Nokia Lumia 920: Flying business class

Smartphones scare the pants off IT managers. Pesky employees insist on bringing their toys for work and then they have the nerve to demand access to business systems.

‘Toys’ was a deliberate word choice. Smartphone makers emphasise play in their marketing. It’s all about the audio experience, high-definition video or playing games. Work gets mentioned in the small print.

None of this sends a comforting message to IT managers.

Bring your own pain

Companies struggle with BYOD or bring-your-own-device. It means a roll call of things to keep technology professionals from sleeping at night. Security has them waking in a cold sweat while few bounce out of bed in the morning relishing the challenge of integrating devices originally designed for consumers with business technology.

Nokia’s Lumia 920 isn’t immune from this. Microsoft emphases Windows Phone 8’s social media integration, while the first screen you see firing up a new Lumia 920 has tiles for Xbox, music and Angry Birds.

Yet while there’s clearly a fun side to Nokia’s Lumia 920, it is also a first-rate business tool. It’s designed around the Microsoft operating system businesses have used for the best part of a generation.

Windows Phone 8, business pedigree

Windows Phone 8 has the same digital DNA as the kit running on company desktops and in server rooms. IT professionals may not always be deliriously happy with everything Microsoft, but they know what to expect. It’s safe. It’s predictable. It’s not risk-free, but it is lower risk. Relationships are already in place. Microsoft support is a known quantity and managers face fewer challenges integrating the phone with existing vendors and service providers.

To be fair, iPhones and Androids also do a good job integrating with business IT services. However, they often need middleware, tailored applications and kludges along the way. While you might think that’s no big deal – IT professionals often hate that stuff, it means risk. Although there’s a place for risk in business, that place is not the technology department.

Goldilocks operating system

Unlike Apple’s iOS or the soon-to-be-released Blackberry 10 software from RIM, Windows Phone 8 isn’t tied to a single hardware maker. Choice of supplier reduces risk. If Nokia falls over, changes strategy or acts weird, HTC or Samsung Windows Phone 8 devices are pretty good. They can fill the gap.

IT managers prefer it when they can buy kit from more than one company, apart from less risk, it gives them more scope to negotiate prices. It also means not being locked into a single company’s product cycle and cost structure.

Android offers business buyers enough choice, but the OS is fragmented – there are several versions in the wild. It seems a new Android OS arrives which each new wave of hardware. And many Android phones come with overlays. Individual Android owners are happy with this, but it can a nightmare from a company support point of view. And is a moving target for custom-made apps.

Security

And then there’s security. Windows Phone 8 is secure with kernel signing and applications are sandboxed – they have to win Microsoft certification before being allowed in the Windows store. That reduces choice and can slow the speed at which new apps appear, but, once again, it means less risk.

Unlikely though it may seem, even the kid’s corner feature makes Windows Phone 8 more attractive to IT managers. Parents can let their offspring play with phones without their little darlings hopping on the company ERP system and ordering 10 truckloads of software drinks to a dairy in Waipukurau.

Leverage

One of the most compelling arguments in favour of Windows Phone 8 for business users is that the smartphone operating system makes it easy to squeeze more from existing investments in Microsoft software. The Lumia 920 comes with a built-in version of Microsoft Office.

For companies using Office this means documents and templates can move seamlessly from phone to desktop with few surprises along the way. There’s no need to relearn or otherwise disrupt processes and practices. Everything is familiar – that’s not always a good thing, not everyone loves Microsoft Office – but it reduces risk. Exchange, Sharepoint and Linc are also supported out of the box.

This makes Windows Phone 8 a natural choice for any sized organisation that’s already spent money with Microsoft. But there’s more for IT professionals because you’ll find mobile device management features such as the ability to remotely check which applications are stored on a device and even remotely trigger application updates. Rolling out business apps from SharePoint servers is also a breeze.

Sound's familiar?

If nothing in the last three paragraphs rings a bell, then the Lumia 920 probably won’t make it on the shortlist when your business picks a new fleet smartphone. But for companies already locked into Microsoft’s world, it’s an easy, low-risk choice. The biggest risk in choosing the Lumia 920 is that Windows Phone 8 flounders and you’re left down a dead-end. That’s easily fixed the next time you need to refresh mobile technology.