Like business leaders in every industry, decision makers in Financial Services (FS) organizations are increasingly turning to mobility to deliver on strategic objectives. They understand that mobilizing business processes can help improve customer satisfaction and response times; boost employee productivity; increase competitive advantage, and much more.

Most CIOs in these industries want nothing more than to help their line-of-business colleagues uncover new opportunities for growth.

As you decide on an Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of factors to weigh. Comparing features across three or four shortlisted solutions can become incredibly time-consuming.

As a starting point, consider the issues in the following list. It’s derived from third-party research and best practices. While not exhaustive, it covers the critical areas you’ll need to think through as you arrive at a decision.

You may also want to review our CIO’s Guide to EMM, which addresses the same topics, and others, in more detail.

Today, employees are tech savvy and want more of a say about the tools that they use to get their work done. But BYOD creates a number of challenges when it comes to enterprise mobility, and it’s essential that organizations know how to go about finding – and managing – the Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) platform that meets their needs today and will continue to in the future. Because BYOD will undoubtedly expand to include other technologies, devices, and mobile endpoints.

As the idea of comprehensive Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) has taken shape, organizations are increasingly enabling the kind of true mobility their employees have been clamoring for – and apps are a driving force.

For businesses, the ability to make this sort of mobility a reality for users has a lot to do with new developments in technology: advances not just in Mobile Device Management (MDM), but in Mobile App Management (MAM), Mobile Content Management (MCM) and security. MDM systems manage the basic configuration of device settings, access parameters, and policies/controls. MAM and MCM are software and services that can control how apps and content are accessed and used inside and outside of the office.

The mobility needs of both IT administrators and end users are rapidly evolving.

In many ways, those needs appear to be at odds. Users want to get more done on the move, with less interference from administrators. IT, on the other hand, has to deal with incredibly complex security concerns, from the latest mobile malware to how to enable BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) safely.

Operating in a regulated industry, like healthcare, adds a layer of complexity to many things – including mobility.

While enterprises in other industries may be concerned about security – health-related organizations and their business associates are obliged by law to conform to detailed rules around storing and sharing sensitive data.

Taking care of business in the 21st century means tapping into the collective creativity of employees. Equipping the modern workforce with conferencing, communications and other collaboration software and services is driving businesses of all sizes to reach new levels of productivity.

But why should teamwork take a hit when employees are away from the office?

Until recently, every second story in enterprise IT news seemed to be about the ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) phenomenon and its ever-increasing stronghold on the enterprise world. And indeed, recent research suggests that roughly 60% of global businesses may have implemented some form of BYOD already.

A mobile computing policy document (sometimes called an Acceptable Use Policy) tells employees what’s expected of them when it comes to using smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices for work. It marks out the responsibilities of the company as well.

These policies serve multiple purposes – but the most important are:

• Protecting corporate data and assets.

• Allowing productivity, accessibility and collaboration to happen safely, whenever and wherever it benefits the company.