Depending on your IT team, there may be a more extended review process for a standalone app because it acts like its own piece of technology. If it’s available when you select your overall computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) application, it could be part of that review – but if it wasn’t included or IT protocols change, it may require its own review process.
Mobile work order software tools have become more widely adopted in hospitals and healthcare facilities in recent years. While on-the-go software solutions have always been attractive for healthcare facilities (HFM) and technology management (HTM) teams, mobile applications are sometimes challenging to implement due to increasing requirements by IT departments to ensure apps are secure and can properly handle sensitive data.
Today, CMMS mobile app users can experience a variety of advanced features with many accented by an improved user experience, and real-time updates between desktop and web applications. After all, given busy schedules and staffing challenges, HFM and HTM professionals rely on simple and accessible tools to get work done efficiently and on the go. A mobile solution, like FSI’s Inbox, simplifies technician’s daily workflows and is designed specifically for healthcare environments.
For some HFM and HTM teams, an obstacle may be approvals from information technology (IT) teams. This roadblock may happen even if it’s an extension of the existing CMMS, preventing users from fully benefiting from the increased efficiency mobile apps can provide.
In this post we share insights from Derek Smith, FSI’s Director of Technology, who offers detail into some of the key considerations for your IT team as you look to implement mobile work order software for your hospital.
Standalone mobile applications sometimes exist to capture more detailed data about what’s happening in the field; with some information being shared with the core application. These types of applications were more common about a decade ago, with more companies shifting to a mobile experience. However, standalone apps may introduce additional integration or data-sharing challenges that need to be considered in the evaluation of a product.
With a unified mobile experience, teams access core CMMS technology via a mobile application provided from the CMMS vendor. In doing so, users may get a subset of the features that are available within the full application which are optimized for specific roles or tasks. A unified experience offers the option to enter data on-the-go and do so with an application that makes it easier to access exactly what they need in the field.
Using an app to help enter work order information can be helpful for your teams while resulting in better data capture overall. For example, FSI Inbox simplifies this process with an intuitive interface and real-time sync to FSI’s CMMS platform, ensuring that technicians can quickly log updates without having to re-enter details later.
With HFM and HTM teams constantly on the move, the mobile app can ensure that they are entering information as they gather it instead of trying to document it on paper (and later, finding time to enter into a CMMS), or trying to remember the information once they get back to a computer.
Each organization has different data security protocols driven by compliance, regulatory, and internal requirements. Most CMMS vendors will align with key data security protocols, especially for those that work in the healthcare space.
Your IT team will likely require that your mobile work order software adheres to defined data security protocols. Often, this will be reviewed in the software selection process. Depending on the time since that was initiated, your IT team may want to take another look to ensure that it still aligns with key requirements.
In the case of a mobile experience that extends functionality for your CMMS, there will be no additional data security required. This may include protocols for the device used for the mobile application. And, even if your CMMS is not treated as a medical record it's important to protect sensitive operational and patient data. CMMS vendors should readily provide documentation to demonstrate adherence to industry standards, like SOC 2, HITRUST, and HIPAA.
If your IT team requires documentation or has questions about the data security for a mobile application, your CMMS vendor can provide support to help you through the process.
Mobile work order software may have differing requirements in how it’s downloaded for organizational use. Some may require an enterprise license and bypass the app store with specific instances downloaded on organization-approved devices.
Others may be included in the software subscription. In most cases, this means that the user can download the software from the app store and input the log-in credentials that they use for the main platform to access the mobile application.
Helping your IT team understand what the download requirements may be will help to simplify the approval process. In our experience with our applications, including FSI Inbox, the ability to easily download the app from the iOS or Android store as part of your existing subscription has been a major benefit for IT teams and technicians alike.
Lastly, it’s important to understand if your organization has policies regarding which types of devices can download an application for work use; for instance, some organizations require that it must be a device issued from the organization.
To ensure that your IT team has enough information about the mobile application and its intended use, the considerations outlined in this blog post offer a great starting point to give your IT team the information they need to support your request.
In doing so, you can empower your field teams with the tools they need to work more efficiently. For many HTM and HFM teams, resource constraints and smaller budgets are not uncommon, resulting in increased demand for technology to help them maximize the work they are doing to continue to drive operations forward.
Because of the challenges healthcare teams have faced with mobile adoption — from complicated workflows to confusing download requirements — FSI developed Inbox, a streamlined mobile app built specifically for HFM and HTM professionals.
Since its release in May 2025, customers have praised its intuitive design, simple login process, and work order screens that make it easier for technicians to complete tasks on the go.
FSI’s product team continues to refine Inbox based on customer feedback, with enhancements underway such as expanded search options and streamlined time charge and completion workflows. The goal is simple: give technicians a mobile experience that feels as natural as the desktop, without slowing them down in the field.
There’s never been a better time to get your team on board with mobile work order software. FSI Inbox offers the secure, accessible mobile experience your IT team can approve — and your technicians will actually want to use.
Ready to see what FSI Inbox can do for you? Current customers are invited to download the app from their preferred mobile application store. If you are interested in learning about how FSI Inbox complements FSI’s overall CMMS application, contact us for a demo.