Managing smartphones in a large scale corporate environment, on top of everything an IT pro has to keep track of and support these days, can be a real headache. One company, Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), says it has the cure for the mobile-device-support blues, however.

The ACS Managed Mobility solution is a one-stop shop that allows companies to outsource their mobile management needs. It promises to help enterprises centralize and efficiently manage all aspects of smartphone support, including procurement, security and expense management.

"CIOs are being asked to support mobile workers regardless of the device, network, location, access or application," said Chris Tranquill, managing director of ACS Communication and Consumer Goods group. "ACS Managed Mobility Services removes these headaches with this one-stop solution. It will also integrate with existing technology to reduce multiple devices into one mobile device, supported through a single management portal."

"Anyone can buy phones and plans. Managing mobility cost effectively and with proper security requires some expertise," added ACS executive Brent Rasmussen in an interview with SmartPhoneToday. According to the company, its expertise includes:

Strategy Consultation and Deployment: Device selection and trial preauthorization.

Device / User Support: Procurement, procurement portal, insurance, protection warranty, provisioning, configuring, programming, application management (e-mail and Exchange Server management), instant messaging, kitting, delivery, deployment employee training and customer care.

Data Security for Enterprise Mobility

Telecom Expense Management: Service plan management, usage reports and contract aggregation.

Corporate Optimization and Support: Technical help desk, fixed mobile convergence, mobile VPN, remote configuration, inventory, device management, buy back, upgrade, replace, repair and redeployment and recycle, disposal.

Advanced Usage: Dashboards, collaboration, third-party and custom applications.

"While going mobile might seem the natural move for an organization, it certainly isn't a slam dunk for businesses to shift away from desktop computers and beyond laptops and to smartphones and mobile devices," continued Rasmussen. "That's why ACS launched ACS Managed Mobility Service which allows corporations to go to one source for complete purchasing, deployment, inventory, data security, help desk, technical support, and redeployment solutions for smartphones."

The company estimates that ACS Managed Mobility can even deliver ongoing cost savings of 15 to 20 percent to organizations.

"Forty-one percent of enterprises' employees are mobile, on average," said Gene Signorini, vice president of enterprise research at Yankee Group. "As these workers are provided with wireless devices and applications for greater mobile access, there is an increased need for businesses to effectively manage mobility solutions to reduce costs, enforce security policies and provide an optimal end-user experience."