Mobility in Government
Last week, I attended Bisnow’s “The Future of Mobility” event. The first half of the event focused on mobile adoption and innovation in the federal government. Speakers included:
- Gwynne Kostin, GSA
- Doug Smith, Oceus
- Greg Youst, DISA
- Mark Williams, Airwatch (moderator)
Gwynne started by sharing some of the interesting mobile apps that have recently been developed by government agencies, such as:
She clarified that GSA’s job is to help agencies amplify and accelerate these innovations and to assist with information-sharing.
Greg, the mobility lead at DISA, said his biggest challenge is balancing security and usability. By the time a phone is approved for DoD use by NSA, the device is oftentimes off the market. However things are looking up, NSA recently released their secure android requirements, and a Dell-customized android phone is approved for use.
Because of the DoD’s unique requirements, the agency is also standing up their own mobile app store to address the military and other DoD audiences such as NATO, military dependents and the National Guard. The Army already has more than 300 apps in the store, some of which were contributed by soldiers.
BYOD or Bring Your Own Device continues to be a hot topic in government. The VA is one of the few agencies that has BYOD policies in place; the agency has allowed a limited number of iPads and iPhones since October 2011. However, there are still many issues yet to be decided, such as:
- what information is available on mobile devices
- what apps can be downloaded
- what level of control the government has over a personal device
On the other hand, the Defense department is still a long way off from embracing BYOD. DISA and other DoD agencies will begin with government-supplied devices and strong mobile device management tools (MDM) in place.
Though mobile adoption seems to be a goal, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed.
-- Katie Hanusik
Photo Credit: Bisnow