Mobilizing Government Workers and Government Processes · mobility management platform deployment in an effort to more securely manage multiple devices and ... Mobilizing government

Mobilizing Government Workers and Government Processes: It’s Time

A Frost & Sullivan White Paper

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All rights reserved © 2014 Frost & Sullivan

INTRODUCTION

Mobile technology has the potential to transform government for the better by helping departments and agencies become more responsive, more efficient, and less costly. Together, mobile devices and software apps can capture data and feedback in real time, analyze trends, and streamline programs and processes—all to better serve both employees and constituents.

Today’s government agencies and departments are urged to harness mobility to improve their performance and productivity. This paper discusses mobilization benefits that can transform government at every level—local, state, and federal. It also presents possible adoption barriers, popular use cases, and current preferences around expert mobility providers.

Why Mobilize?

Our society has embraced mobile technology to an unprecedented degree, with smartphones and tablets becoming pervasive and interest in mobile apps rapidly spreading from the consumer into the business space. CIOs ignore these developments at their own peril.

The government sector is no passive bystander in this mobile revolution, as entities at all levels continue to wrestle with key mobility issues. Frost & Sullivan research reveals trending around topical issues such as:

• BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) – Government organizations tend to have some of the most restrictive policies concerning the usage and support of employee-owned mobile devices in the workplace.

• Prepackaged vs. customized software applications – Government agencies are more likely to rely on customized and semi-customized software solutions instead of implementing prepackaged, out-of-the-box mobile applications.

• Mobility management platforms – Government organizations outpace many other sectors on mobility management platform deployment in an effort to more securely manage multiple devices and apps that are connected to backend systems.

There are a number of elements driving mobilization within the government sector:

• New expectations around service delivery – Consumers have certainly become comfortable with mobile devices and apps. As busy constituents, they naturally expect mobile access to government services. Whether it’s via a website or an application, government agencies can use mobile technology to better meet constituent needs in two key ways. First, when designed correctly, mobile access can provide more efficient and higher-quality assistance. Secondly, mobility bridges the digital divide for individuals who cannot afford a computer but can afford a mobile device, enabling these individuals to also interact with their government.

• Tight purse strings – Budgetary limitations at every level of government have forced agency CIOs and department heads to search for ways to increase employee productivity and cut costs. While wireless voice alone can enhance productivity and collaboration, the really significant potential of mobility lies in mobile software applications. These mobile apps are reducing the time to complete tasks, efficiently moving data and information from mobile device to the proper backend systems, and even anticipating and preventing budget-busting events such as premature wear and tear on government fleet vehicles.

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• The need for improved business analytics – Properly harnessing and leveraging “Big Data” is a key challenge in both public and private sectors. Mobilizing government services provides agencies with the ability to better capture and understand constituent activity and needs. This capability, in turn, allows agencies and departments to provide higher-quality and more effi cient support to constituents.

While these drivers provide incentive for the government to embrace mobility throughout its ecosystems, substantial barriers to mobile deployments continue to be in play. A 2014 Frost & Sullivan survey of mobile and wireless purchase decision-makers reveals that the strongest reasons against mobilizing continue to focus on security and cost.1

Exhibit 1: Reasons Against Providing Mobile Apps to Employees – Percent “Very” or “Somewhat Important,” North America, 2014

67% 55% 51% 49% 46% 46%

Securityconcerns

Highcost Lack of

internalexpertise

No realbusiness

need

Backoffice

integrationconcerns

Lack ofdependable

mobilitypartner

Source: Frost & Sullivan 2014 North American Mobile Enterprise Applications: Opportunities Within Enterprises

More than half of North American respondents (67%) point directly to security concerns, making it the top barrier to implementation. Of course, worries about the privacy of agency and constituent information are certainly not limited to mobile scenarios; however, wireless technology can present additional vulnerabilities.

Anticipated high cost is another top-tier concern, especially as IT personnel become more familiar with the various aspects of mobile deployments. Cost elements can include mobile devices, software applications and network connectivity, as well as professional services and consulting fees for creating, customizing, integrating, and then managing the solutions.

Additional challenges to mobility implementation include:

• Anticipated diffi culties with back-offi ce integration, given the preponderance of legacy systems;

• Lack of a trustworthy mobility partner;

• A perceived lack of internal expertise within the IT organization;

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• Insuffi cient internal IT resources, especially with personnel cutbacks; and

• Employee resistance.

How Mobility can Transform the Fabric of Government

While barriers to mobility adoption exist in the government sector, they can be mitigated with an increasingly clear set of advantages. The benefi ts of mobilizing government employees, communications, and work processes fall into three compelling categories:

• Enhanced and enriched engagement with constituents;

• Increased worker productivity and effi ciency; and

• Lower costs.

Time and again, private-sector companies report experiencing a clear, hard-dollar ROI (return on investment) when they’ve implemented mobile worker solutions. In annual surveys conducted by Frost & Sullivan, current user satisfaction levels remain high year after year, with the percentage of companies expressing actual dissatisfaction either nonexistent or in the single digits. IT executives in the government segment should expect the same level of performance and benefi ts.

Exhibit 2: Top-Ranked Reasons for Deploying Mobile Apps to Employees – Percent “Very” or “Somewhat Important,” North America, 2014

79% 75% 72% 70%

Moreproductiveemployees

Moreefficient

processesEnhancedcustomer

engagementMore

employeecollaboration


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Anticipated benefits are grounded in a growing portfolio of real-world experience. Business processes can be optimized by filling out wireless forms on a smartphone while out in the field and then immediately transmitting the completed form to appropriate back-office systems and personnel. Worker productivity and responsiveness can increase when GPS on their devices allows dispatchers to map out the quickest route for emergency services personnel. Firefighters are better deployed when maps, analytics, and action plans are updated in real time on tablets in the field.

In fact, a multitude of possible mobility use cases exist in the government sphere, including:

• Fleet Management and Navigation – Improving management of government vehicle and fleet operations with real-time tracking, vehicle diagnostics, driver behavior monitoring, GPS-enabled route optimization, and intelligent control of vehicle, fuel, and maintenance costs.

• Forms Replacement/Process Augmentation – Digitizing existing paper forms and redeveloping associated agency processes to take advantage of real-time data capture and information awareness.

• Field Force Automation – Optimizing the effectiveness of mobile field resources through real-time visibility, tracking, work-flow management, and inventory/asset control to deliver efficiencies and cost savings in agency operations.

• Data/Information/Evidence Collection – Providing for the electronic/digital capture and collection of data by mobile employees in the field to produce faster, more accurate and useful information that can be shared in real time with key decision-makers and incorporated into automated business processes.

• Laptop Replacement – Enabling mobile workers and agents with full and secure access to network and computing resources in the field on devices designed for mobile use.

• Application Consolidation – Collapsing disparate and individual applications originally deployed on purpose-built devices onto a single, easy-to-use device to enable faster, more efficient and streamlined information access and work flow.

• Training/Learning – Delivering on-demand mobile and e-learning education content and course management for government training and development programs.

• Kiosk and Point of Sales (POS) – Improving agency outreach to communities and individuals (for example, after a natural disaster) through effective location-specific distribution of information and facilitating constituent service functions in locations of high demand with portable, interactive, kiosk-based services.

• Inspections – Enabling mobile field workers with a toolkit for data collection, analysis, reporting, and work order submission/tracking/management to improve processes and expedite inspection workflow.

• Situational Awareness and Public Safety – Increasing agent safety, awareness, and efficiency in high-impact and remote areas of interest through surveillance video and sensor systems capable of providing intelligent, real-time, actionable information to mobile agents in the field.

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Each of these use cases has the potential to significantly improve service delivery, increase employee productivity, and/or reduce expense. Once an agency or department decides to pursue a particular mobile solution, there are typically six technology elements that must be addressed in order to help ensure an effective and secure implementation:

• The Network – Wireless connectivity can comprise one or more of the following options: 3G/4G, LTE, and/or Wi-Fi. Mobile enablement is optimized with a network that delivers the right balance of coverage, capacity, speed and quality, and that is aligned with the performance needs of the end-user applications and services.

• The Device – Today’s mobile device options include smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, wearables, and accompanying accessories/peripherals. Each of the various mobile operating systems available today—including iOS, AndroidTM, BlackBerry, Windows Phone—have their pros and cons, and must be closely evaluated to ensure the right “fit” with organizational goals.

• Software Applications – Mobile software solutions can be cloud-based or reside on on-premise servers. Prepackaged, off-the-shelf offerings are available to customize or implement as is; however, many organizations prefer to create a completely custom solution and often use a third-party partner to do so. To be truly effective, mobile applications are integrated with relevant back-office systems, such as government data bases, inventory management, and even customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

• Services – With the ongoing innovation and technology evolution in mobile devices, applications and networking, agencies have a broad set of communications capabilities at their disposal, including wireless voice, data, and video services.

• Security – A key requirement for any mobile solution implemented by the government sector, a comprehensive security policy must address control, compliance, protection and privacy issues. These requirements, in turn, must be clearly communicated to employees, along with the consequences of any violations.

• Management – Once in place, mobility solutions need to be managed on a 24/7 basis, whether by the IT organization itself or by an expert outside party. Enterprise mobility management (EMM) platforms encompass:

– Mobile device management (MDM) services that track and control all devices being used by employees. This includes locking or wiping a device clean should it be lost or stolen. MDM also includes BYOD policies that need to be defined and then strictly governed.

– Mobile application management (MAM) solutions that provision and control access to the expanding portfolio of software applications being utilized by a government entity.

– Mobile content management (MCM) services that enable end users to securely access and share content and documents from a variety of sources.

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The success of mobility solutions depends upon the effective integration of all of the technology elements above into an agency’s core operations. A well-designed and professionally implemented integration plan prevents embarrassing and dangerous breakdowns in an agency’s intricate, minute-to-minute mobile capture-and-communicate process.

Real-World Success Stories

Sprint has been working with government departments for a number of years and at every level—local, state, and federal. In fact, the carrier is considered by Frost & Sullivan to be a pioneer in the area of mobile enterprise software applications. Sprint has developed a thoughtful and effective approach to developing government solutions, recognizing this sector’s unique requirements around funding, approvals, and security.

As a mobility expert, Sprint recognizes that an effective solution requires the following steps:

• Identify need – Sprint works with the agency or department to clearly delineate the problem or need that must be resolved.

• Create solution, then try and test – Sprint assembles all of the required technology elements into a mobile solution that is designed to address the agency’s needs. It then works with the customer to define and deploy a structured trial. The carefully designed pilot can accomplish a number of important tasks, including exposing any usability issues and proving out benefits (cost savings, improved productivity, more satisfied constituents). Sprint collaborates with the agency to define the key performance metrics and define a baseline before the trial actually begins. Throughout the trial, Sprint manages, monitors, and measures against the critical business and technology success factors.

• Help build the business case – Armed with detailed metrics and results, Sprint works with the agency to build a professional business case and obtain all necessary internal approvals.

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The following three examples illustrate how government agencies and Sprint have worked together to achieve successful, effective mobility solutions.

Reducing Paper and Expediting Funds – Sprint Forms Replacement/Process Augmentation Solution

The Issue

Agency employees relied on manual, paper-intensive field data collection and reporting to process and respond to nationwide incidents and events. The manual processes required a significant amount of time and often resulted in error-prone data collection and assessment. As a result, they inhibited rapid response, caused unnecessary delays, and impacted the effective use and allocation of critical funding resources.

How Did Sprint Help?

Sprint provided a mobile business process automation toolkit that included smart devices and customized mobile software applications. Both the devices and applications were chosen based on specific agency requirements that enabled the efficient collection, documentation, and processing of remote field incident and event impacts. The cloud-based, rapidly customizable solution allows the agency to adapt the application on an ongoing basis, allowing the agency to comply with new and updated business processes and information requirements.

The Results

The agency has improved data collection and accuracy, reduced event processing time, increased its management and allocation of funding resources, and streamlined its business process management systems.

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Increasing Worker Efficiency and Minimizing Service Downtime – Sprint Inspections Solution

The Issue

Under Federal regulations, agency employees are tasked with performing regular (daily, weekly, monthly) and routine physical/visual inspections of critical infrastructure assets. These inspections are designed to ensure the continued operation, maintenance, and safety of the services being provided. Accuracy and efficiency throughout the inspection workflow are of utmost importance to the effective identification and resolution of issues.


Sprint provided a mobile inspection toolkit that included tablet devices and applications integrated with agency systems. This toolkit enabled the mobile inspector to capture and collect field data, including photographic evidence, GPS location, and agent-entered information relative to the status and health of the critical infrastructure elements. The mobile inspectors are also now able to process the collected information onsite and submit work/repair orders in real time, instead of having to store the data for later analysis and submission.

The Results

The mobile enablement solution has helped increase inspector efficiency, improve data collection and accuracy, reduce response times on repairs, and reduce service downtime. The solution has also helped reduce the amount of tools that inspectors are required to carry. The agency now has greater visibility into the field, allowing it to better manage workflow and field-deployed inspector resources.

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Decreasing Fleet Fuel and Maintenance Expense – Sprint Fleet Management and Navigation Solution

The Issue

With growing demands for agency employees to expand outreach and mobile services programs, the agency-managed fleet vehicle program had experienced an increase in vehicle assets and in utilization. With this growth, the agency was experiencing challenges with monitoring and controlling fleet utilization, managing fleet vehicle and fuel costs, meeting environmental standards, and maintaining accurate inventory, asset, and maintenance reporting.


Based on agency directives and policies, Sprint provided a fleet vehicle telematics solution to equip personnel with the tools necessary to effectively manage the fleet vehicle program. The solution also provided a platform for enabling their mobile workers to log field activities and process work orders in real time. The fleet vehicle solution included route optimization, vehicle monitoring, driver safety, and real-time asset management tools.

The Results

The fleet vehicle solution has enabled agency employees to improve the management of their fleet vehicle programs. This includes a reduction in overall fuel and maintenance costs associated with a growing number of agency vehicles. Agency employees are also able to better manage their remote workforce through improved route optimization, which has helped increase the timeliness and responsiveness in providing outreach and mobile services.

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Choosing a Mobility Expert

Selecting the correct provider is a critical fi rst step toward implementing an optimal mobility solution. Today’s government agencies and departments enjoy a wide range of potential options in that area; however, Frost & Sullivan research repeatedly reveals that wireless carriers are the highest-ranked preference by all sizes of enterprises and types of industries.

Exhibit 3: Preferred Partners for Selecting, Purchasing, and Implementing Mobile Apps, North America, 2014

27%

30%32%

33%

40%

50%Wireless Carrier or Operator

Major Corporate Software Vendor

Mobile Application Developer

Mobile Middleware orPlatform Vendor

Mobile Device orHandset Manufacturer

Systems Integrator orProfessional Services Firm


The top criteria used to choose a mobile partner include:

• Professional services capabilities;

• The cost of doing business;

• Quality of mobile applications portfolio;

• Experience with back-offi ce integration process; and

• Post-sale service and support capability.

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Sprint has been a trusted provider in the government sector for years, expertly working to meet the above criteria and provide the elements required in a 21st century mobile solution. Its high-quality Sprint networks serve as a platform for the carrier’s comprehensive selection of mobile devices, software applications, and professional security and management services.

To learn more about how mobility solutions can help government agencies save money, increase productivity, and please constituents, visit www.sprint.com/government

ENDNOTES

1. “2014 North American Mobile Enterprise Applications: Opportunities Within Enterprises,” Frost & Sullivan, September 2014.

Solutions/Features may req. add’l plans/fees. GPS: GPS reliability varies. $0.03/KB for use without a data plan. Other Terms: Offers and coverage not available everywhere or for all devices/networks. Restrictions apply. See store or

sprint.com for details. ©2015 Sprint. All rights reserved. Sprint and the logo are trademarks of Sprint. Other marks are the property of their respective owners.

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Mobilizing Government Workers and Government Processes · mobility management platform deployment in an effort to more securely manage multiple devices and ... Mobilizing government