own App (BYOA)
people using mobile devices for many applications, mobility BYOA is an increasing trend toward the creation of applica-
management has become a significant and challenging task. tions by users rather than by software developers. Unfortunately,
Mobility management can be divided into the following BYOA creates security challenges. For a practical guide to
areas: affordable mobile app development, see Salz and Moranz
(2013).
• Mobile Device Management (MDM). Some companies
allow their IT department to have full control over all mobile Other Managerial Issues
devices. Others allow users to maintain their devices mostly
on their own (see a discussion on BYOD later in this sec- Several other issues are related to mobility management.
tion). Special software can help companies with their MDM. Examples are: the issues of ROI measurement, determining
• Mobile Application Management (MAM). Similar to the mobility platform, training, budget and cost control, and
MDM, MAM attempts to control all applications in a justification. Another issue is integration, collaboration, and
company. communication. An interesting issue is the increased flow of
• Mobile Information Management (MIM). This is a data and how to handle it (see Knight 2015).
newer area that deals with cloud computing.
Conclusion
Related to these are two specific areas: Bring your own device
(“BYOD”) and mobile apps. These are briefly described next. Despite the many obstacles, mobile commerce is growing rap-
idly, faster than EC in general. Wearables and IoT are growing
The BYOD Issue the fastest. For mobile commerce trends for 2016, see Moovweb
(2016).
The proliferation of mobile devices in the enterprise raises
the issue of “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD). Many
employees like to use their personal devices for work-related SECTION 6.9 REVIEW QUESTIONS
activities (e.g., their iPhones for corporate mail, travel reser-
vations). They bring their devices to their workplace and use 1. How is m-commerce security similar to e-commerce secu-
those devices to access the company’s network. BYOD may rity? How is it different?
save the company money. On the other hand, there are many 2. Discuss a few of the technical limitations of m-commerce.
implementation issues ranging from security to reimburse- 3. Describe the potential impact of mobile devices on org-
ment policy to technical support. anizational, health, and privacy issues.
There are many suggestions regarding the management 4. Describe mobility management.
and control of BYOD. Major consulting companies such as 5. Define BYOD and its challenges.
Gartner, Inc. (gartner.com) and Forrester Research, Inc. (for- 6. Describe mobile apps. Why are they so popular?
rester.com) provide free white papers, webinars, and reports
on BYOD.
MANAGERIAL ISSUES
Mobile Apps and Their Management
Some managerial issues related to this chapter are as follows.
According to WhatIs.com, a mobile app “is a software
application developed specifically for use on small, wireless 1. What is your m-commerce strategy? M-commerce is com-
computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets, rather posed of these elements: support for internal business pro-
than desktop or laptop computers. Mobile apps are designed cesses; an extension of existing e-business customer services,