In these uncertain times, we are all aware of the crunch many economies in Africa is facing. Companies are closely watching their spend and mobile data costs are no different. One option to better manage mobile data costs is to make use of a self-help platform that can monitor usage and spend on company SIMs.
In the traditional office environment, managing mobile connectivity and data use was not such a serious issue for IT managers, as data costs were essentially a part of the overall fixed network spend. But with the “new normal”, where more people are working remotely, it is proving to be quite a challenge.
With more companies looking for a simple, yet ingenious, way for their employees to conduct business independently it is proving essential to control and better manage mobile data costs.
Companies need to be able to scale up and scale down, at the drop of a hat, as and when the environment changes. Staying flexible with regard to mobile network choices, SIM types and data spend commitments are key.
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Prepaid
One option lies in prepaid mobile data. “But isn’t prepaid more expensive and a nightmare to control?”.
No, not if companies have the right solution to easily manage prepaid and top-up SIM cards from all mobile networks at scale. And here’s why:
Cut the shock
Monthly post-billed corporate accounts are not designed to effectively manage costs. By the time you have received the bill, it is too late to make any changes. So by using a SIM management solution that you can manage your entire SIM base on, you will have a day-by-day view of mobile spend across your entire SIM base, you can ensure there are no more nasty surprises or bill shock.
Cut the cloth
If you make use of the right SIM management solution you will have the ability to change how much data to load to each SIM and dynamically adjust what to spend. Different applications and devices have different data needs, you should try different methods or let the right solution do the work for you and be able to tweak and optimise spend. Recent ICASA data rulings have also made prepaid data pricing very competitive, especially on larger bundles.
Cut the terms
Long-term fixed contractual commitments do not give companies the flexibility they need in current times. What often happens is that despite a SIM not being needed anymore, companies find themselves stuck with the cost for the remainder of the contract period. Businesses should be able to use SIMs as needed, or for specific projects, without suffering contract penalties.
Shift responsibility to the user
A growing trend is for companies to stop trying to control what employees spend data on – often a futile and expensive exercise – but rather to give them enough data to do their job and allow them to buy more if they want for personal use. This, coupled with growing BYOD approaches sees companies moving away from the big corporate contract model, shifting responsibility and risk to the employees themselves. On prepaid or top-up SIMs, employees can buy additional data bundles through any channel themselves.
The beauty of prepaid and top-up SIMs lies in simplicity – there are no surprises, it is totally flexible and you get what you pay for. You can also choose from any mobile network that suits your employees best. The growth of prepaid data in Africa is legendary – a trend also being seen in business SIM management.
Without a proper management platform, prepaid and top-up SIM management can be tricky for businesses. One of the platforms that allows you to manage your SIM cards in this way is SIMcontrol. The SIMcontrol online platform gives organisations a management and control layer for data and voice SIMs at scale. It also offers IoT connectivity options such as managed APN and global roaming SIMs. The platform works with most major mobile networks in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique.
Getting on top of mobile data spend while staying flexible will be important for companies in the “new normal”.
Staff writer
