Mobile device data is a powerful asset for improving operational performance, boosting employee productivity and enhancing customer experiences. But many businesses — believing it's too complex of an undertaking — have yet to fully leverage this information source.

Yet, organizations that collect and organize mobile data, integrating it into their business processes, see an almost immediate return.

Forward-looking CIOs are developing operational strategies that incorporate mobile analytics can aggregate device data and make data-driven decisions that improve performance, security and cost control. And, contrary to the assumption held by many IT professionals, the bar to adopting mobile analytics is relatively low.

Unlocking mobile data

Mobile network analysis solutions work by collecting and organizing real-time data on mobile deployments, including connectivity, security, performance, and behavior. They enable IT teams to review the status of networks, users, devices, and applications inside and outside the corporate firewall.

By observing performance, organizations can tune device policies and workflows, to optimize employee productivity, security and ROI.

Custom-built alerts, queries and dashboards can also tackle an organization's individualized operational needs. For example, you can track performance issues and data usage in real-time, and be alerted to changes in data consumption patterns that may signal a data overage or security breach.

Or you can find problem devices, users and locales based on real-time GPS data.

Mobile analytics enables businesses to begin making data-driven solutions around their mobile deployments. The range of possibilities includes:

• Visualize network, device, application and diagnostic data. See how the mobile workforce is operating at any given moment and be able to quickly diagnose and resolve localized or systemic problems.

• Provide IT and user-self-service troubleshooting capabilities. Diagnose the root causes of connectivity problems and automatically fix them without IT involvement.

• Gather Big Data from mobile devices, applications and user behaviors. Aggregate location, connectivity, end-user experience, data throughput and performance data across Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

• Reveal the root cause of poor network performance. Identify data-heavy applications or congested networks.

• Monitor traffic patterns. Make sure corporate applications and devices are accessing networks securely and that the networks being accessed are secure.

Why you need a mobile data strategy

Mobile endpoints and applications competing for bandwidth across wireless broadband networks are multiplying exponentially.

The steep cost per gigabyte of wireless data combined with premium-priced, mobile devices make it imperative for businesses to analyze real-time performance and proactively manage employee workflows and behavior to get the best return on their mobile investments.

"As enterprise organizations continue to dedicate significant portions of their annual IT budgets to mobile initiatives — whether mobile hardware, applications, services, or network infrastructure — having the ability to analyze how these mobile assets are performing in real time is essential," according to Bryan Bassett, Research Analyst in the Mobile Enterprise group at IDC. "Enterprise mobility markets are converging, and mobility in general is outgrowing the need to simply be managed. Mobility needs to be optimized as well.”

With a real-time mobile analytics solution, CIOs can gain detailed visibility into one of their largest technology investments. And, perhaps more importantly, they can turn that visibility into insights that have bottom line impact.