National Nonprofit Network · Enterprise Mobile & Shared Services
A national mission-driven organization and its network of sister affiliates had each managed mobile devices independently for years. The result was a fragmented environment that no one had ever fully examined: each affiliate operating its own carrier contracts, issuing devices under its own process, and applying its own standards — which in most cases meant no formal standards at all.
When we were brought in, no centralized device inventory existed. No one could state with confidence how many devices were in active circulation, how many had left the organization without being recovered, or who had credentials on devices no longer under organizational control. Device loss was occurring at a material rate — invisible because the infrastructure to measure it did not yet exist.
Multiple contracts per affiliate, at different rates, with no shared negotiating leverage. Per-line rates varied by up to 40% for identical service tiers across affiliates in the same markets.
Both iOS and Android devices in active circulation, creating two distinct support tracks. Adoption data showed significantly higher utilization on iOS across every affiliate and use case.
No Mobile Device Management system at any affiliate. Devices were configured manually. Security policies applied inconsistently or not at all. No mechanism to push applications or profiles at scale.
The organization could not produce an accurate count of active, stored, or departed devices. Loss was occurring — but without inventory systems, the scale of that loss was unknown.
The assessment made clear that incremental improvements would reproduce the fragmentation at a higher level. What the organization needed was a structural change: a centralized Shared Services function that all affiliates would operate under.
We recommended iOS-only consolidation based on adoption data, selected AirWatch as the MDM platform, and implemented Apple's Device Enrollment Program (DEP) and Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) to enable zero-touch device provisioning. Devices were linked to Active Directory and LDAP so that a staff member's first login triggered automatic enrollment, role-based application installation, and security policy application — with no further action required from the user.
Carrier consolidation ran in parallel, negotiating a single enterprise agreement across all affiliates. Beyond the technology, we built every layer of organizational infrastructure required to make the program sustainable: a mobility help desk (the first dedicated device support ever offered to field staff), complete technical documentation, training manuals, and a custom asset management database with C-level reporting.
A new staff member powers on their device and logs in with their organizational email and password. AirWatch authenticates against Active Directory, identifies the user's role and affiliate, applies the corresponding configuration profile, silently installs all role-specific applications via VPP, applies all security policies, and scans for compliance — before the user touches a single setting. From the staff member's perspective, they entered their password and their phone was ready.
Measured against baseline utilization before program launch. Simplified enrollment, standardized devices, and dedicated support removed the friction that had been suppressing adoption across all affiliates.
Through carrier consolidation, platform standardization, and elimination of redundant tools and contracts across the affiliate network. Savings were immediate from the first month of the consolidated carrier agreement.
In the 18 months following implementation. The asset management database revealed, for the first time, the scale of the pre-program loss problem. Remote wipe capability was used within 24 hours of go-live when a regional director departed unexpectedly.
The mobility help desk was the first time the organization had offered dedicated device support to its staff and volunteers nationwide — with documented processes, SLAs, and a trained team operating from the runbooks we produced.
A private consultation to discuss your organization's technology environment and how we can help.