With the explosion of mobile devices over the last decade, it’s no surprise that mobile infrastructure is now an essential aspect of business operations. Smartphones worldwide almost doubled from 2016 to 2022, and since 2017, mobile devices have accounted for more than half of total global website traffic. This extends far beyond personal use, and public and private organizations are taking advantage of handheld devices to expand their horizons with technologies that are more convenient, efficient, and cost-effective. This article explains more about the need for mobile infrastructure, the difficulties involved, and the best solutions. 

What is mobile infrastructure?

Mobile technology is a relatively new phenomenon that has brought new capabilities and demands to modern businesses. The explosion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has meant that mobile devices are used for a wide range of purposes across various sectors, from inventory tracking to heart rate monitoring. Whatever the specific needs of a business, the growth of mobile use is an unavoidable reality.

But all-too-often, the deployment of mobile devices across legacy infrastructure is disjointed, with different systems running concurrently. Mobile fragmentation is the term used when different mobile devices within an organization are running on different mobile applications, software, or operating systems, possibly with updates applied at different times. Such mobile infrastructure planning usually leads to an inefficient, costly, and disorganized distribution of resources. Many organizations also suffer the consequences of failing to modernize within an optimal time period, which can cause greater disruption. 

This, together with the rapid development of mobile technology, is why mobile infrastructure is essential to the majority of industries. Enterprises are easily able to deploy dedicated mobile devices that respond to specific needs and purposes, but this is by no means the end of the story. Mobile infrastructure entails the management and administration of all mobile devices within the organization, the software, security, and other tools, as well as all logistical requirements. This ensures that all mobile devices in your business are on the same page, and the user is provided with a seamless, end-to-end experience.

The main components of mobile infrastructure

Mobile infrastructure is present in multiple layers within an organization. These include:

• Hardware – This includes mobile devices, which may be custom built for specific uses or operated on a flexible basis among employees or customers. This also includes all peripherals and the front-end aspects that make the applications more intuitive for the users.   
• Operating system – This could be a custom OS with Android or OS version control.  
• Middleware – The gateway that provides the secure connection between mobile applications and a centralized and often cloud-based server. This will be affected by the various mobile management programs and approaches used.  
• Logistics – This is everything that is needed for delivering the product to the end-user. It includes all the necessary certifications, kitting (compiling the product into one kit), packaging, warehousing, shipping, and returns.
• Back-end – The data sources and systems that are used for powering the use of mobile devices.

It is common for enterprises to deploy their own business apps that are able to connect directly to custom cloud solutions to be used as an integrated part of corporate mobile infrastructure. Alternatively, this can be included in the software and middleware solutions of the mobile infrastructure provider. 

Challenges for mobile infrastructure

Operating mobile infrastructure for business poses a range of different challenges, so not every company is in a position to offer an in-house solution that meets the needs of the entire organization. 

The management and administration of individual devices, applications, and platforms is a huge undertaking, as well as the integration of those devices into enterprise applications. In this age of digital transformation, many large businesses are left with legacy systems that are resistant to the introduction of new technologies, while smaller businesses often have budget limitations. In the cases where business mobile deployments are unplanned and disorganized, the organization may be left with a fragmented and inconsistent infrastructure that limits productivity and growth.  

With a high number of mobile endpoints that are vulnerable to attacks or theft, security is another pain point, and one way of addressing this is through access management. Meeting the ever-changing and increasing demands of regulatory frameworks is an additional ongoing issue that is often coupled with security challenges.

When organizations of all sizes are considering how to implement and maintain an effective mobile infrastructure strategy, these are some common pain points. 

How Mason provides for business mobile infrastructure

As mobile development has overtaken web/cloud development, there has been a growing and still unmet demand for providers of full-stack mobile infrastructure. This is where Mason comes in, with end-to-end solutions that provide for every process and level of a mobile fleet.  

Mason helps businesses with custom devices for sectors from healthcare to retail. This means firstly developing the hardware for mobile deployments, like tablets for remote education and wearables for first responders. Mason goes far beyond the usual offerings of MDM to deliver a complete mobile infrastructure, as well as a new level of efficiency and scalability to your organization that also maximizes uptime. 

The incredible benefits can be seen in the health sector, where telemedicine can improve access to medical care for those that need it. Mason has delivered mobile devices for eCOA (electronic clinical outcome assessment) and ePRO (electronic patient-reported outcome) so diagnoses can be made more quickly, conveniently, and accurately. Mason has also developed devices that include a smartwatch, which can be used for the purposes of remote patient monitoring (RPM). 

Mason prioritizes the user experience and gives businesses complete control of the custom Android operating system. We also provide everything that is needed to deliver devices to the end-user, which includes fleet device management and logistics services like kitting, provisioning and shipping. This creates an effective and viable option for those that are looking for a complete mobile management solution that leaves no weaknesses or inconsistencies in mobile infrastructure.

Let Mason help you scale with better infrastructure

However you choose to use your mobile hardware, Mason makes it easy to dive straight in. We can help take your idea for a single-purpose Android device and scale this to the fleet you require. All you need to do is create an account with Mason and order a Dev Kit to build your proof of concept. You can also request a demo to see how this will work for you.