Law firm DWF is to extend its use of mobile device management (MDM) solution MobileIron, to support the widespread use of apps in the enterprise.
Richard Hodkinson, CTO of DWF, explained that the law firm has 1,000 mobile workers, who use laptops, tablets and smartphones on a frequent basis.
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The firm created a bring your own device (BYOD) policy 12 months ago, which lets users employ BlackBerry, Android and iOS devices for work purposes, as long as the user signs a disclaimer to install MobileIron onto the device, which enables them to remote wipe the data on the device if it is compromised.
A few months ago, Hodkinson told Computing that iPhones were being selected in the workplace because of "fashion rather than functionality" and that BlackBerry devices were better tailored for the enterprise.
However, the DWF CTO said the law firm now wants to change the devices from being a status symbol to a productivity device.
"So a lot of our apps in the back office can be used on mobile devices. The Autonomy document management has an app and Mimecast has a relay station which has an app. We are about to replace our CRM solutions so that people can keep their CRM records while they are waiting at a train station," he said.
"In terms of internal app management, we've got our own [custom-built app] to help administer employee objectives. We've launched an app for iOS to enable employees to see all of the business plans for the group and all of the annual statements. This means that partners have absolute clarity of what's expected of them and they've got the information in their back pocket," he added.
Other mobile apps will be used to fulfil key administrative tasks, Hodkinson said, such as timekeeping or filing expenses.
"Our mobility strategy is all about clawing back time that would otherwise be lost whilst off the company network," he said.
Hodkinson said that MobileIron fit the firm's criteria for managing devices, and apps on the devices.
"It is a critical control for us, and it has a storage capability. The adequacy of our control is the only thing that auditors will want to talk about," he stated.
"We bought [MobileIron] at a point when there was not an aggregate solution and it does the job for us. The market moves very fast and there might be another version of MobileIron or something else that can support all of the platforms, but at the moment we've got a great tool," he added.
Hodkinson had told Computing in April that the firm gives BlackBerrys to agile workers unless they are a partner in the firm in which case they would get a choice of a BlackBerry or iPhone. Android, he said, had too many different devices, which made the platform seem like "nonsense".
A few of the law firm's partners are currently trialling the BlackBerry Z10, and Hodkinson said that if the devices prove popular then they will also be made available to partners across the law firm.
