January 20, 2007
Is Mobile Productivity Fact or Fiction?
In a study about small business and mobile productivity AMI Partners analyst Avinash Arun says that there is a gap between perceived benefits and actual usage of mobile technologies. With growing complexities, many SBs currently lack the necessary expertise and tools involved in setting up an efficient mobile solution. They depend on external consultants for service and support.
The study found that more than half of SBs (1-99 employees) in the US have at least one mobile employee, but only 13% of the entire U.S. SB workforce is mobile. About 23% of U.S. SBs have some sort of telecommuting program for their employees.
Another concern among U.S. SBs are the security issues pertaining to working in a mobile environment. "U.S.-based SBs are becoming more aware of security threats and concerns, and this has led to increased investments in security applications,"
says Mr. Arun. "Total security spend grew 21% in 2006 over 2005, which is excellent among SBs." The most common security applications used are anti-virus and anti-spam. However, other mobile security applications such as router/firewall appliance based VPN will also see high penetration rates among SBs this year.
If you want to get all you can from mobile technology do three things:
1. Talk to your local tech consultant who is a specialist in mobile technology
2. Your cellular carrier has a consulting unit and can help you with a customer solution
3. Talk to your peers. If you see a company doing mobile computing right - sniff around.
My friends at Infinity Info Systems are leaders in mobile CRM.
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Comments
#1 posted by Anonymous, December 10, 2007 10:51 AM
DATE: 01/25/2007 4:33 PM
That is totally true.
Most SBs just don't have the time or resources to worry about devices, their software, their management, and any necessary integration required. There is still a lack of industry standardization that will allow non-experts to roll a mobile "solution" out effectively.
More mobile software solutions need to understand the realities of different businesses and not implement a "one-size fits all" solution.
And, finally, just because you start using a PDA, doesn't mean you will start seeing those costs drop the next day. The SB needs to identify and track beforehand its target costs or processes to streamline, then decide on the right solution for it, mobile or not. Proper metrics, like any good analysis, are needed.
Whew. I'm done.
By the way, our company, Lokilogic, creates pda software targeted to small businesses with survey, inspection and data collection needs. We've tried to design something that is simple, easy to implement and quick to use. Check us out if you're interested. Any feedback would be appreciated as well.
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