IT failures are a real and impactful concern in modern, highly connected workforces that result in both costly downtime and possible reputational damage. According to a recent study by Uptime Institute, at least two-thirds of IT outages end up costing the impacted company more than $100,000 in damages, lost revenue, and repair costs.
Outages or downtime caused by failed mobile deployments are no different. They have cascading impacts across an organization that impact employees, customers, and the company’s bottom line. Identifying and proactively avoiding common reasons for mobile device deployment failure, therefore, should be a top priority for organizations with large hardware fleets.
This article will explore some of the common reasons for mobile device deployment failure, and offer advice on how to avoid them.
What does “failure” mean in mobile device deployment?
Mobile device deployment failure refers to a company’s inability to effectively roll out, configure, secure, and manage a fleet of mobile devices.
Failure, of course, can occur in various ways, and with varying degrees of severity. Some signs of a failed mobile device deployment include:
- Devices that are not properly configured or fail to meet user needs
- Security vulnerabilities, such as data breaches due to weak protection protocols
- High downtime or operational disruptions due to lack of support
- Increased IT support costs from troubleshooting poorly deployed devices
- Failure to scale deployment as the company grows
This failure leads to operational inefficiencies, security risks, increased costs, and additional administrative burden on IT teams due to ongoing troubleshooting, patching, and help desk tickets.
Failure can be severe and catastrophic, such as a complete blackout of the mobile device network or a major data breach. Or it can be minor and build over time, such as increasing IT burden due to poor configuration or a lack of management processes.
In both cases, failure can have serious and lasting impacts across the organization, reducing the efficacy of the mobile device fleet and causing wastage through lost productivity and increased management tasks.
7 reasons that mobile device deployments fail
We’ll explore the impact of failed mobile device deployments later in the article. First, let’s look at some of the most common reasons that mobile device deployments fail, and what you can do to prevent them.
1. Poor initial configuration and lack of standardization
When mobile devices are rolled out without proper configuration, it can lead to significant operational inefficiencies, security risk, downtime, and generally inconsistent user experiences. This impacts overall productivity, and can result in downtime or data breaches that can be costly and damage your company’s reputation in the market.
Examples of poorly configured mobile devices include not having the proper settings for the device, not installing the required apps, not providing adequate access permissions, or giving access to sensitive information where it’s not warranted. Essentially, the mobile device is deployed without the proper setup, causing user issues down the line.
Configuration failures often occur due to:
- Rushed deployments without clear processes
- A lack of automation in the staging process
- Poor communication between IT, management, and end users
Professional staging and deployment is required to avoid this failure point. This ensures consistent staging across all devices, and pre-deployment testing in real-world scenarios to ensure that all devices perform as expected before delivery.
2. Inadequate security controls
Security across a mobile device fleet is critical—especially when sensitive data is stored and exchanged between those devices. Without proper security controls, such as strong encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), or secure access protocols, mobile devices become easy targets for data breaches, malware infections, and unauthorized access.
This issue usually stems from a failure to implement an enterprise-draft security solution, the absence of encryption or secure connections, weak password policies, and inconsistent software update processes. The root cause of that may come from a lack of in-house security expertise, or restricted budgets that make it difficult to execute robust security protocols at the required scale.
Security controls are non-negotiable for organizations with expansive mobile device fleets, and especially those that deal with sensitive customer data like healthcare or finance companies. Failing at this part of mobile device deployment can have catastrophic consequences for the company up to and including hacking attacks and data breaches.
3. Insufficient support and and maintenance infrastructure
Without proper support and maintenance infrastructure, mobile devices can experience downtime and delays in issue resolution. This inevitably leads to decreased productivity and lowered confidence in those devices, particularly in industries that rely on mobile technology for mission-critical tasks.
This challenge arises when organizations lack a dedicated support team, proactive monitoring systems, or the resources to handle device troubleshooting. Instead, they often rely on reactive support models that address problems only after they arise.
To avoid these issues, businesses should implement a 24/7 support infrastructure, whether through an internal helpdesk or a Managed Mobility Services (MMS) provider. These services also typically offer real-time monitoring tools that provide alerts for issues like low batteries, connectivity problems, or software malfunctions so that support staff can proactively solve problems before they become major issues.
Another tactic to reduce downtime is to maintain a pool of spare devices for quick replacement. This, combined with regular health checks, network audits, and software updates further helps to prevent disruptions and downtime.
4. Inability to scale deployment
Mobile deployments need to be able to scale effectively as the company grows and more staff are added. This means that the operational processes that work for a smaller team need to be equally as robust and reliable at double or triple the size.
Failing to account for scale when deploying mobile devices can disrupt performance and risk the integrity of the whole network.
The root cause is usually a lack of planning for future growth, disconnected management systems, inadequate IT infrastructure that cannot handle large-scale deployment, or a failure to account for future regulatory requirements associated with geographic expansion.
To prevent this, businesses should design deployment strategies that are scalable from the outset, ensuring they can accommodate additional devices and geographic expansion.
Cloud-based MDM solutions can help manage devices centrally, ensuring uniform control and deployment across all locations. It’s also important to include provisions for multi-site rollouts in the deployment plan, with regional teams trained to handle the specific needs of different locations.
5. Lack of employee training and buy-in
Employees who are not properly trained on how to use mobile devices will struggle with adoption.
This, of course, reduces usage of that technology or results in employees not using it properly or to its full capacity. In all cases, a lack of education about these mobile devices negatively impacts the ROI that the company receives from their mobile fleet investment.
This often occurs because of insufficient training programs, resistance to new technology, or a lack of engagement with users during the deployment process.
To avoid these issues, businesses should invest in comprehensive training programs tailored to the different roles within the organization, such as field workers and office staff. Providing ongoing support through workshops, online resources, or one-on-one training ensures employees can access help when needed.
6. Compatibility issues with existing systems
Deploying new mobile devices without ensuring they are compatible with existing infrastructure and software can lead to functionality gaps, workflow disruptions, and integration issues.
This typically happens due to insufficient pre-deployment testing, incompatible operating systems, or failure to involve IT and operations teams early in the planning process. Misaligned expectations about software capabilities and limitations in device performance can also cause headaches during deployment and beyond.
To avoid these problems, all new devices should undergo thorough compatibility testing with legacy systems, internal software, and critical applications before they are rolled out. Collaboration between key stakeholders, such as IT and operations, also ensures that potential compatibility issues are identified and addressed early.
7. Poor connectivity and network performance
Inconsistent network performance and poor connectivity during or after mobile device deployments can lead to significant downtime and inefficiencies, especially for field workers or employees in remote locations.
This is often caused by inadequate network infrastructure, network overload during peak times, or the failure to provide offline functionality for critical tasks. Device settings that are not optimized for network performance, such as poorly configured VPNs or Wi-Fi access, also contribute to the problem.
Investing in robust network infrastructure for the mobile fleet should be a top priority for organizations to help mitigate connectivity and network performance issues. Network admins can also take measures to prioritize business-critical traffic and optimize bandwidth across the fleet to prevent disruptions.
Lastly, equipping devices with offline functionality will also allow employees to continue working even if the network is temporarily unavailable. In all cases, however, the best prevention tactic is to deploy real-time network monitoring tools that can help identify and resolve issues before they cause major disruptions.
The impact of failed deployments on key business outcomes
We touched on some of the impacts of failed mobile device deployments above, but it’s important to also highlight how unsuccessful rollouts can negatively influence key business outcomes.
Here are some of the most notable business risks associated with failed deployments:
- Increased operational costs. Failed deployments lead to additional spending on troubleshooting, reconfiguring devices, and mitigating unforeseen issues, which inflates the overall cost of managing the deployment.
- Device downtime and lost productivity. Poorly deployed devices often experience frequent downtime due to configuration errors or connectivity issues, preventing employees from completing tasks and hindering overall business efficiency.
- Security vulnerabilities. Inadequate security controls during deployment expose the organization to potential data breaches, unauthorized access, and malware, putting sensitive information and operational integrity at risk. Security breaches also come with the risk of reputational damage and potential regulatory fines, depending on the severity of the security incident.
- Decreased productivity. Employees struggle to perform their duties effectively when mobile devices are misconfigured, lack proper training, or experience frequent issues, leading to lower output and efficiency across teams.
- Inability to scale business operations. When a deployment plan doesn’t account for future growth, businesses face significant challenges in expanding their mobile infrastructure, which limits the company’s ability to adapt to new demands or markets.
- Poor ROI from technology investments. Without a successful deployment, the anticipated benefits from mobile technology—such as increased efficiency, enhanced customer service, or cost savings—are not realized, resulting in a diminished return on investment.
- More IT support and resources required. Frequent device issues and operational inefficiencies resulting from a failed deployment lead to a surge in IT helpdesk requests and resource allocation to address these problems, overburdening internal teams.
When planning a mobile deployment, companies need to weigh the costs, benefits, and risks of managing that project in-house versus outsourcing it to a third party. In many cases, third party costs might exceed the upfront costs associated with managing a preliminary rollout in-house, but the future costs and impacts of a failed deployment—as outlined in this article—may far exceed that initial investment.
We encourage companies to closely consider what is required for a successful mobile deployment, in the short and long term, and objectively assess whether their in-house teams are up for the job. If they aren’t then it’s likely time to reach out to a mobile staging and development expert for help.
How PiiComm helps facilitate successful deployments
PiiComm’s Staging & Deployment service ensures the success of mobile device deployments by addressing the common pitfalls that often lead to failure, and managing mobile fleets to help optimize performance and scalability in the long run.
Through comprehensive pre-configuration, our team standardizes device settings across the fleet, reducing the risk of misconfigurations and security vulnerabilities. Rigorous testing in real-world environments helps identify and resolve potential issues before devices are deployed, minimizing downtime and disruptions.
As businesses grow, PiiComm’s scalable MDM as a Service solutions ensure seamless expansion of mobile infrastructure. With 24/7 proactive support and robust security protocols, PiiComm keeps devices secure, operational, and ready to support your business’s growth and day-to-day operations.
Interested in learning more about PiiComm’s Staging and Deployment offering? Read more now or contact us today to chat about your options.
