Going mobile in the middle of the pack, lesson 2
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

In mobile content deployment, the right technology partnerships can mean the difference between success and expensive failure. This second of three "lessons from publishers" helps enterprise information strategists consider partnerships that can reduce risk whilst improving outcomes.

Item

Find the right partnerships

With any technology, organisations face a fundamental question: buy it, lease it, or build your own. 

Mobile platform technology offers challenging variations on this fundamental question. There are currently four operating systems and dozens of devices through which users might want to access content. 

Any attempt to deliver content to user devices requires either restrictions on which devices can be used or significant investment in ongoing development to keep pace with changing technology. Or both. 

A fourth alternative to the "buy/lease/build" offers great opportunity: partner for it. Many publishers have successfully taken this route to reduce their risk whilst improving results.

Partnership can happen at different levels:

• Full-service: Work with a service-provider that can cover the entire range of needs from initial conception through delivery and support
• Specific service: Identify a specialist provider that offers a solution for some component of the project requirements. For example, security and authentication are key issues for many organisations trying to deliver content to their mobile knowledge workers; there are specialist software providers that develop and support technology "layers" that sit between a content set and the end user and can provide seamless authentication and compliance-ready security to ensure the content is only delivered appropriately.

I use the term "partner" rather than "outsource" because there are distinct opportunities in the still-maturing mobile environment to share risk and cost with a partner/provider, rather than simply pay for a service.

Many service providers are eager to capture user data and enterprise evaluations so that they can continue to improve in a highly competitive environment. If you can craft a partnership that enables a provider to get this kind of input in a methodological manner, you are providing partner-value far beyond any service fees.

Get help on applying these lessons in your own organisation: email me at robin.neidorf@freepint.com for information.

Three-part series:

• Lesson 1
• Lesson 2
• Lesson 3

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