NextStep BoF session: BYOD and Mobility Challenges

This was a great BoF session!

Thank you very much to all that showed up and took part on this very constructive discussion. For those that couldn't make it, here are the highlights of what we discussed:

 

The first topic that we tackled was around supporting offline. This is an issue in situations where people need to go to areas without coverage, or in countries where the coverage is not that good. In the end, we concluded that it's really a matter of how much are you willing to invest in going offline, particularly considering that coverage is expected to improve in most locations - maybe a workaround is acceptable until then?

 

Next we talked about security. One of the problems of BYOD is the fact that employees carry their phones everywhere... and they do lose them quite often. It's interesting how this issue conflicts with the offline concern, since you really don't want to move all your data to the employee's device. In the end we talked about some strategies to secure your mobile web app without becoming too much of a nuisance to your users.

 

We then discussed the impact of 4G. There was some concern that with the rising demand for bandwidth, the end result of 4G will be actually slower mobile internet access. But overall the feeling was optimistic, and there's the believe that 4G speeds will improve to match user's expectations and increasing demands regarding connectivity and speed.

 

The last highlight on this morning session was around the big mobile players - Apple, Google and Microsoft. In particular, we discussed the shift in terms of office and email tools people are using, as SaaS options become ever more attractive.

 

Where you at this BoF? Did I miss anything important that was discussed during that morning? And if you couldn't be there, what would you have liked to discuss?