Providing wireless access to enterprise data can save a company time and money,
as well as increase efficiency and productivity. But hurdles still exist for companies
trying to roll out remote connectivity-poor network coverage, unreliable networks,
security concerns, and a confusing array of hardware and software options, to
name a few. For every wireless success, there are probably a dozen companies throwing
up their hands in frustration and wondering, "Where's the business benefit?"
It doesn't have to be this way, and the technology exists today to make real improvements
with calculable bottom-line benefits. Implemented the right way-and for the right
reasons-wireless does work. There are obstacles to wireless implementation, but
they aren't insurmountable, and the benefits are well worth the extra effort.
"We know that there are viable solutions out there, we just need to find
a way to make it work," says Phil Redman, research director at Gartner Inc.,
Stamford, Conn.
Redman, along with several thousand technology junkies and telecom industry insiders,
was in Orlando in March for the annual Cellular Telecommunications Internet Association
(CTIA) Wireless trade show and conference. While attendees on the show floor buzzed
about flashy new handsets, analysts and executives from major carriers and technology
companies converged in the conference sessions to discuss why more companies aren't
embracing the wireless model, and what can be done about it.
The benefits are real
Properly implemented, the return on investment (ROI) for wireless can come
as quickly as four to six months, says Allyson Fryhoff, vice president of sales
and strategic alliances at the mobile products and services division of Oracle
Corp., Redwood Shores, and Calif. In a survey of its own customers conducted
by iGillott Research, Oracle found:
- Mobile field service systems reduced cost per service call by an average
of 15%.
- Mobile sales force automation resulted in a 15-20% increase in sales revenue.
- Wireless e-mail and personal information management (PIM) functions saves
five to six hours per mobile employee per week.
Companies still struggle with wireless, though, in part because of a dearth
of experienced systems integrators who can offer assistance, and in part because
of the muddled marketing of the wireless industry.
"We're really not doing as good a job as we could in educating the market
about the value of wireless," says Michael Maas, director of marketing
for wireless solutions at IBM, White Plains, and N.Y.
No killer app
Users should look at these systems as mobile extensions to existing applications.
Wireless e-mail has been a popular choice for an initial implementation for
many companies, but they think strategically what data from which applications
would have more value delivered to employees on the move?
"E-mail is still important, but people want more than e-mail," says
Eric Doggett, CEO of Glenayre Technologies, an Atlanta-based wireless messaging
application provider.
"You really have to think about the mobile experience," adds Oracle's
Fryhoff. "What will make a difference out on the road?"
Taking existing systems over the air doesn't necessarily require major IT overhauls
on the back-end, either. San Francisco-based Sysco Food Systems, for example,
has been using wireless laptops for a mobile sales application since 1999, and
achieved 20-25% productivity gains for its 8,000 field reps. "We didn't
change anything on the back end," says Jay Highley, vice president of business
marketing at Sysco's carrier, Sprint PCS, Kansas City, Mo. "We just wirelessly
enabled the existing application. The 'killer app' doesn't really exist-it's
the applications that customers are already using."
Early adopters have found the greatest value in mobile customer relationship
management (CRM) applications-field service and sales force automation. By having
ready access to customer data and inventory information, employees can do their
jobs faster, fill orders more quickly, reduce costs and improve customer relations.
The ability to push data is also valuable in the enterprise. Workers could be
alerted to schedule changes in real-time, or be notified of parts shipments
or customer emergencies.
Think strategically
These systems are complex-users have to choose among multiple applications,
devices, operating systems, carriers and platforms. Laurie Hoyt, business development
director at Nextel Communications, Reston, Va., suggests working with your existing
software vendors to develop a mobile extension to your systems.
Again, though, strategic thinking is important. Implementing multiple application-specific
mobile solutions could leave you with a tangled web of incompatible servers
and platforms. Consider a standard middleware platform that you can re-use for
multiple applications. "The complexity here requires more than just point
solutions," says Sal Visca, chief technology officer of Infowave Software
Inc., Vancouver, B.C. "Middleware holds all this together."
For their part, carriers, and hardware and software vendors should form more
cohesive partnerships. Enterprise customers want complete solutions, and project
managers don't want to juggle a half-dozen disparate vendors to put one system
in place.
"We're going to see more consolidation and cooperation," says Visca.
"We all can't do it ourselves."
Research your network
Wireless networks can be unreliable, and coverage is spotty. Check your carrier's
references, and find out how many data users they actually have. Research the
reliability and availability of the network.
Depending on the size of your mobile workforce and its geographic distribution,
be prepared to work in a mixed-network environment. No network is ubiquitous,
though; be prepared to design a system that let's users work offline.
"Even as bandwidth increases, there will always be data latency issues,"
says Visca. This doesn't mean the systems won't work, though.
"Remember, data can be asynchronous," says IBM's Maas. "We can
live with networks that are less than perfect."
Check the locks
Secure passwords are only the first step to keeping wireless data safe-security
measures should combine data, network and physical security. Security measures
should match the value of the data, particularly in wireless where encryption
can defeat data compression and wear down batteries
"You want a system where security restraints match the requirements of
the data," says Dale Gonzalez, vice president of research and development
at Air2Web, Atlanta.
Have a practical security policy in place. "If you can't trust the system,
you won't use it," says Larry Mittag, vice president and chief technologist
at Stellcom Inc., San Diego (see sidebar).
For wireless technology to be embraced across the enterprise, the wireless industry
needs to do a better job of educating end users and helping them navigate the
implementation process. Carriers and vendors need to get past the early hype
of the wireless Internet, and focus on real business benefits.
"We oversold the capability of wireless early on," says Visca. "A
lot of users have moved away from it as a result. We need to show them the benefit-try
the technology now, because your competitors are doing it, and you'll be at
a competitive disadvantage if you don't."
http://www.frontlinetoday.com
About Brian Albright
email: balbright@advanstar.com
