Selecting the Right Mobility Management Model for an 8,000+ User Environment
Executive Summary
- Sourcing-led engagement defining a scalable mobility management operating model
- Environment supported more than 8,000 mobile users across field-driven operations
- Mobility management models evaluated based on execution, governance, and reporting fit
- Selection prioritized operational reliability over pricing alone
- Engagement delivered a model capable of scaling without loss of control
The Challenge
The organization supported a large, highly mobile workforce operating across job sites, depots, and field locations nationwide. Mobile devices were mission-critical to daily operations, safety, dispatch, and reporting. Over time, mobility management became fragmented. Device procurement, provisioning, break and fix, and billing were handled across internal teams, carriers, and third-party providers. No single party owned the full lifecycle. As a result:
- Device issues took too long to resolve, impacting field productivity
- Break and fix processes were inconsistent and poorly tracked
- Reporting was fragmented across carrier portals, third-party tools, and spreadsheets
- Leadership lacked a single, reliable view of the mobile environment
- Internal teams spent significant time coordinating vendors rather than supporting operations
The organization did not simply need a new vendor. It needed the right mobility management operating model.
The DBC Sourcing Approach
Dev-Byrne & Company led a discovery-first, operating-model-driven mobility management sourcing engagement focused on meeting real business needs at scale. Rather than starting with provider comparisons, DBC began by defining what effective mobility management needed to look like for an industrial, field-driven organization.
Business Needs and Requirements Definition
DBC worked closely with IT, Operations, Finance, and Field leadership to define requirements across four critical dimensions.
Operational support
• Fast, reliable break and fix for field devices
• Clear ownership for device replacement, repair, and escalation
• Minimal downtime for frontline employees
Lifecycle management
• Standardized provisioning and deactivation tied to HR events
• Controlled device reuse, staging, and inventory management
• Support for high churn and seasonal workforce changes
Management reporting
• A single pane of glass across devices, users, carriers, and costs
• Consistent reporting for Finance, IT, and Operations
• Visibility into usage, spend, incidents, and trends
Governance and scalability
• Ability to scale beyond 8,000 users
• Clear SLAs and accountability
• Integration with existing systems and workflows
These requirements became the foundation for the sourcing event.
Mobility Management Operating Model Evaluation
DBC designed and managed a sourcing process that evaluated multiple mobility management models, including carrier-managed approaches, third-party mobility management service providers, and hybrid models combining internal teams with outsourced execution. Providers were evaluated based on:
- Provided documentation supporting financial close-out
- Break and fix response capabilities and processes
- Reporting architecture and data ownership
- Ability to deliver a true single pane of glass
- Governance, escalation, and SLA discipline
The evaluation focused on how each model would operate day to day rather than what was included in a proposal.
Execution and Reporting Readiness
Throughout the sourcing process, DBC assessed downstream execution realities, including how incidents would be logged, tracked, and resolved, how reporting would be generated and consumed by different stakeholders, how mobility management activities would align with device lifecycle and billing validation, and how accountability would be enforced when issues occurred. This prevented selection of a solution that looked attractive on paper but failed under real operational pressure.
The Outcome
- Selection of a mobility management operating model aligned to industrial field operations
- Improved break and fix response and reduced device downtime
- Centralized visibility into the full mobile environment through a single pane of glass
- Clear ownership and accountability across provisioning, support, and reporting
- Reduced internal effort required to coordinate carriers, vendors, and incidents
The result was a mobility management model designed to support scale, reliability, and operational control.
What Changed
Mobility management shifted from a reactive, vendor-driven process to a governed operating model. Field teams experienced faster resolution of device issues, leadership gained consistent and actionable reporting, and internal teams spent less time chasing problems and more time supporting the business. Most importantly, the organization gained confidence that its mobility environment could scale beyond 8,000 users without losing control.
Why It Worked
- Sourcing focused on operating model fit rather than pricing alone
- Requirements grounded in real field and operational needs
- Explicit emphasis on reporting, visibility, and accountability
- Execution-aware evaluation reducing downstream failure risk
DBC ensured the mobility management decision supported both day-to-day operations and long-term scalability.
Client Snapshot
Industry: Industrial
Organization Type: National industrial services organization
User Base: 8,000+ mobile users
Technology Environment: Smartphones, Tablets, Rugged, Devices, M2M services, Multiple carriers
Engagement Type: Technology Sourcing (Mobility Management Services)
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