Q&A with Orange Business Services: Exec Talks Mobile

TMC recently got Remy David, head of the Mobility Business Unit for Orange (News - Alert) Business Services, to tackle some questions about the implementation of MobileIron, which is now driving Orange’s Device Management Premium.

TMC (News - Alert): Why did you choose MobileIron?

David: Smartphones and tablets are becoming more and more integrated into daily enterprise computing, and MobileIron has a strong track record in delivering solid device management features for enterprise customers, particularly application and content management. Many customers started to run the service internally (‘do it yourself’), and now they want to upgrade to a managed service (OPEX (News - Alert) model) with carrier grade performance (i.e., 24x7 operations and service level commitments), which Orange Business Services specializes in. Also, Orange and MobileIron both have a strong international presence which has created new opportunities for regional sales teaming within our local go-to-market models.


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TMC: Why is MDM important to the fleet management industry?

David: MDM is very important for managing the diverse mix of personal and corporate devices that exist within an enterprise landscape. A fleet manager can trace all these mobile assets to ensure that they are in-line with a company’s policies and that workers receive the most optimal mobile experience to support their daily activities.

TMC: What is the most important feature of your new service?

David: Unique to this solution are tools for managing mobile applications and content. Fleet managers can control access to corporate applications and data sensitive documents, regardless if it’s a personal or corporate-issued device. It also provides a controlled medium for distributing mobile applications (public or proprietary) to the user population of a given company. Orange Business Services (News - Alert) is able to deliver this functionality as a full end-to-end service with device management and mobility connectivity on a global basis. This overall solution creates a comprehensive mobile workspace and it is available on multiple mobile operating systems (IOS, Android (News - Alert), Windows and Blackberry).

TMC: What is the most unique feature?

David: The most unique feature of the service is the worldwide coverage and the strong integration with all of Orange Business Services’ offerings. For example, if a customer is using security, voice and video solutions for their corporate laptops, they can mobilize all their existing solutions onto devices (smartphone or tablet). Thus, customers can extend their existing infrastructure investment into a mobile framework. Orange professional services provides the consulting and management expertise to guide customers through this process.

TMC: What do you expect from the MDM market and technology in the next year?

David: MDM is a strong growth market for Orange Business Services and its value proposition of end-to-end management capabilities across an international landscape. Customer demand for such services encompasses connectivity, device, software, data, security and customer care. We expect global management of data content and mobile applications to increase now that Device Management Premium is on the market as an available option. There is also a strong trend for mobile solutions that incorporate cloud technologies, M2M and NFC. Orange aims to stay on top of these trends and, through a combination of innovation and strong business partnerships, deliver solutions that speak to the modern multinational enterprise.