Putting IT Consumerization to Work at GM

Design, Build and Sell the World’s Best Vehicles

Matt HoveySr. Architect

Program ManagerMobile Computing

Slide2

InformationTechnology

Putting IT Consumerization to Work at GM

GM’s Enterprise Mobility Strategy State of Mobile Computing at GM Globalization Issues Consumer Apps in the Enterprise

Slide3

InformationTechnology

GM’s strategy was defined in early 2008 and sold to leadership in terms of cost avoidance Enable Devices that Are Already Here

− Leverage existing employee-provided capability with “right-sized” device management− Avoid aggressive handset refresh cycles− Most prefer to not carry 2 devices

Focus on Leading Device Platforms − … not specific devices! − “BlackBerry + 3” : iPhone, iOS, WinMo, Android, Symbian, Symbian!

On-site Wi-Fi Data Access Provided for All− Unmetered network connection− Reduce roaming costs− Avoid issues of data plan ownership

Web-based Mobile Apps− Most phones have mobile browser and some data capability− Delay need for and offset cost of managed devices, client-side apps and data− Minimize mobile data security risks

Exploit the Handheld Mobile Context− Instant-on and always there− Multiple radios & wireless networks (e.g. Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth)− Location & positioning (i.e. GPS)− Rich input & output− Multiple modes of communication: Voice, Push, SMS, Email, IM, …

Slide4

InformationTechnology

After 2 years of false starts, Mobile Computing becomes top priority for GM IT

2008 & 2009 projects cancelled due to financial position ~2000 company liable Blackberry devices, executives only

NOV 2009: New CIO opens corporate Blackberry plan to all DEC 2009: CIO says, “Email on my iPhone NEXT WEEK!”

− GM IT, HP & IBM broke all the rules and deployed Lotus Traveler pilot in 1 week− Email, Calendar, Contacts, and Device Management

JAN 2010: Traveler pilot opened to 200 APR 2010: Personal-liable Blackberry allowed on BES JUL 2010: Traveler deployed globally for up to 25,000 AUG 2010: CIO says, “Give me apps!” OCT 2010: Enterprise IM deployed to all Blackberry Now (NOV 2010):

− ~10,000 BlackBerry, company and personal liable− ~3000 iOS on Traveler, Android support in beta, 99% personal liable− Mobile portal, 8 internal apps deployed; 25 more in development

Slide5

InformationTechnology

Enabling mobility that works required major changes to corporate policy & culture

No “hard” ROI for mobility; it was seen as a cost driver Old security and usage policies on the books

− Laptop, PDA, cellphone and camera policies didn’t fit− Non-GM IT equipment absolutely verboten

Traditional “CDE” desktop build management didn’t fit− IT doesn’t control OS and app build of device− IT doesn’t get time to validate new devices or OS’s before users get them− Users expect even the newest devices to “just work”

Speed of mobile industry vs. speed of corporate IT A need for consolidated expertise

− Mobility cut across telephony, networking, security, messaging, collaboration and application domains

− Comprehending the Mobile Context− The GM Mobile Tech Forum

Slide6

InformationTechnology

GM’s global footprint adds dimensions of complexity

Multiple countries, languages; one company− Devices need to work everywhere for everyone, especially when travelling.

Different carriers in each country− Carriers tweak OS builds and capabilities− Lack of subsidized devices results in different ownership behavior

Different dominant platforms in each country− iPhone and BlackBerry dominate US, but others prefer Symbian

Different laws in each country− Device management limited by local privacy & ownership rules− Email signature requirements

Different levels of smartphone penetration & user sophistication− Data network differences (speed, coverage, cost)− U.S. vs. Asia cellular/mobile tech adoption

Slide7

InformationTechnology

Apps built for consumer devices often don’t work in the Enterprise Technical reasons:

− Authenticating HTTP proxies that protect the world from GM− Reverse proxies that protect GM from the world− Proliferation of device-resident passwords vs. password expiration policy− Single Sign-on capability− Encryption: in flight and at rest− Internationalization

Non-technical reasons− Licensing, Purchasing, Support, Flexibility

Examples of apps we wanted to buy and/or sanction, but couldn’t:− iDialog, an OCS client− iShare, a Sharepoint client

Slide8

InformationTechnology

How you can help: Our mobile app “wish list”

Design for security (e.g. cleartext is never OK) Support more than one platform Internationalize for language, currency, time and date format, address

and phone number formats− English (US and UK), German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean− If designed carefully, translation can be contracted out− Be charset-aware (read JOS)

Work with authenticating proxy servers Support some kind of enterprise authentication (AD, OSSO, SAML) Avoid caching passwords; otherwise don’t auto-retry Be willing to modify your product

Slide9

InformationTechnology

How to sell your apps to a big company like GM

Appropriate licensing− Avoid cute language or pet restrictions in EULA− Don’t expect volume commitment

Understand we may not buy directly, but may endorse for use Fair pricing up front

− Provide whole enterprise and ad-hoc pricing− Volume discounts reflected in an Employee Purchase Plan (EPP) will help you

avoid painful negotiations with corporate purchasing department− No predatory CAL’s for “Enterprise Edition”− Maintenance and Support can be extra, but must be offered

Tech support− Who do we call when it breaks?− No support may mean no sale, but don’t promise what you can’t deliver

Let us help you beta test – we’re good at breaking software

Slide10

InformationTechnology

Questions?

Matt Hoveymatt.hovey@gm.com@matthovey