Information security is one of the greatest caveats about optimizing KM for mobile technologies. This issue is related to that of data protection, data privacy, and regulatory compliance. Sometimes, these matters are prohibitive to initiating mobile delivery for internal knowledge. “It’s one thing to have a knowledge management solution on a work machine, where it’s controlled in a locked-down ecosystem,” Bachenheimer explained. “It’s another to have it going out to mobile devices, which aren’t anywhere near as highly controlled or regulated. Depending on the industry, I might be against going mobile in terms of certain knowledge management dissemination.” Nevertheless, there are precautions organizations can take to reinforce the tenability of accessing and implementing KM with mobile technologies.
In addition to security measures that exist at the device level (such as password protection and facial recognition features), some centralized approaches can reinforce the protection users have on their mobile devices. According to Rapelje, there are requirements for “secure logins to the repository, and the IT department typically has the ability to wipe the device if it’s reported stolen. If they find out that it’s not in the right hands, they have, through mobile device management tools, the ability to wipe the device remotely.”
Still, the situations in which compliance or security might be compromised while users are in possession of devices may serve as a deterrent to some. “It would be great for doctors to look up all of their patients’ histories via the phone,” Bachenheimer observed. “But, you run the risk of exposing all your patients’ medical history.” As such, it’s advisable to be highly selective about which use cases to begin with in mobile initiatives for KM. As a best practice, Bachenheimer advocated that organizations “start with some pieces of information where you see there are no compliance issues here; this can be made available. Start rolling that out and then build out from there.”
Knowledge dissemination
Depending on the nature of the enterprise knowledge disseminated through mobile channels, mobile technologies can reinforce data security and data privacy in some instances. Bachenheimer mentioned that mobile means are increasingly employed for the dissemination of enterprise knowledge, which is particularly advantageous when that knowledge comes from curated enterprise sources that have been centrally vetted and validated. “How you disseminate data is where mobile comes in,” Bachenheimer revealed. “If you want to reach people these days, you need some way for them to use a mobile device. Lots of families don’t have home computers anymore. People just do everything on their phones.” Rapelje described a mobile application utilized by law enforcement in Long Beach, California, for accessing a centralized repository to retrieve information, helping officers serve vulnerable populations—including the homeless and those with mental health issues.