Attention Agencies – It’s Time to Enable Your Mobile Workforce

I am drafting this blog on my laptop, sitting in the Embassy Suites lounge in Raleigh, North Carolina, enjoying the complimentary breakfast buffet. I share this not to disclose my breakfast habits, nor my whereabouts but to illustrate that we are relying more and more on mobile devices to keep us connected, both professionally and personally. In fact analysts predict that by the end of 2013, 80 percent of companies will allow BYOD (bring your own device) for employees.

As today’s workers embrace mobility, they have expectations that their experience outside of the office should mirror their experience inside the office. With mobility trends like telework and BYOD on the rise, it’s important that government organizations stay ahead of technology trends to better deliver their employees with the right tools that allow them to collaborate from anywhere at any time.

Last week, I looked at how government organizations are using telepresence to improve collaboration and lower costs and now it’s time to look at how we are extending the power of telepresence to the mobile workforce. Solutions like Cisco Jabber are making it easier than ever for organizations to collaborate from anywhere, anytime on almost any device.

You’ve likely heard stories about how introducing mobility to the workforce cuts real estate costs, ensures continuity of operations and enables a work-life balance. But, in places like Texas, they’re pushing the envelope and using mobile technologies in innovative ways–especially within the judicial system.

Mobile solutions are allowing government workers to turn any space into a hub of connectivity. Whether they’re in a county jail or a police car, government workers can quickly solve problems in real time from virtually any device.

In the video “San Antonio is Making Communities Safer with Video”, we see how San Antonio enables a mobile workforce, giving workers the access to resources they need wherever and whenever it’s convenient for them. But most importantly, it better equips government workers to respond to emergencies, resolve conflicts and leverage resources which in the end benefits citizens.

When you look at how mobile collaboration is transforming law enforcement for the City of San Antonio, working from a breakfast bar in a Raleigh hotel seems so 10 years ago. And I guess that’s the point – innovative agencies are finding new ways to use collaboration all of the time to better serve their constituents. If your organization had on-the-go access to collaborative technologies, what would you do?