In a move aimed at easing the burden of managing a global mobile workforce, Verizon this week announced its Managed Mobility Solutions service, which streamlines the management of multiple mobile devices, usage plans, and applications across multiple carriers around the globe.

The suite of services includes five subscription-based modules covering inventory and expense management, logistics, mobile device management, security, and application management.

The integrated framework of services is delivered to the customer via a web portal, with the help of two partner companies: Sybase, a provider of mobile device management, security, and application development; and Quickcomm, a purveyor of expense management software. A third partner, Vodafone, a joint venture partner of Verizon Wireless, is working with Verizon to provide logistical support and fulfill device orders for areas outside the United States. To that end, Verizon will act as the procurement engine for customers, offering a custom catalog of wireless devices approved for the end-user organization, while Vodafone handles order fulfillment with each carrier partner.

An important aspect of this managed service is that it is carrier-agnostic and global, Amanda Chesley, Verizon’s Managed Mobility Solutions product marketing manager, told Managing Automation. In addition, companies need not order the modules as a complete bundle. However, the logistics and inventory and expense management modules go hand-in-hand, she said, as do the mobile device management and security modules.

Security and expense management are the biggest pain points for an organization trying to handle a growing mobile workforce, experts say.

“Once you let a person attach [a mobile device] to the enterprise to get e-mail or to access information, it means you have thrown open the doors to the enterprise,” said Rob Veitch, senior director of business development for Sybase iAnywhere, in an interview. There are also regulations and laws regarding security, which adds to the problem, he said. “You want to make sure your company secrets don’t leak out through the devices.”

Most global companies also deal with multiple carriers, an arrangement that, if not closely managed, can lead to overpayment.

“When [a multinational company] has 50 different carriers on a global basis, they need to be able to manage that from an expense perspective,” Verizon’s Chesley said. “They need one view into how much it costs every month.”

The key to the Verizon service is its integrated architecture, which leverages one database to house all of the disparate information. The modules include: