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DynTek myth busters take on the mobile workspace

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The mobile workspace, a term used by Citrix and other IT vendors, promises complete freedom to worker bees and executives alike: work anywhere, on any device, over any connection, with full access to all the business apps, services and resources you need to get the job done.

So, is the mobile workspace a myth or a reality – or something in between?

Let’s consider the any-any-any proposition to see if technology has truly overcome the challenges of location, form factor, bandwidth and connectivity.

Can you really work from anywhere? 

Many people in tech ads are shown working at the beach (sand on your screen, ugh), at the airport, in taxis mobile_workspace-861752-editedand in endless coffee shops. Sure, these scenarios are technically feasible using WiFi and your laptop, tablet or phone, but are they practical? Have you ever tried holding a collaborative conference call at the mall or while pulled off the interstate at a rest area, with semis whizzing by? My “favorite” experience was the mobile con call participant who took his vehicle through the car wash in mid-discussion.

The truth is, to be professional, you need relative quiet. Not only is loud background noise disruptive and disrespectful to colleagues, it’s distracting when you’re trying to concentrate. And if you speak up to be heard over the racket, there’s always the risk of eavesdropping – perhaps by a competitor.

That leads to this insight: you may be able to work anywhere, but it doesn’t mean you can do anything. The type of work should dictate your location. In addition to video conferences or con calls, content creation can be tough in a high-noise area. On the other hand, sending email, updating calendars, reading and editing stuff – those tasks can be handled just about any place.

Can you really work from any device?

Most people today appear to be permanently attached to their smartphones. Based on their tremendous popularity and broad adoption of BYOD policies, you might think iPhones and Android phones would be the devices of choice for mobile working. However, these small form factors limit the type of output a mobile user can generate. It’s pretty difficult to type a white paper or create an Excel spreadsheet or a PowerPoint presentation on a phone. For these kinds of tasks, a tablet or a laptop may be the answer. Or, get a larger screen that connects to your phone.

Some people find it difficult to work with business apps on devices that lack a keyboard and mouse. Citrix recently came out with the X1 Mouse, which improves the experience of working with any remote Windows app or desktop delivered to an iPad via Citrix virtualization technology.

Another any-device issue is where to keep your documents. This topic was raised in an article in The Register, “Can you really run your business on a smartphone?” The author recommends document storage using a cloud service such as OneDrive or Google Drive. When it comes to sharing those documents via email, be sure that the solution you choose is secure. ShareFile, a Citrix product, offers secure file sync, sharing and storage aimed at business users, not consumers.

Can you really work over any connection?

The answer to this question is both yes and no. It depends on the type of work you are doing. Graphics-intensive apps and video, for example, don’t play well on very limited network bandwidth. If you have a poor connection, consider doing some work offline. 

Security rears its ugly head here, too. Everyone has heard the warnings about working on confidential tasks such as financials over a public WiFi connection.

And another thing: Have you ever tried accessing the corporate intranet site from your phone without a VPN? Citrix WorxWeb, the company’s consumer-like browser, solves that problem by leveraging micro-VPN technology to securely access the corporate intranet via 4G or public WiFi. This is especially useful when you need access to internal resources not published to the Internet.

Not a total bust

As you can see, the mobile workspace isn’t totally without restrictions. The good news is that clever technologies (like Citrix Workspace Cloud) are being developed all the time to help us work wherever and however we choose.

More Resources
Mobility in the workplace is very different than what you see in the ads. Watch this video to see why, and what employees are really doing.

Interested in reviewing the blueprint for a foolproof mobility strategy?  Join this upcoming webinar.