Tablets are Transforming How Government Works

Tablets are Transforming the Way Government Works

A Frost & Sullivan White Paper

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contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3

The Value of Tablets in the Workplace ........................................................................................ 3

Tablets Make Federal Government Better: Key Use Cases ...................................................... 5

Deployed Military Personnel ....................................................................................................... 7

Security: Priority Number One ................................................................................................... 7

Choosing the Right Tablet for Your Agency and User Base: Creators and Consumers ......... 9

Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................10

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Improving Profitability, Improving Customer Loyalty, Improving Lives

All rights reserved © 2015 Frost & Sullivan

IntroductIon

Federal government mandates are changing the ways in which public employees work, emphasizing flexible workplaces that encourage people to work from home, the road or nimble satellite offices. As the government looks to address key trends in the 21st century, it is emphasizing policies that reduce emissions through shorter or eliminated commutes, support an improved customer experience for its citizens, and allow employees greater work/life balance—all in the hopes of improving productivity and outcomes. Agencies must find cost-effective ways to improve processes, speed decision-making, increase customer satisfaction, and drive results from all areas of the organization.

Frost & Sullivan research shows that the applications and devices that employees are using to do their jobs are increasingly designed to support a remote and virtual workforce, while enabling advanced communication and collaboration—the very tools necessary for the new workplace. According to a Frost & Sullivan survey of more than 500 IT decision-makers in the US, the top five drivers for IT investments among government organizations are improving productivity (70%), reducing costs (66%), accelerating decision-making (61%), improving collaboration (59%) and improving the customer/citizen experience (56%).

To help achieve those goals, the same study shows 52% of government agencies have employees who are using tablets for work. The vast majority of government organizations deploy tablets to employees based on job role or location; 61% of employees use the devices daily, and another 19% use them at least weekly. Increasingly, government workers are relying on tablets to replace desktop PCs, especially when they are attached to a docking station that supports an external monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Agencies of all sizes can benefit from tablets to improve communication and collaboration, including access to email and conferencing, as well as back-office and productivity functions supported by enterprise applications. Users can expect to cut costs, reduce downtime and increase productivity. This paper will examine the trends that are driving the rise in tablet usage in the Federal government; look at several use cases that will benefit agencies according to their roles; and offer best-practices recommendations for choosing the best device for every user and ensuring they meet all security and compliance requirements.

the Value of tablets In the Workplace

It should not come as news to anyone that the nature of the workplace is changing. A recent Frost & Sullivan research survey of more than 500 businesses, schools and government agencies in the United States shows that only 45% of employees regularly work in a traditional office. The rest are spread out among small satellite offices in which they may be the only employee, home offices, or mobile locations such as airports and hotels.

A recent Frost & Sullivan research survey of more than 500 businesses, schools and government agencies in the United States shows that only 45 percent of employees regularly work in a traditional office.

45 % of employees

regularly workin a traditional

office.

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Furthermore, employees are demanding—and, increasingly, using—advanced technologies in the workplace that change the nature of how work gets done. Partly, this is the result of the fact that so many employees are increasingly mobile, which affects the tools they use and how they use them. Tablets and smart phones are gaining ground on laptop computers when it comes to getting work done. The recent Frost & Sullivan study reveals that among all US businesses, schools and agencies, 57% of employees use tablets to get work done. Among government agencies in particular, that number is 51%—higher than in the retail and financial services sectors.

57 % of employees use tablets to get work done.

The recent Frost & Sullivan study reveals that among all US businesses, schools and agencies, 57 percent of employees use tablets to get work done. Among government agencies in particular, that number is 51 percent—higher than in the retail and financial services sectors.

Tablets were first used at work by employees who realized they are often ideal for many business processes, including communication and collaboration, content creation and consumption, and data entry. Because they balance the usability of laptops and the portability of smart phones, tablets are fast becoming the primary endpoint in many organizations. Tablets offer bigger displays for multimedia communication, collaboration and content consumption; purpose-built productivity tools for content creation; bigger add-on keypads for more accurate, ergonomic typing; more memory for data storage; faster CPUs for speedy processing power; and longer battery life for all-day use, even under trying conditions. Thousands of mobile apps and support for business software are now common for tablet operating systems, including back-office applications like supply chain management and enterprise resource planning.

The reason government IT decision-makers are allowing, encouraging and/or enabling the use of tablets at the office is clear: the primary drivers for IT investments among government organizations are improving productivity, reducing costs, accelerating decision-making, improving collaboration, and improving the customer experience. Tablets can help in all those areas, because they are less costly than full-featured PCs, and yet they make it easier for employees to work from anywhere, which, in turn, speeds decision-making and enables collaboration (since people have access to the colleagues and data they need, when they need it). That then improves the customer experience.

Among government agencies, 6% deploy tablets to all employees, while 64% give them to employees based on job role or location. Only 27% give the devices only to managers and executives. Tablets are also used almost as often as laptops and smart phones. Among government agencies, 61% report that tablets are used every day, and 19% say they are used at least weekly.

Finally, tablets are also seen as having a positive impact on the biggest challenges faced by IT within government organizations. IT decision-makers in government agencies say that the biggest challenge they face is making effective and timely investments in IT. They are also concerned with the amount of time they spend on day-to-day

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management, at the expense of more strategic initiatives, and with supporting remote, mobile and branch-office workers. In the survey, 75% say tablets help them support mobile workers, 30% use them to train IT staff, and 18% find them valuable when it comes to making good investments in IT.

tablets Make federal GoVernMent better: key use cases

Tablets can help with all those challenges, because they make it easier for employees to get the information they need when they need it, regardless of where they are. This is especially true when the tablets support business and communications applications used regularly by employees.

Of course, tablets can support different use cases, depending on the employees’ job roles or the mission of the agency for which they work. Here’s a look at some of the most effective uses of tablets in government today.

Citizen-Facing Services

Tablets can transform customer service when used properly and in the right locations. If a tablet is linked to a point-of-sale system and a credit-card reader, it can effectively act as a check-out device, allowing customers to make purchases from literally anywhere. This is especially valuable when volume is high. For example, employees in a passport office, TSA pre-check center, or citizenship and immigration office can use tablets to speed the process of filling out forms, collecting payments and even printing out documentation; tablets in hand, employees can work with constituents while they stand in line, shortening the wait for everyone and ensuring a smooth and equitable process.

Likewise, government employees can take tablets with them when their work requires that they operate outside a traditional office. For instance, employees of regulatory agencies, such as the EPA, CDC Census and DHS, can use tablets as they interact with their constituents in the field. With remote access to back-office programs and data, these employees can leverage case information, government requirements and regulations, related reports, and so on. They can use the tablet’s camera feature to document evidence and then upload it to the main server. And they can connect with colleagues in real time to answer questions, manage relationships or mitigate contentious issues as soon as they arise.

Training

Increasingly, government agencies are delivering training remotely, rather than having employees travel to a central location, or sending trainers to offices around the country to educate workers on new services, technology, benefits or processes. This saves time and money, since employees don’t have to leave their primary location in order to get the training they need, much of which is federally mandated. Agencies can save thousands of dollars on travel expenses for each attendee or trainer, and once the learning is complete, employees can put it to work immediately as they quickly return to their daily activities. Better yet, remote training that takes advantage of video and Web conferencing to share screenshots, data and applications is often more effective than in-person sessions, since employees are better able to see and digest the information, ask questions, and review the recorded material later.

Tablets make remote training easier than ever, and they improve the process enormously for workers who are tasked with location-specific duties. Taking a tablet into a field setting such as a power plant, military outpost, national park, museum, school or laboratory allows employees to get hands-on training right where they need it most. Educators can literally show students what they need to know, using the tools and techniques they will apply in the field. Attendees can access all relevant information, even if it resides in data stores or applications. And they can perform actions as needed in real time, get an instant evaluation, and try again as needed.

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In-Field Service and Support

One of the most compelling uses for tablets is in-field service and support. Service personnel effectively “live” in the field, but in the process of doing their jobs where they need to, they often lose access to critical information, experienced colleagues, and enterprise applications. Tablets provide all that data in real time, allowing service employees to improve the customer experience. They connect workers in the field to everything from manuals and information on regulatory requirements to videos showing exactly how to perform a certain action.

For instance, federal employees working for the Department of Transportation can carry tablets into the field to monitor projects and infrastructure improvements; Veterans Affairs workers can take them into hospital settings to share information and process improvements; Air Force and Navy airmen can use them as an electronic Flight Bag, containing everything from parts and maintenance records to manuals and safety checklists; and military personnel can use them for conducting repairs on vehicles and other equipment anywhere in the world.

Workforce Management

Workforce management (WFM) makes it simple for managers to assign the right people to the right job at the right time. But doing so requires having insight into employee skills and availability, and a clear understanding of when staffing needs to be increased or decreased, depending on seasonal, deadline-driven or other variations. Many government agencies use workforce management software to go beyond basic scheduling to predict workload and staff requirements; ensure full-time and part-time schedules are compliant with regulatory requirements; use GPS and other location data to ensure maximum efficiency, especially for field workers; and monitor, analyze and modify workforce trends.

Among government agencies, six percent deploy tablets to all employees, while 64 percent give them to employees based on job role or location. Only 27 percent give the devices only to managers and executives. Tablets are also used almost as often as laptops and smart phones. Among government agencies, 61 percent report that tablets are used every day, and 19 percent say they are used at least weekly.

Based on job role or location

6%

64%

27%6%

19%

Used everyday Used Weekly

When WFM software is loaded onto a tablet, and when that device can access back-office information from the cloud, managers can better make real-time decisions. Tablets also make it easy for mobile employees to update their time cards, and they can leverage a tablet’s built-in GPS technology to locate and manage mobile field workers and make sure they are completing their tasks on schedule. Other common capabilities include worker tracking, wireless forms and timecards, geo-fencing, and remote dispatching.

A recent Frost & Sullivan survey of 300 North American mobile-app decision-makers revealed that 53% have already deployed WFM mobile apps, and another 23% plan to do so in the next three years. Among those that

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have deployed the software, 60% do so on tablet devices—an extraordinary shift from just a few years ago, when PCs still dominated the arena.

deployed MIlItary personnel

Military personnel can benefit significantly from tablets in almost every aspect of their service. A Navy mechanic working on a complicated repair aboard an aircraft carrier can download specs from a manual, watch a video on the necessary steps, and even conference in an engineer located back on base for information and support. Once the work is done and any tests are complete, he can upload a record of the fix, fill out the required paperwork, and log his time in a workforce-management system.

Meanwhile, doctors in the field can use tablets to access patient data and other information immediately as they treat patients. If care requires the input of a specialist, medics can conference one in from anywhere in the world, using video and screen sharing to exchange information. Similarly, a National Guardsman deployed to a natural disaster site can use a tablet to collaborate with colleagues both on site and in offices and administrative buildings around the country.

Finally, we are seeing increased use of tablets in theater to allow front-line troops access to geographic data, information on enemy positions and key territories, and commanders in the rearguard who can give and adjust orders on the fly, 24 hours a day, from anywhere.

IT decision makers in government agencies say that the biggest challenge they face is making effective and timely investments in IT.

Tablets can also make it much easier for deployed soldiers to stay connected to friends and family at home. Because tablets are so portable and powerful, they can be taken into remote locations much more easily than a laptop PC, but they offer significantly better capabilities than a phone. With a large screen and support for video conferencing, for instance, a soldier deployed overseas can meet with her fiancé and a wedding planner to scout locations, audition bands and even select food and wine for the ceremony. Or a seaman aboard ship can use a tablet to accompany his wife and toddler on a visit to a pre-school, then use it to download the required parental paperwork, e-sign it, and upload it to the school in minutes.

securIty: prIorIty nuMber one

One of the cornerstones of any tablet implementation must be security. Mobile device management (MDM) is critical for companies that want to ensure their employees can be as productive as possible on the devices they choose to use to get work done. This is true not just for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scenarios, but also

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for corporate-owned, personally enabled (COPE) and straight-forward corporate-only deployments. In many civilian-focused government agencies, BYOD and COPE represent a significant shift in how work gets done; for Department of Defense and other highly securitized agencies, employer-issued technology is the norm. But in either case, organizations must pay very close attention to the security of their systems, applications and data—and tightly control who gets access, and when.

The first step is to recognize exactly how employees intend to use their tablets, including the business apps and information they will access, the networks they will connect to, and the personal preferences that shape their use. It is generally not good policy to prioritize “security” over “personal preference” except in the most locked-down environments (in which employees clearly understand the restrictions placed upon them as part of the job). Doing so only increases the risk that employees will simply circumvent any security systems and policies, using personal, unsecured devices at the office and posing significant risk to the organization. A good MDM solution will be able to compartmentalize devices, separating work from personal personas and securing only the former as needed.

Government IT decision makersare allowing, encouraging and/orenabling the use of tablets at the

office is clear:

the primary drivers for IT investments among government organizations are improving productivity, reducing costs, accelerating decision making, improving collaboration, and improving the customer experience.

IT managers should never leave it to employees to secure their own devices, but it is also impractical in today’s 24/7 workplace to require that they surrender their tablets for days at a time as they wait for software to be installed, configured and tested. Choose an MDM system with pre-built configurations that enable self-provisioning without requiring the organization to surrender control. Also, IT should make it a point to talk to department heads and end users to get a clear understanding of their needs and requirements before they set policies and deploy MDM throughout the agency.

When looking for a reliable MDM solution, IT managers must consider several factors:

1. All-in-one solutions are not necessarily best; a partner eco-system that incorporates best-of-breed capabilities from a variety of vendors may deliver better management, security and value.

2. Start by controlling access to applications and data from satellite sites, home offices and mobile locations such as hotels and airports. But don’t neglect to consider the personal preferences, tools and information employees rely on every day—sometimes to better manage work/life balance, and sometimes to actually get work done. Look for a solution that can handle both.

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3. Don’t resign yourself to spending a lot of time and money retro-fitting enterprise applications and databases for tablet use. A good MDM solution should require only modest incremental investment, and may even deliver a net gain thanks to the productivity increase it delivers.

4. Look for government certification, including DISA STIG, Common Criteria, NIAP, and NSA approvals.

5. Design consistent, easily understood policies—backed by software to support them—that everyone can follow all the time.

Samsung’s KNOX Workspace Protects the House

Samsung’s KNOX Workspace is a secure and fully isolated environment on the device, complete with its own home screen, launcher, apps and widgets. The Knox container is managed by MDM policies and integrates with Exchange ActiveSync as well as a variety of VPN solutions, allowing IT to tailor policies to the needs of the organization and end users. Data at rest is secured using on-device encryption and two-factor authentication (SmartCards supported); data in transit is secured with per-app or container-level VPN. In the case of theft, MDM administrators can remotely wipe the entire device or just the Knox Workspace container.

Organizations that deploy Samsung tablets can also opt to use the cloud-based Knox EMM to manage the devices, free of charge. The system supports more than 550 IT policies out of the box, as well as 1,500 MDM APIs. Knox offers a wide variety of pre-loaded apps, including contacts, calendar, phone, browser, camera and email.

Samsung’s KNOX Workspace security provides kernel monitoring to detect any unauthorized modifications and prevent malicious attacks; prevents rooted devices from accessing agency resources; and utilizes TrustZone to provide hardware-backed storage for cryptography keys and client certificates.

Knox security provides kernel monitoring to detect any unauthorized modifications and prevent malicious attacks; prevents rooted devices from accessing agency resources; and utilizes TrustZone to provide hardware-backed storage for cryptography keys and client certificates.

choosInG the rIGht tablet for your aGency and user base: creators and consuMers

As more organizations choose to deploy or allow tablets in the workplace, vendors are expanding their offerings to satisfy a wide variety of end-users’ and IT buyers’ needs. To see maximum ROI from any investment, it’s critical to select the right device for the job—based on employee roles, agency requirements, security needs, and so on. Here are a few features to consider as you select tablets for your government workers:

• Cost When it comes to new technology, many IT buyers puts cost at the top of their list; for tablets specifically, 31% of IT decision-makers cite cost as the primary reason for not deploying the devices. But the reality is, many tablets cost less than a new smart phone, let alone a PC. Of course, you get what you pay for, and devices priced for the consumer market are generally not robust enough for government use. For maximum return on investment, make sure the device(s) you choose can deliver the necessary power, speed, battery life and application support.

• Screen One of the biggest considerations when selecting a tablet is the display. Size and quality matter more for some use cases than others. If your users will be consuming (or creating) a lot of video, a big HD screen is critical. If they are more likely to use the devices for data entry or POS applications, display quality might take a back seat to processing power and memory.

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• CPU If you’re looking at using tablets to replace notebook PCs, and/or if you intend to deploy them for processor-intensive tasks like data mining and analysis, the CPU matters. Employees who will be using the device to run multiple applications, or to use CAD and other intensive programs, must have a device that will support their efforts. Employees who will mainly be consuming information can emphasize other features.

• Operating system Although Apple stormed the market with its iPad and iOS, Android devices are quickly gaining ground. In the recent Frost & Sullivan survey of more than 500 US IT decision-makers, 59% report their companies support Android devices. They favor Android for its support of multiple business applications, a more open ecosystem, a customizable UI, and quicker development time lines.

• Support for enterprise applications. This is critical for workplace users. Make sure the tablet(s) you deploy can support the applications and services your employees need to get their jobs done.

RuggedizedTabletsAddressSpecificNeeds

Ruggedized tablets are designed for in-field use and are especially valuable for mobile workers operating in difficult arenas. Built to withstand falls, dirt and intense conditions, ruggedized tablets are ideal for deployed military personnel who can use them in theaters without standard “office” environments, including tents, armored vehicles, ships, and even the battlefield itself. They are also a great choice for fleet managers and mechanics who spend most of their time repairing vehicles and other government property on site; and white-collar workers who travel as part of their jobs, such as IRS auditors, attorneys, case workers, and so on. With prices competitive with ordinary tablets, and lower than most PCs, ruggedized tablets are also economical. And because they deliver timely information to users as soon as it’s needed; leverage video, presence and chat for improved communications; and are easy to take into almost any situation, they often deliver better ROI than their less burley counterparts for certain use cases.

But buyers should know that certain requirements must be met in order for a device to meet MIL-STD 810G, which is mandatory for the Department of Defense and other agencies. These include drop tests, the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, shock testing, ballistics resistance, and more. Not all tablets meet this spec, so make sure yours do if needed.

conclusIon

Frost & Sullivan research shows that the US government commercial mobile devices market amounted to approximately $510 million in 2013, including devices, applications, and services. The Federal government is committed to expanding the use of mature mobile devices in order to save money, reduce integration costs, enhance operational capability, and drive productivity. Future mobile device trends include secure mobile access to enterprise networks, protecting wireless networks, and the development of new apps. The DoD is the primary consumer of mobile device products and services, and will remain the most influential organization in government for policy and procurement, but it also demands reliable security and control mechanisms, as do many civilian agencies.

Government agencies that want to leverage tablets within the organization to boost collaboration, speed decision-making, improve productivity, help with work/life balance and support an increasingly mobile workplace need to pay close attention to the use cases their employees encounter, and purchase an appropriate device to meet those needs. They should also make security and control a top priority to ensure all access to government applications and data is protected—even on personal devices.

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Melanie Turek

Tablets are Transforming How Government Works

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of Tablets are Transforming How Government Works