Friday Roundup: BYOD and Mobile Enterprise

 The burgeoning BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend that has seen significant increase in the number of employees who use personal smart phones and tablets for business.  Having an enterprise mobile strategy in place can provide incalculable value to businesses who wish to engage their employees through their preferred tools, but the data feedback alone proves that taking charge of the BYOD trend results in significant ROI. Our customers rely on BYOD to gather critical insights and data for rapid decision making.

From around the web this week, we’ve seen a number of reflections on the nature of enterprise mobile and how the BYOD trend is transforming the retail sector:

How BYOD And Big Data Are Changing Marketing > Companies that embrace BYOD technologies are at a distinct marketing advantage, with the ability to learn and respond much faster than their competitors. Enabling your field employees to be eyes on the ground can net in rapid, big data. (Forbes)

Five Reasons CIOs Should Develop a BYOD Policy > Enterprises large and small are catching on to the immense value of adopting enterprise mobile technology. Ram Shamana of Intuit outlines some compelling reasons for why your company should implement a BYOD policy, like, yesterday. (CMS Wire)

Mobile Devices Make Anywhere a Workplace for SMBs > When the information you need is out in the field, mobile devices are the clear solution for collecting that useful data. This year’s Sage SMB Survey discloses some very positive statistics on the direction of the BYOD trend, including an 82.1% increase (this year alone!) of employees who use smart phones for business. (MediaPost)

Marc Andreessen On The Future Of Enterprise > This TechCrunch interview with VC and thought leader Marc Andreessen has been out for a while, but it’s a prescient look at the way mobile technology is affecting enterprise from one of the industry’s foremost insiders.  His take on the consumerization of enterprise underscores how enabling employees to use their own devices allows them to engage with their company’s goals and outcomes.  (TechCrunch)

We also made news this week with the launch of our updated platform. Read more about the improvements here and learn about how you can start your own program with GroundCntrl.

GroundCntrl For Android

When it comes to mobile workforces, the question is no longer, “Do my workers have mobile devices?” but rather “What kind of devices does my workforce use?” Strong demand from the marketplace and positive feedback from existing customers led us to the realization that a significant percentage of GroundCntrl users are bringing their own Android devices to work. Connecting employers to their mobile employees is our primary mission, but we weren’t adequately supporting our Android fans in the field.

Today, we are happy to announce that GroundCntrl is available for Android devices. Now program members can find the app in the GooglePlay store.

Of course, we’ve used the opportunity to revamp some of the usability of the existing mobile app, and are rolling out these improvements for all iOS and Android users. We redesigned the app to make it even easier to complete tasks and stay connected with the team while on-the-go.

Some Improvements:

• Pared-Down Navigation – we’ve cut out the fat, making our mobile app dead-simple to use in the field.
• Central Task List – access your tasks by team, and view when they’re due at-a-glance.
• Team Selector – now you can choose your team and stay with them as you move between your Tasks and TeamStream environments, or switch to a different team, by using a handy pop-up selector that appears when you use the bottom navigation bar.
• Location & Maps – we’ve expanded our geo-location functionality throughout the app, from new task types to sharing location maps via TeamStream.
• Community – check out your Team’s goings on through competitive leaderboards, gallery shots, and team contacts.
• Task Caching – complete your tasks offline and sync up when you regain connectivity.

We’re very excited about making these updates available to iOS and Android users, and hope you are too! As always, let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to start a GroundCntrl program of your own.

A few tips:

*If you currently have the GroundCntrl app installed on your iPhone or iPad, you will need to reinstall the new app in order to access it’s full benefits. This can be done by deleting the app from your device, and then installing the new version from the iOS store.

*While anyone can download the app, it is best used by those of you who are members of or have been invited to an active program. If you’re not currently a member, but would like to try out our exciting new features, we invite you to first start your own program here!