Security and application management

Organisations will need the skills to develop, deploy, communicate and manage security policies that minimise the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. They will also have to ensure compliance with regulations, while at the same time maintaining usability and flexibility for mobile workers. In addition, technology professionals will need the skills to manage a proliferation of devices accessing the network and applications running on those devices ­although automated tools to do this are likely to become increasingly prevalent.

Strategy development

Before you can think about building solutions or buying products, you need to develop an effective mobile strategy. Your strategy will require people with the
ability to communicate effectively and co-ordinate efforts between the IT department and the rest of the business. They must have a broad understanding, not only of the various business and personal issues involved in making the technology work effectively, but also of the range of mobile technologies and solutions available to support that strategy.

Supplier and service management

In most organisations, many mobile systems and services will be managed by third parties. Having the skills to manage and co-ordinate a variety of partners and suppliers, ensuring their services and products continue to work together to do the bidding of your business, will be a key skill for many.

Keeping on top of convergence

Mobile systems and service vendors will throw acronyms at you, so it is vital to have the skills to understand what is technically possible and cost-effective on a variety of devices and networks. Since standards are changing all the time, organisations need people to track and understand the market automatically, on an ongoing basis, particularly in global organisations that need to keep abreast of regional convergence issues.

Business collaboration

Organisations will increasingly need the skills to ensure mobile workers have the tools they need to collaborate effectively across disparate locations and time zones ­including instant messaging, social networking and videoconferencing.