Mobile Expert Interview Series: Sky Technologies' Neil McHugh, Part 1

Neil McHugh

Sky Technologies is an Australian based global software company that has been working in the SAP ecosystem and the Oracle ecosystem for nearly a decade.  The last time I checked they had over 100 SAP enterprise mobility customers.  Because of their experience and expertise, I contacted Neil McHugh about an interview and he was kind enough to agree.

Note:  Neil responded to these questions in writing, so these are Neil's words with minor editing.

Kevin:  What are your current roles and responsibilities? How long have you been in these roles?
Neil:  I am the Vice President for Sales & Business Development for Sky and have been working with them for almost three years.

Kevin:  Where are you located?
Neil:  I am located in Houston, but my offices are in Dallas and Palo Alto.

Kevin:  What mobile device(s) do you carry?
Neil:  I carry a iPhone, iPad and laptop when I travel.

Kevin:  What are some of your favorite mobile applications that you have on your mobile device?
Neil:  My favorite apps for my personal life are VectorVest for financial stock monitoring.  OpenTable to find good restaurants and Redbox for my DVD rentals.  From a work viewpoint an application that simplifies my life when I travel such as (Workflow – PO & Expense approval) CRM for accessing customer information.

Kevin:  Do you ever use your mobile device to buy things?
Neil:  I tend to use my iPad to buy things on Amazon, eBay and moving money around when I am buying stock.

Kevin:  How many computing devices do you have in your home?
Neil:  We have two laptops, two iPads, an iPhone and Android.  Six devices if I counted correctly.

Kevin:  How did you get involved in enterprise mobility?
Neil:  Networking with contacts brought me into the world of SAP and mobility.

Kevin:  What do you like most about working with enterprise mobility?
Neil:  I came from a background of mainframes with IBM which was very stable but bordering on stagnant.  Enterprise mobility is quite different, and it is the first time I have worked in a space where consumer and enterprise meet with the same technology.  So, it is a very dynamic space where hardware, software and communications will continue to improve and help us all to be more efficient.

Kevin:  What are some of the most surprising trends you saw in mobility in 2010?
Neil:  Probably the uptake of the iPad and follow-on tablets.  It was only 11 months ago that the first iPad was released and estimates suggest 10 million from Apple and 7 million from other suppliers.  Also, the adoption rate of iPads into the enterprise has been extremely quick.

Read Part 2 of this interview.
Read Part 3 of this interview.

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Networked Field Services
Mobile, The Next Big Thing for Business

Webinars of Note

Implementing SAP Enterprise Mobility - 10 Lessons Learned
Barcode Scanning in Mobile Apps
Five Ways to Optimize the ROI of your Mobile Solution

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.