AT&T on Thursday rolled out a new platform for businesses meant to simplify the ordering, management, and deployment of applications and services.
According to AT&T, the move comes in response to increasing challenges for businesses in mobility device enrollment and deployment, which the carrier said is often “confusing and requires engagement from the end-user.” AT&T said its new Business Console platform is meant to solve that problem.
As of last year, AT&T said businesses deployed an average of 10 to 16 off-the-shelf cloud applications on their employees’ mobile devices – a figure that was up 20 percent from 2015 and is only expected to grow further. The point of its Business Console is to make the process of selecting and managing applications for employees easier, the carrier said.
“Our customers are on a journey to transform how, where, and when they do business,” AT&T Business Solutions CMO Steve McGaw said. “In support of this transformation, we’re giving customers the ability to select, configure, and manage their applications with AT&T Business Console.”
AT&T also noted the roll out of its Business Console aligns with its own shift toward virtualization and software defined networking (SDN).
At launch, AT&T said the Business Console will focus on managing mobile applications and services for business employees across Android, iOS, and other mobile operating systems. The platform will also support devices from multiple wireless carriers and WiFi-only devices, the carrier indicated.
AT&T said it plans to expand the capabilities of its Business Console to provide a “true end-to-end network experience” for business customers. Additional Console announcements will come later this year, the carrier said.