Enterprise mobility has become an increasingly important part of enterprise connectivity, especially as many companies have shifted to remote, global, and hybrid work. Mobile devices and a strong mobile strategy ensure that employees and customers alike are receiving an optimized digital experience.
DMI, an IT service management and digital transformation company that specializes in enterprise mobility, focuses on creating client- and user experience (UX)-driven mobility solutions to match these new enterprise models of operation.
See below to learn about top enterprise mobility trends and expert insights from DJ Oreb, president of managed services at DMI:
DJ Oreb
DJ provides guidance and customer insights while retaining loyal and satisfied customers in today’s mobile-connected world. He possesses extensive industry experience in mobile life cycle management, mobile strategy, help desk, telecom expense management, procurement, and mobile device management (MDM). Oreb helps build strong relationships to develop mobile programs for customers. These drive business results to enhance and grow their mobile ecosystem and user experience.
Upon joining DMI, Oreb brought with him an extensive background in information technology, operations management, mobility management, managed services, systems administration, and project management. His customer-focused approach has brought customers new insights into how they manage their mobile programs today.
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Enterprise Mobile Q&A
Building an enterprise mobile career
Datamation: How did you first get started in or develop an interest in mobility services, mobile strategy, and the enterprise mobile industry?
Oreb: I developed an interest in mobility when I got the Nokia 3310 mobile phone. I was intrigued by the ability to be connected on the go and saw it as a turning point in what was possible as well as what it could do for the enterprise.
Datamation: What are your primary responsibilities in your current role?
Oreb: I am the president of the managed services organization at DMI. I am responsible for our managed mobility services, IT infrastructure services, and end-user services portfolio of business and the quality delivery of these services to global commercial enterprises and federal agencies.
In my role, my goal is to design mobile strategies and create solution offerings focused on business objectives and goals, keeping the end-user experience at the forefront of everything we do. I am extremely focused on continued global growth and the expansion of enterprise-based mobile service offerings that allow companies to consolidate costs and improve the end-user experience, by leveraging the latest in automation, technology, and tools.
About DMI
Datamation: Briefly, what does DMI do as a company?
Oreb: DMI is a global professional services company that specializes in digital strategy, design, transformation, and support. Consultants at the core, we bring together an integrated set of enterprise transformation services and solutions to help organizations evolve through the next wave of digital and beyond.
Our business model centers on being a seamless extension of our clients’ businesses, providing the partnership, domain expertise, and technical skill to both optimize existing investments and fuel growth through innovation. Whether it is a shift in culture, system, or business model, we meet organizations where they are and provide the tools, resources, and guidance they need to move them from foundation to future.
Datamation: What makes DMI a unique place to work?
Oreb: I really believe that our tagline “Digital at the Edge, Human at the Core” perfectly captures what makes DMI unique. Often in other large or global companies, innovation tends to be an afterthought and may be difficult to achieve at scale.
However, at DMI, “Digital at the Edge” represents our culture of innovation and being endlessly driven by solutions for problems. It’s about constantly working and searching for what’s next and leveraging technology to pioneer the future. And “Human at the Core” means that everything we do is centered around people. From the solutions we provide to our clients, to supporting our communities and employees’ career growth, people are what anchor us to our work.
Datamation: What makes DMI stand out from other mobile solutions and service providers in the market? Why do enterprise customers choose to work with you for their enterprise mobile needs?
Oreb: DMI doesn’t take the cookie-cutter approach when determining mobile solutions for clients. We are customer-obsessed and believe in always providing flexibility and transparency in our relationships to deliver unmatched service and security at a lower cost than our clients can achieve on their own. Because of this, DMI has been continuously recognized by industry analysts and has been named a leader in the Gartner “Magic Quadrant” for managed mobility services for six consecutive years.
With more than 200 customers in 60 countries, DMI is one of the leading providers in the industry that provides a fully integrated set of mobility services and digital transformation solutions, including mobile strategy, cloud, app development, Internet of things (IoT) and connected vehicle, cybersecurity, digital commerce, data analytics and artificial intelligence, CX, and digital marketing.
With over four million devices (smartphones, tablets, ruggedized devices, and field devices) under management, DMI is a one-stop shop for all things mobile – staying up to date on the latest technology, research, and next-gen innovations to enhance our solutions and continue to bring value to our customers today and tomorrow.
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Enterprise mobility and strategies for success
Datamation: How can enterprise mobility solutions and better mobile strategies impact the success and/or efficiencies of an organization?
Oreb: With the right enterprise mobile strategy and partner, especially when built with a human-centric/CX focus, organizations can expect more innovation and better results, such as:
- Reduction in customer complaints
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Increased client referrals
- Increased customer lifetime value
- Improved ease of doing business
- Fewer lost customers
- Gains in social and market credibility
All of these translate to reduced costs, increased revenue, and customer loyalty for the business.
Datamation: What is the biggest mobility-related mistake that you see enterprises making?
Oreb: As technology continues to evolve, so should your service offerings and the level of support your end users receive. With that said, I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a mistake; however, we often see customers that fear the transition process to another provider.
For us, we see this as an opportunity. With hundreds of successful mobile implementations completed, we have mastered the heavy lifting associated with our customers’ mobility programs, by delivering the ultimate in mobility uptime, performance, service, and security. The fear of impacting end users during a transition has become much less of a risk than it was even five years ago.
Datamation: How can enterprises get started with strong mobile device management (MDM) and overall mobile strategies?
Oreb: There are a couple of different methods that can be leveraged when building a great mobile strategy, but our typical approach starts with a consulting engagement and discovery evaluation to create a base layer mobile strategy. Part of that is to first understand the needs of your users and the business objectives. Then, it’s examining your technology in the service of the first two elements. Specifically, it’s about assessing your systems of engagement with an eye toward enabling flexibility, scalability, and innovation.
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Trends in enterprise mobile today
Datamation: What major trends are you noticing related to 5G, IoT, and edge computing, and how do these developments affect the overall enterprise mobile landscape?
Oreb: One of the biggest drivers towards 5G is the ability to evaluate current infrastructures and the flexibility 5G will provide in consolidation opportunities. With the continued proliferation of data and connected networks, IoT has exploded, allowing businesses to drive real-time data insights and new revenue streams through engagement at the edge.
Applications like augmented reality (AR), remote vehicle control, and point-of-sale credit card fraud detection can’t tolerate latent response times from a cloud server. However, redeploying compute power closer to the point of the transaction can cut response times by something like 90%. In scenarios like autonomous vehicles, where the term mobility has taken on a whole new meaning, that could be the difference between life and death.
Datamation: What do you think we’ll see more of in the enterprise mobile space in the next five to 10 years? What areas will grow the most over the next decade?
Oreb: I believe, in the next five to 10 years, we will see a large adoption of mobile equipment becoming the primary use for business users. With the consistent innovation of hardware and mobile operating systems, we see the mobility landscape growing to a more mobile-first focused strategy, especially with a drive toward hybrid business operating models.
Datamation: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your clients’ approach to enterprise mobility solutions?
Oreb: As the pandemic had a tremendous impact on organizations globally, many companies began looking to managed service providers to help support the shift to a remote or increasingly mobile, workforce. In addition, they required a repeatable practice to rapidly scale up and down, while having the capability for staff to collaborate remotely and securely.
Whether it was the need for virtual desktops, better collaboration, or contactless shopping options, we partnered with our clients to help get them back to work, maintain operations, and enable their workforces to sustain their business now and through the long-term.
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Enterprise mobility for global good
Datamation: How do you think that enterprise mobile solutions can better be leveraged as a technology for global good? More specifically, how has DMI used mobility solutions to help the greater community?
Oreb: As one example, last year, DMI partnered with state agencies to stand up a next-gen digital call center solution to assist residents with scheduling their vaccinations and providing appropriate resources to answer questions. One call center was stood up in 10 days and was quickly able to scale over 70,000 calls per day with no slowdowns.
Callers were triaged for vaccination eligibility and then given options to self-schedule, request a phone call back, request an instant, text, or Facebook message back, or send questions via an auto-bot or live representative.
Not only did the call center support inbound inquiries, but it was designed to proactively contact underserved communities and disadvantaged populations to provide education and assistance to bridge the equity divide. Nearly 500,000 constituents have received an appointment through the call center to date.
In addition to the COVID-19 training received by the agents, they received training in compassionate engagement and sympathetic understanding, and they were coached on the anxiety many residents faced during this stressful time. This training was critical as they were the first contact with the state, and several extreme situations with desperate callers were handled adeptly — through quick thinking and compassion-forward dialog between the agent and resident.
The call center was initiated for a once-in-a-generation pandemic response but demonstrated what a best-in-class operation can deliver. In addition to less than 1% of calls being dropped and being able to scale to the massive demand from residents, the call center delivered invaluable data that provided insights into what programs and initiatives could be run to improve vaccine penetration across the state.
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An expert perspective on enterprise mobility
Datamation: How have you seen the enterprise mobile market change since you first started? How have the technologies, conversations, and people changed over time?
Oreb: Since I first started, the enterprise mobile market has become more competitive. It has also provided the ability to leverage more technology to help drive a better end-user experience. It has allowed the ability for businesses and enterprises to expand globally with their presence and drive more formalized and tracked processes and information, via a mobile application and/or a connected-anywhere approach.
Leading and growing in an enterprise mobile career
Datamation: How do you like to help or otherwise engage less experienced tech professionals?
Oreb: I am a big believer in employee elevation. What that means to us is we like to take someone with less experience and teach them the industry and what we do, creating a career path for them to grow within our organization or create an opportunity for them to find what drives them and help get them there.
Continuous education for your employees is important. However, also understanding the goals and desires of your employees helps you create an environment and culture of innovation, which, in turn, enables collaboration and diversity of thought across all experience levels.
Datamation: If you had to work in any other industry or role, what would it be and why?
Oreb: Honestly, I could not see myself in any other industry. I have spent almost my entire career in this space and could not imagine any other industry I would rather be a part of. This industry is one that continues to grow and evolve. With consistent changes, it allows the ability to continue to learn and create new opportunities.
Datamation: What do you consider the best part of your workday or workweek?
Oreb: The best part of my workweek is when I get the opportunity to engage with my employees and customers and truly see the impact the work we do makes in their lives.
Datamation: What are you most proud of in your professional and/or personal life?
Oreb: The thing I am most proud of is my team. They are the main reason I continue doing what I do, day in and day out. In my personal life, I am most proud of how this industry has evolved and the opportunities it opens for my daughters within the tech space.
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