A Mobile Workforce Solution Leads to Productivity Gains

The remote working revolution, along with cloud technology, has changed the definition of an office, transforming it from a location-based entity into a virtual office with a mobile workforce solution.

According to an estimate from International Data Corporation (IDC), the number of mobile workers in the United States will continue to rise steadily over the following four years, from 78.5 million in 2020 to 93.5 million in 2024. IDC predicts that mobile workers will make up over 60% of the total workforce in the United States by the conclusion of the prediction period.

Why are Mobile Workforce Solutions Growing?

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly increased the rate of mobile work forces as employees needed to work remotely. However, there are other benefits to working remotely. Aside from being able to work from home or any other location, workers can use different devices to access company resources, including mobiles and tablets. Satisfied employees deliver increased productivity and improved performance while reducing the attrition rate. Moreover, mobility solutions optimize resources—as resources are optimized, costs are reduced.

The mobile workforce has grown because of the advent of technologies such as desktop virtualization, cloud computing, and 5G. Using a mobile workforce solution, employees can work from anywhere, anytime, undertaking duties that traditionally require an office setup.

The “on-the-road warrior” workers are some of the earliest adopters of remote working. These are the anywhere, anytime professionals who have offices but often travel conducting business. They are prevalent in industries such as construction, manufacturing, and healthcare.

By leveraging new and streamlined technology mobile workforce solutions, the “on-the-road warriors” can easily solve problems, communicating with their teams, while keeping track of work-in-progress. Over time, the mobile workforce has evolved to incorporate desk-less workers such as insurance sales agents, retail employees, and gig workers.

Benefits of a Mobile Workforce

The mobile workforce is beneficial in many respects.

Organizations have a global talent pool to source from instead of localized collections. In instances where there is a shortage of skilled labor in a particular locality, the mobile workforce can come in handy.
Business operations are streamlined as there is reduced demand for office space. This, in turn, translates to reduced overheads in terms of rent, furniture, rent, and other bills. By saving on these overheads, organizations can now invest in high-end IT infrastructure that supports the mobile workforce.
Mobile workforce solutions can allow an organization to gain deeper insights into its employees’ behavior. By leveraging advanced analytics integrated into mobile workforce solutions, you can determine critical metrics that can help you enhance productivity.
Organizational productivity. With a mobile workforce solution, employees choose the best times when they can work efficiently and productively. Also, employees have the best work-life balance with mobile workforce solutions, which translates to improved productivity.

What to Consider When Implementing a Mobile Workforce Solution

There are factors that you should consider regardless of whether you want to implement a mobile workforce solution or debate about upgrading an existing solution.

Costs. Mobile workforce solution architectures require organizations to spend on procurement, installation, and management of various applications. If you find that the solution is inexpensive compared to its value, then it is worth implementing. Otherwise, it’s not worth your investment efforts.
Ease of implementation. How easy is it to install the mobile workforce software? Before you decide on the appropriate solution, you should consider your current infrastructure and take stock of how it fits into the mobile workforce solution. If the solution interferes with your curet workflow, it is not worth investing in it.
Scalability. Scaling a typical mobile workforce solution is more than just adding extra users and endpoints. You have to proportionately scale various parts that make up the deployment to ensure optimal performance. An all-in-one mobile workforce solution that can scale in cost-effective steps can eliminate most scalability bottlenecks that organizations often face.
Support for third-party apps. Third-party applications can add value to your mobile workforce solution by streamlining operations that promote your bottom line. An excellent mobile workforce software is one that interoperates well with most third-party apps.
Ease of use. If you have a diverse and distributed workforce, it’s crucial to have an intuitive mobile workforce solution. An intuitive solution can help employees streamline workflows by focusing on what they need to get the work done, potentially enhancing productivity

Data Security Concerns

Data security is a growing concern as the workforce becomes more mobile. Personal phones with access to corporate data are just as vulnerable to hackers as work computers left unattended in coffee shops or linked to public Wi-Fi networks. The likelihood of vulnerability increases when bring your own device (BYOD) technologies at work are added.

Here are some actions you may do to lessen the likelihood of this:

Inform staff members of the risks posed by cyber-attacks and breaches.
Make using virtual private networks (VPNs) to sign in essential for remote workers
Make arrangements to remotely wipe hard drives in the event that a laptop or mobile device is stolen.
Switch to the cloud rather than enabling the storage of private information on tangible objects.

Challenges That Arise

While a mobile workforce provides impressive benefits to businesses and employees, it comes with particular challenges as with any new concept. The inclusion of a range of different mobile devices into the network is the primary challenge. Businesses need to manage a diversified range of devices and their corresponding platforms.

Another challenge is delivering the Windows-based productivity applications employees use on Macs, iPads, iPhones, Android devices, and more. Besides, a mobile workforce means that company data leaves the office premises. Lost or stolen devices can comprise company critical data.

Citrix, VMware, and Parallels are the leading providers of virtualization solutions that help businesses securely deploy and manage a mobile workforce from a centralized dashboard. However, the cost and complexity of VMware and Citrix solutions make them unaffordable for many businesses.

Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS) is a comprehensive virtualization tool that is easy to deploy and use. It is significantly cost-effective and provides all virtualization features in a single package.

Parallels RAS Assists Your Mobile Workforce

Parallels RAS enables you to centrally host resources and securely publish them to any device or platform, including iOS, Android, macOS, and Chromebooks. It allows companies to publish any Windows application to a non-Windows device. Using the Parallels RAS portal or the Parallels HMTL5 client, you can transform any Windows application into a web app.

It allows you to work with legacy infrastructure, not having to worry about Windows EOL dates; therefore, you can migrate at your own pace. Using an intuitive interface, you can monitor the activities of your mobile workforce from a central location. Features such as load balancing and device redirection come auto-configured.

Parallels RAS uses SSL, and two-factor authentication, which means the data leaving your office perimeter is highly secure. Moreover, when the session is closed, no data is stored on the end user device. Temporary files don’t contain any critical data.

Parallels RAS offers enhanced features, which makes this tool an ultimate choice for mobility solutions. The Parallels Client software is available for most of the OSs and devices used in the market. Making simplicity and ease of use the primal aspect, the interface and appearance provide a rich end-user experience on iOS or Android devices. With Parallels RAS, you can add or manage mobile devices on the move without impacting the mobile device security of your organization.

So, what are you waiting for? Empower your employees to become a mobile capable workforce with the Parallels RAS trial today!

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