Traveling and Mobile Technologies in the Military

This week our little family is celebrating the graduation of our son from OCS (Officer Candidate School) at Fort Benning in Georgia.  We are as proud as parents can be!  So this week we are attending his graduation and experiencing the Georgia heat in August.  Not our typical August holiday destination, but we are thrilled to be here. Now what is the connection between our family's celebrations and mobile technologies?

Let me try to tie this all together.  First, while our son was attending Boise State University, he helped us work on many mobile newsletters and mobile industry research projects that you may have read.  Second, we flew into Atlanta, Georgia this week and while on a layover in Minneapolis, we checked our gate and next flight details on our Delta Airlines mobile iPhone app.  Then when we landed in Atlanta, I used my iPhone TripIt! mobile app to reference the phone number of our hotel, and to call and ask if they had a shuttle service.  We then rented a car from Hertz where they checked our reservation with some type of rugged tablet computer.  And finally, at the entrances to many of the military bases the guards now use ruggedized handheld computers to scan drivers licenses.  All the while we reported our progress across the country with our soldier via SMS and other friends via email.

Travel and mobile technologies are now completely integrated and essential.  Any of you that travel know how completely dependent we all are on mobile technologies.  All you have to do is run out of battery, lose connectivity or travel internationally to experience the frustration of being disconnected.  You feel isolated and out of touch.  Sometimes this feels good, but not when you are trying to be productive or pretending to work.

This week, all of my newsletters and articles will be published from our hotel room using wireless connectivity and mobile devices (I am counting my laptop as a mobile device).  Another example of the benefits of mobile technologies.

Additional connections between mobile technologies and our family's adventures - our son is going to be an officer in a Combat Engineering unit.  The Combat Engineering school just opened up a Robotics University at Fort Leonard Wood that utilizes some very cool real-time mobile technologies to maneuver the robots and communicate with its sensors.  In addition, many of our military patrols in combat zones now carry handheld sensors and GPS tracking systems that can identify and locate the source of gun fire.  Even more advanced versions of these sensors can be integrated into drones that can detect gunfire sources from over 25,000 feet (read more here).

One of the common tasks of combat engineers is road clearance.  IEDs have become one of the major sources of casualties in modern combat and mobile technologies are an integral part of defending against this.  UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) or drones are used to patrol roads from the sky and these drones are often maneuvered from locations over 7,500 miles away.  Can you image the kind of mobile communications and data link speeds that must be involved for a pilot to fly a drone from that distance?

Even more - The U.S. Marines are currently experimenting with assigning Android developers to different Marine units to help them quickly develop mission specific mobile apps that can be used on missions. This requires secure military app stores that have many pre-existing apps, web services, templates and widgets that can quickly be configured into unique missions specific apps.

At a higher level situational awareness, a requirement for modern network centric warfare, is dependent on mobile technologies to complete the picture of where the good and bad forces are, their status, and where your resources and assets are located.  All aspects of this are dependent on secure mobile communications and real-time connectivity.

Understanding how dependent we are all on mobile communications and apps, makes me very concerned and interested in how we are going to secure all of these apps, networks and devices.  Although not technical enough to understand all the details about mobile application and device security and management, I am certainly paying a lot more attention to this category of solutions these days.

SAP and Machine to Machine Communications and Integrations

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Kevin Benedict, Mobile Industry Analyst, Mobile Strategy Consultant and SAP Mentor Alumnus

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility and Sybase Unwired Platform Groups

Read The Mobility News Weekly

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.

Mobile Expert Video Series: PSION's Gregg Anderson

As much as we like to talk about smartphones and tablets on this site, there remains a huge market for ruggedized and industrial grade mobile handheld computers.  Gregg Anderson, with PSION, shares some of the latest developments in this area in an interview that I recorded with him last week at the SAPinsider Mobile2012 conference.

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile Industry Analyst, Consultant and SAP Mentor Volunteer

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility and Sybase Unwired Platform Groups

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Read The M2M News Monthly

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.

Mobile Expert Podcast Series: PSION's CEO John Conoley, Part 1

I had the honor of interviewing PSION's CEO John Conoley for this podcast last week.  PSION is a manufacturer of ruggedized and industrial mobile handhelds and they have been around for over 50 years.  I wanted to learn from John his strategies for managing and transforming his company during these challenging economic times that also include a rapidly changing mobile technology ecosystem.  This is a two part podcast.  You can watch Part 2 here.

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility and Sybase Unwired Platform Groups

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Read The M2M News Monthly

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.

Mobile Expert Podcast Series: Psion's Gregg Anderson, Part 2

This is Part 2 of this audio podcast with Psion's Gregg Anderson (listen to Part 1 here).  Psion is the manufacturer of ruggedized mobile devices.  They support the use of mobile devices in the dirt, water, dust, heat and cold.  They have very interesting stories, experiences and advice to share.

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Read The M2M News Monthly

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.

Windows Phone 7 and Italian Railroad



Motorola ES400

Recently I was traveling on a train in Italy and the conductor asked for my ticket.  He pulled out a Samsung smartphone using a Microsoft operating system.  He entered several data fields on his screen and then placed the Samsung device back into his leather smartphone case.

I pondered the fact that recently the Dutch railway purchased 10,000 rugged Intermec devices for use on their trains.  These were using Microsoft Mobile 6.5x.  We are at an interesting point in the evolution of mobility where two organizations with similar needs can both make a case for a different choice, 1) rugged industrial grade mobile handheld, and 2) standard consumer grade smartphone.

I think back to just four years ago and companies with mission critical mobile operations nearly always chose expensive and rugged industrial grade handhelds.  An entire industry was built around these types of devices.  Today smartphones have so much power and the cost is so relatively inexpensive, that it becomes a real question as to which mobile device type you choose.

I have recently seen Motorola's ES400 Enterprise Digital Assistant. I played with it at SAP's SAPPHIRE NOW 2011 conference. This device is meant to be all smartphone and a ruggedized device.  This device has barcode scanning capabilities and software included.  It will be interesting to watch this market and to see if rugged cases for standard consumer grade smartphones will be sufficient for many situations, or if there will be an uptick in Android and Microsoft Phone 7 rugged smartphones in the near future.

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Exclusive SAP Mentor and Blogger Briefing:  Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Redstone Arsenal's (DOD/Chugach) 3 Maintenance Challenges Solved by Mobile

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly

Read The Field Mobility News Weekly

Read The M2M News Monthly

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.

The Downside of Mobile Applications

I had the fortunate opportunity to meet a classmate for coffee this week. I had not seen him for over a decade. He serves as a traffic cop and uses a TDS Recon mobile handheld computer in the course of his work writing tickets.

During our conversation we discussed the rugged laptop he had mounted in his unmarked police cruiser. He said it had many of their police forms and documents on it, but that the mobile software was not able to keep up with the required edits and changes needed on the forms. As a result, they had stopped using it for much of their documentation.

This discussion highlighted the need for a mobile workflow application that is a separate layer from the data layer. The field data collection requirements should be very simple to edit and not impact the field user. If the mobile application requires a complete update to edit data fields, then it risks early obsolescence or as in my earlier example it will simply not be used.


- Kevin Benedict,
Mobile Strategies Consultant, SAP EDI Expert and Technology Writer

Mobile Field Services Score Cards

Mobile score cards for field service technicians. That is an interesting notion that is written about in this article. You combine mobile work order management applications, with mobile business intelligence dashboards and perhaps even mobile customer surveys. The results are a score that is shared company wide to all field service technicians.

In this scenario, everyone can see the total number of work orders a technician has completed each week, plus the results of customer satisfaction surveys and the totals of any products or services each technician has sold. This score is presented on a mobile dashboard on each of the technician's mobile handheld computers or Smart phones.

The idea is that a competitive spirit and peer pressure will encourage and motivate field service technicians to do the things that most benefit the company.

The customer service survey, each service technician must have the customer fill out on the screen of the mobile device, helps keep the service technician focused on the customer's satisfaction level.

Have you seen this kind of mobile software application before? Please share your thoughts.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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The Future of Mobile and Route Sales Applications for Smart Phones, Part 1

I can see multiple mobile applications and technologies converging rapidly to provide some very interesting scenarios for mobile and route sales people. Consider the following scenario.

A mobile sales person or route sales person is driving through an unfamiliar territory. She stops in a parking lot and activates an application on her Smart Phone that identifies her location and requests visibility into the location of all current and past customers, and any known sales prospects. Her application, using Google Maps provides a map with color coded "push pins" showing the exact locations of each. Tapping on any push pin identifies the street address, name, product and account history.

The mobile sales person only has 2 hours to spare, so selects a priority filter. The map updates and removes non-selected accounts. She then selects the option to have route optimization activated from her current location in the parking lot. She gets the optimal route provided to her. She then selects an option for account "Talking Points." This option queries the central office to identify all products the accounts have purchased in the past, (accounts are represented by the color coded push pins on the map) and any product updates, upgrades, warranties, trade-ins, discounts, account issues or complimentary products that she should mention on the visit. As she begins to drive, all of this information is described to her using the voice option. This allows her to safely drive to the next location while learning all about the account.

This kind of mobile Smart Phone and central server application would provide huge efficiencies for a mobile sales representative or route sales person. The central server application, using a CRM, business intelligence and business analytics with GPS, route optimization and LBS (location based services) technologies to make the life of the mobile sales person so much easier.

For SAP users you can see the value of using NetWeaver and the Data Orchestrator as the synchronization and integration engine.

The scenario described above is not rocket science. The technology exists in many different applications, but it is segmented. Adding business intelligence, mapping and GPS technologies to basic CRM functionality can be extremely powerful. If you add to that business analytics, product catalogs, marketing and promotional campaign data, then you have a system that can advise the mobile sales or route sales person as to what is likely to be most interesting to the client. Wrap all of this integrated technology and data into a mobile handheld or Smart Phone application and you can revolutionize route and mobile sales.

Again, if you are an SAP user you can see the role of NetWeaver, Data Orchestrator, Business Objects, CRM, etc.

The bottom line is to increase sales and reduce expenses through increased productivity that will generate more sales and higher profit margins.

Part 2 or this article series can be found here.

If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail please contact me.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Equipment Centric Mobile Software Applications and Workflows

A service technician receives a mobile work order dispatched to his rugged mobile handheld. It calls for the immediate repair of an air conditioning unit in a specific factory. Under the account status it says annual service contact in flashing red. He pushes the red flashing button and the mobile work order application then queries a different application - the central office CMMS (computer managed maintenance system) for any additional maintenance or inspection work that needs to be completed on the broken air conditioning equipment, or any other equipment under a service contract in the area.

Let's pause a moment and consider the implications of the above scenario. A need for a customer's equipment repair generates a work order that is wirelessly dispatched to the service technician. While at the jobsite, the service technician wants to know if any other equipment needs serviced while he is onsite. If he can accomplish more work while he is onsite, then that can save fuel and travel time expense.

Ideally, there would be an automated workflow that would link the Work Order Management System with the CMMS (computer managed maintenance system) and service calls would be organized (repairs, regular services and inspections) prior to the service technician dispatch, but even without this integration good mobile software application can synchronize with multiple backend database applications so onsite coordination can be done.

What kind of "regular" services are needed? Often, HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) companies will service their customers' equipment on a schedule for an annual service fee. To be profitable, the service company needs to make each visit the most efficient possible. They will inspect the equipment, do minor maintenance and change out filters. If a service technician is already onsite with a service dispatch, then he can efficiently conduct the "regular" services on additional equipment while he is there.

Often the environments described above involves a number of different software applications. CMMS, Work Order Dispatch, CRM and the customer's Asset Management software application. Ideally the service company would have the CRM/CMMS and Work Order dispatch system in place and all of these would integrate and synchronize with the mobile handheld computer. Once the work was completed at the jobsite the work order details would then be integrated with the customer's Asset Management application. This would allow the customer to keep their records updated on each piece of equipment.

For a related article on geotagging equipment for Asset Tracking and Management please see this article.

If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail please contact me.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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M2M, Route Optimization, Handhelds and Business Intelligence

Recently I wrote about mobile software applications physically moving objects such as unlocking car doors. I have also seen interesting scenarios where mechanical objects activate mobile applications. One example is the PTO on a snow plow activates the GPS to track the routes being plowed, sprayed with deicer or sanded and this information is wirelessly updated in real-time to GIS system to view coverage areas.

Another scenario is a mini-inventory management system or a M2M (machine to machine) scenario whereby a snack vending machine wirelessly notifies the vending machine owner of current inventory levels.

I can envision a scenario where 1,500 vending machines automatically and wirelessly update the central office ERP with their inventory levels. The ERP checks inventory in the central warehouse and automatically creates shipping orders and replenishes low warehouse inventory through automated ordering rules with preferred vendors.

Business intelligence software predicts the demand for specific products for each location and vending machine based upon sales and date and time stamps. This prediction is used to load the route vans.

Next the route optimization software creates the most efficient routes for the drivers and synchronizes this with the driver's handheld computer.

M2M data synchronization is being added to more and more equipment these days.

If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail please contact me.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mobile Application Integration Platform - For Data Collection and Cloud Computing Services

An increasingly large amount of data is being consumed by mobile handheld computers and Smart phones. This data can come from a wide variety of sources and be in many different formats including GPS, LBS (location based services), SMS, voice, Email, Video, digital photos, barcode scanning, RFID, voice memos, documents and Bluetooth data connectivity to a large variety of data collection tools and equipment. The data can come from many different ERPs, database applications and SaaS (software as a service) offerings in a cloud computing environment.

The demand for mobile applications and mobile devices to be able to consume all of these various data sources and formats creates a need for an mobile data aggregation platform for mobile data feeds. This data often needs to be integrated into a mobile application somehow so the data can be used by the mobile worker. Some of this data can be aggregated on the database server side and downloaded or streamed to the mobile device, but data collection equipment and some applications are connected directly to the mobile device. For example, a voice memo application, GPS reader and a barcode scanner may be directly connected to the mobile device. The results of the barcode scan and the GPS data may be synchronized with the ERP to identify an asset that is located at a particular location. A data collection form that helps document the condition of the asset needs to be integrated with a digital photo, GPS data, voice memo, barcode scan and the asset data downloaded from the ERP. All of this data once aggregated, can be updated and synchronized back with the ERP.

There are some data sources such as weather conditions, shipment tracking and currency exchange rates that may be available as web services. This data also may be required on the mobile device, and even incorporated into the mobile asset management application. How do you bring all of this data together from the server and from the data collected on the mobile device so it can be used by the mobile worker in the field? That is the challenge. It can always be done in a custom manner, but how can this be solved in a reusable manner?

Mobile applications need:

• GUIs or mobile application forms that have an integrated data validation and business rules engine
• GUIs or mobile application forms that include a mobile workflow engine associated with the screens
• Mobile database and synchronization technology
• Mobile data aggregation platform (this article)
• Mobile business process platform and ERP integration so the mobile worker can be part of the enterprise business processes in the ERP even outside the four walls of the enterprise

There needs to be a design and development strategy and a solution that can aggregate all of the various web services with the feeds from data collection equipment on the server side and on the mobile device side. This will become increasingly important as additional LBS (location based services) and consumable web services become available.

A mobile application on a Smart Phone or ruggedized handheld has access to a great deal of data. The value of the data comes from aggregating it in a standard way that can be used to make good business decisions. Today this takes a great deal of custom software development for each application. It is time for some good mobile software developers to solve these problems.

If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail please contact or hire me :-)

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Author Kevin Benedict
Mobile Computing, EDI and B2B Evangelist and Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://b2b-bpo.blogspot.com/
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Mobile Applications and 69 Enterprise Support Questions

Often the focus of a mobile software project is on gathering the functional requirements, designing, developing and deploying the mobile solution, but little or no advanced planning is given to the question of how to support it once it is deployed. The following list contains many of the questions your IT helpdesk and support department will want and need to know:

1. Who does the field worker call if there is a mobile device problem?
2. Who does the field worker call if their mobile application is not synchronizing correctly?
3. Who trains new employees on how to use the mobile device and application?
4. If there is a mobile software problem, who fixes it - IT, consultant, contractor, your systems integrator or VAR? How do you get in contact with them?
5. Who does the field worker call if the mobile application needs edited or upgraded?
6. If the user downloads a new version of the mobile operating system and the mobile application doesn't work, who will fix it?
7. How do you prevent mobile users from downloading new software applications that might break the system?
8. How do you back-up mobile devices so the information is centralized?
9. Who owns and defines the business process you have mobilized? They may need to approve any changes to the business process.
10. Who controls the security of the device?
11. How do you set-up a new user to securely access the enterprise database?
12. What kinds of security rules must the field user follow?
13. Do different users have different security profiles?
14. Is there a standard set of security rules for mobile devices across the enterprise?
15. Who controls access to the enterprise database application (a DBA)?
16. Will the Database Administrator allow you to synchronize data directly to their enterprise database application, or do they want a "staging database" or API layer to review all data before it is loaded to the enteprise database application. They will likely be involved in any future changes to the mobile application.
17. Are synchronizations done in real-time, near-real-time, or batch on a schedule?
18. Does one mobile device have multiple synchronizing applications? Are they on different schedules or do they synchronize at the same time?
19. How many different enterprise database applications are synchronizing with a mobile device? If there is a sync problem, how do you know what database applications may be impacted?
20. If you hire an additional field worker, how do you order an additional mobile device? Whose budget covers this? Who is the vendor? What support plan or insurance plan should be included?
21. Who decides if the new mobile device needs to be ruggedized or a consumer grade? What level of ruggedness is required for the specific user?
22. Do different job functions require different devices, carriers and wireless data service plans?
23. Who decides what brand of mobile devices are going to be the company standard?
24. Where do you purchase your mobile devices if one breaks or you need to add one to your inventory? Do you have a corporate discount or volume discount agreement?
25. How do you manage and control the variable costs of using a data plan from a local wireless carrier? What happens if the costs of the data services gets out of control? Who pays for it?
26. Are the mobile devices or the mobile software solutions under warranty? Where are these contracts stored? Who owns them?
27. Is there a yearly support contract IT needs to know about? How much? Whose budget?
    What is the account number the warranty is under?
28. How do you set-up a new data plan for a new user with your wireless carrier? Who does that in the company? What is the account number so you can add subscribers? Whose budget pays for it?
29. What happens when Microsoft releases a new Windows Mobile operating system and you can only purchase mobile devices with the new OS on them? Who is going to upgrade your mobile software solutions so they work with the new OS?
30. What happens when the field engineer treks across 2 miles of muddy field to work at a construction site, but the battery on his handheld computer dies about 10 minutes after he gets there? What is the backup battery plan?
31. What happens when text messages, photos, videos, music, and games claim all the memory on the rugged PDA and the Construction application becomes either too slow or unreliable because of low memory?
32. How do you know when your mobile workers are synchronizing the latest information? You don't want mobile workers going days without synchronizing their device.
33. When you send an updated software application to your mobile workers, how do you know who is using the new application and who is still on the old?
34. How do you disable synchronization on a lost or stolen mobile device?
35. How do you kill and/or protect your data on the mobile device if it is lost or stolen?
36. How do you keep track of which workers are using which mobile devices? If there is an operating system update, or firmware update, how do you know who needs it?
37. What is the process for bringing mobile handhelds into the IT department for repairs and upgrades? Is there a central location, or should various locations be scheduled on specific dates.
38. If you are taking care of many different mobile field workers and many different mobile devices with a variety of operating systems, wireless carriers and screen sizes, how do you track who gets what?
39. If you have a project manager that requires visibility to more data than other workers, how do you manage different views on the handheld computer?
40. Some mobile projects require different levels of security, for different levels of data visibility. How would you manage and track that?
41. Will your company standardize on 1 mobile operating systems or several (Blackberry, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Palm, Android, iPhone, etc)
42. Some applications require barcode, RFID, GPS, digital camera and other specialized data collection accessories, while others don't. How does the IT Helpdesk track the brand, version and other details of these accessories?
43. If a dump truck backs over your supervisor's $1800 ruggedized computer and crushes it into hundreds of unidentifiable pieces, how do you get a replacement out to the supervisor with the exact application and data that is required as quickly as possible?
44. If a mobile device needs repaired - what is the process for keeping your field workers operating without it? Do you have a stock of spare mobile devices?
45. Does your mobile device reseller have a replacement program?
46. How do you deploy new mobile applications to your 1,300 mobile device users? Must they bring all their devices back to the IT department, or can you publish new applications directly to the handheld computer?
47. How do you support the mobile device, when the user has limited computer knowledge and is sitting on the top of a utility pole? What tools can the IT Helpdesk use to remotely help and diagnose problems?
48. How do you recognize a defective mobile device that is being shared by 12 different mobile workers? Do you have a method of identifying which problems are being reported on a particular device or are you logging support calls only by users?
49. What is your process for dispatching work orders to service technicians when they are disconnected or out of range of cellular and wireless networks? A process needs to be defined.
50. What is your synchronization plan for each mobile worker? Can they sync in the morning and evening at their office desk, or do they need to sync every 5 minutes or in real-time?
51. What is the synchronization plan for a service technician that rarely has wireless network access? Does it justify a satellite up-link? (Sears Service Technicians use both)
52. How do you know when information was successfully synchronized with a mobile device in the field? Can you see and determine the success of the synchronization from the IT Helpdesk?
53. What is an acceptable synchronization time? Is it 20 seconds, 2 minutes, 20 minutes? Does the IT Helpdesk know what times are acceptable so they can consider this when configuring a new user?
54. Does all data need to be synchronized in real-time, or only some. Product catalogs are an example of updates that may only be needed weekly or monthly?
55. How much data can be synchronized in a given period of time on the chosen connectivity option? Is that an acceptable speed for the task at hand?
56. Who determines the hardware requirements that support the mobile application and desired synchronization speeds?
57. When a new mobile software application is developed, who tests its operating speed on different devices, processors, memory levels and connectivity options to determine what is acceptable and what is not?
58. When you are updating or reconfiguring an enterprise database, how do you know what mobile applications and mobile users will be impacted by these changes? How do you manage this update process?
59. How does the IT Helpdesk know which one of the 17 mobile applications on the handheld computer is having a synchronization problem?
60. If you are supporting 174 work crews and their mobile devices around the globe, how do you know where they are located, and who is responsible for them?
61. How does the IT Helpdesk know if a mobile device is using a cradle, modem, bluetooth, wireless, USB, satellite or Cellular connection to synchronize? The IT Helpdesk really wants to know before they begin working on the issue.
62. What wireless carrier, technology and through-put speed is the mobile device using? Is it GPRS, GSM, CDMA, Edge or some other network configuration?
63. Do you need to stagger the synchronization times? One of my clients had a problem with 300 mobile workers downloading large product catalogs all at the same time each month -the first Monday of the month. This caused a bottleneck and slow downloading times.
64. What do you do with old and retired mobile handheld devices? Companies like Ryzex buy back old handheld mobile devices and recycle them.
65. What rugged or semi-rugged cases are required to protect the mobile device?
66. What add on assessories are supported on the mobile device? Ear pieces, GPS, add-on RFID, barcode scanners? Who supports these and where do you order replacements?
67. Does the same mobile software application work on rugged mobile handhelds and on mobile consumer devices?
68. What employees and roles get the different levels of rugged devices?
69. Do you have a corporate account with a mobile device reseller that will repair all of the different mobile devices or do you work with many different vendors with different support and warranty plans.

All of these questions are very important and need to be answered upfront. If you would like to discuss this subject in more detail please email me.

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http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com
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Advice for Mobile Start-ups and Mobile Developers

There are a lot of business and technical issues to consider and points to ponder if you are developing a mobile software application to use internally or to sell, or are creating a start-up mobile software company. I have a lot of personal experience in this area and have documented much of it in over 475 blog articles on this site.

To save the reader time searching through the entire blog library, I have collected a few of the articles especially relevant to those starting new mobile application projects and new mobile start-ups.

• Mobile Software Application ROIs for Mobile Service Businesses
• Mobile Software SDKs and Toolkits for Handheld PDAs and Smart Phones
• Hosted or Non-hosted Mobile Software Applications for Handheld PDAs and Smart Phones
• Mobile Workflows in the Field, SAP and Other ERPs
• SAP and Mobile Applications for Field Services
• Questions to Ponder before Starting a Mobile Software Development Project for Handheld PDAs, iPhones and Smartphones

The following link goes to a another blog article that lists many additional resources for mobile start-ups - Mobile Handheld PDAs and Mobile Software Application Resources

If you would like to discuss any of these subjects in more detail, please email me.

***Note, readers can search on specific mobile subjects within these 450 plus articles by using the Blog Search function at the top of the page.
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http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Mobile Software Application ROIs for Mobile Service Businesses

The ROI (return on investment), in this context, is the term used to describe the value of a mobile software solution relative to the expense of designing, developing and deploying it. If a mobile solution cost $145,000, how do you justify the investment? Management needs to see that their investment will provide a quick and positive return. The following list contains some of the most common justifications for mobilizing business processes:

1. Eliminate time spent in the office re-typing data collected in the field: Enable field service technicians to synchronize information directly with the office database.
2. Eliminate time spent on the phone dispatching service tickets or work orders. Both the time of the dispatcher and the time of the service technician: Dispatch electronic service tickets direct from your work order management system in the office with the mobile device of your service technician.
3. Save time finding each work location: Send driving directions, or links, in the electronic work order that work with the GPS and mapping software in the mobile device.
4. Avoid the high fuel costs incurred delivering paperwork to the office and picking it up: Synchronize the data direct from the field to the central database application.
5. Avoid the time cost transporting paperwork from the field to the office: Synchronize the data collected from the field with the push of a button.
6. Save time and provide better customer service by providing real-time access to enterprise parts, orders, and inventory data while in the field: Enable mobile access to customer history, product documentation, warranty information, inventory information, time sheets, work schedules and much more.
7. Save time with field data collection by using barcode scanners and barcode labels, or RFID readers and RFID tags on assets: A quick scan with a handheld computer can automatically display all stored information related to the asset for quick review, edits and additions.
8. Save time and reduce admin costs by creating and scheduling new service tickets direct from the field:
9. Provide immediate invoicing for faster collections and better cash management: Allow field tech to print the invoice on a mobile printer at the job site.
10. Save time and postage costs: Print the invoice and leave it with the customer at the job site, rather than wait and bill later from the office.
11. Document proof of work completed to reduce invoice disputes: Leave a GPS audit trail of where work was performed and include a time and date stamp. Digital photo evidence of before and after work is also useful.
12. Reduce the introduction of errors: Paper based systems are inherently slow and error prone due to human interaction, copying and re-typing. The more human hands that touch a paper form and add or edit data, the more chances that errors can be introduced to the data which will cause invoice disputes, inaccurate records and confusion.
13. Reduce administrative costs by ensuring complete data is sent from the field, as incomplete or inaccurate field data can take hours of work to track down and correct: Send data from the field and ensure it is complete with data integrity features on the mobile handheld computers and rugged PDAs.
14. Reduce administrative costs by avoiding errors and misinterpretations due to poor or misread handwriting: Create electronic forms with pre-made options, check boxes and lists, and by using onscreen digital keyboards.
15. Reduce administrative costs by ensuring the accuracy of data: Validate answers in the mobile software application on the handheld PDA.
16. Reduce time on the phone and dangerous note taking while driving: Push documents directly from the office to the handheld.
17. Save time and fuel by providing electronic dispatch and least cost routing: Use vehicle and/or handheld GPS tracking to view your workforce locations. Handheld computers with GPS functionality can integrate with GIS and display the location of the field worker to help managers better organize service responses.
18. Save time by developing computation and analysis features on the rugged handheld in the field: Programmed analytics can help field users make quicker and more accurate decisions and job estimates.
19. Save time in the field by automating business processes in the mobile software: Mobile application can be configured to perform all kinds of automated business functions, queries, computations and analytics.
20. Enforce quality work habits: Automate “best practices” into your mobile software application and provide visibility to managers.
21. Automate quality and best practices - Activate the appropriate business process based upon the data entered: A specific answer can trigger the required business process.
22. Reduce inventory loss - Avoid undocumented inventory usage and unbilled time: Enforce real time data entry before clock out or work order completion.
23. Improve job estimates: Require clock in and clock out on work to document and analyze the accuracy of work estimates.
24. Improve technician training: Train new service technicians and inspectors with audio memos or video clips in the handheld computer application.
25. Reduce disputes by documenting deliveries and work with digital signatures, date and time stamps and barcode scanners on the handheld computer.
26. Save travel time and fuel cost: Query available inventory in nearby company vehicles.
27. Increase profit per customer: Use information on handheld computers to up-sell more products and services while onsite with the customer.
28. Provider quicker and more accurate estimates: Query latest shipping status, schedules or inventory levels via handheld computers while onsite with customer.
29. Increase warranty revenues: Include updated customer information on the handheld computer so the service technician can sell warranty and maintenance plans, new products and upgrades.

These are just some of the common areas where enterprise mobile applications have been found to provide significant value. The issues and costs of designing, developing and deploying the mobile software applications and handheld computers are discussed more in this article.

If you would like to discuss this subject in more detail please email me.
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Hosted or Non-hosted Mobile Software Applications for Handheld PDAs and Smart Phones

Many companies have asked whether a hosted or non-hosted enterprise mobile software application would be best for them. The answer may be best determined by the following questions:

1. Is the enterprise software application in the office that you want to communicate with, via mobile handhelds, an off-the-shelf application like SAP, SAGE, MS Dynamics or Quickbooks?
2. Is the mobile software application simply a mobile front end (GUI) to the back-office application? Does it do basically the same thing you would do on the office application, but in a mobile environment?

If the answer is NO to any of the above, then you are into a custom development environment that is difficult to support in a hosted model. Companies that host applications need volume and reusability. Custom projects may be uploaded to a hosted data center, but there is no business case for the software vendor/developer to pursue this as a business model. However, if the mobile software application is custom, but the database application that it synchronizes with is sold as an off-the-shelf application, then there may be a business case.

Here is a real life scenario. SAP ERP does not handle work orders or service tickets well if they are not associated with a pre-approved purchase order. This is a problem in the oil fields as contractors and service technicians are often called to perform unanticipated work to fix or repair items. Since SAP does not like to receive unexpected invoices, Field Service software vendors have responded to this need by developing applications that convert these unexpected invoices into acceptable SAP formats that are integrated with SAP using standard integrations. These same vendors have created mobile work order applications that synchronize with their work order management systems. They have a standardized model that can be sold in a hosted environment.

Since the work order management application was an off-the-shelf software package, with a standardized integration to SAP, it could be offered in a hosted environment with a good business model.

If the work order management system was custom, and the back-office application or ERP was custom, then the mobile software application would need to be custom and there is no efficiencies in this scenario for a hosted solution.

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Motorola's MC55 Handheld PDA

Motorola recently announced a very intriguing new handheld PDA called the MC55. Here is what Motorola says about it:

MC55 Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA)

The MC55 EDA brings a new level of flexibility, functionality and rugged design to size-optimized mobile devices, providing mobile workers with the power to streamline business processes, increase productivity and improve customer service. The smallest and lightest Motorola rugged EDA with a 3.5-inch display, the MC55 packs the power of a cell phone, two-way radio, bar code scanner, digital camera and mobile computer — all into a single device. Designed to meet mobile worker, business application and IT requirements, this easy-to-use and easy-to-carry business-class device offers true consumer styling as well as enterprise manageability, security and scalability.

Note the emphasis on extending business processes, business applications and its rugged design. I like it!

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Questions about the SAP and Sybase Partnership for Mobile Software Applications

SAP and Sybase this week announced a non-exclusive partnership to deliver mobile software applications for SAP on a wide variety of mobile handhelds, iPhones, Windows Mobile devices and Smartphones.

Bill McDermott, president of global field operations for SAP explained that the collaboration “will lay the foundation to further mobilize SAP’s great content and functionality -- and move that content and functionality into the hands of the mobile workforce."

What do they mean, "laying the foundation." Nobody can use a foundation on an iPhone, someone must build the application. I wonder how this will work?

"The mobile enterprise worker is now the most important worker, because that’s the worker that’s touching the customer, the partner, and the supplier,” McDermott said. “This worker relies on smart devices and uses the power of calendar and email -- in addition to, now, the enterprise application functionality of SAP...there will be 300 million smart devices in the hands of mobile workers by 2013 – that’s nearly 100 percent growth from where we are today – and there will be 1 billion mobile users in the nest few years.” He added that “seventy percent of companies are planning to mobilize [business] applications [and get thim] into the hands of their knowledge workers.”

I do believe this could be a smart move for Sybase, as SAP has millions of enterprise users, but I wonder why it is a non-exclusive relationship. Does SAP really think multiple companies can afford a broad based mobile SAP development effort in this economy? I wonder if this relationship is really only about the mobile synchronization and mobile database technology that Sybase has. I wonder if Sybase will simply integrate their syncing and database technology with SAP Netweaver and leave other software developers to build the actual mobile applications. Is this what they mean by "foundation?" This seems the most likely scenario to me.

At the same time, “we are in a new reality in this economy, and companies are looking to extend the value of their existing core IT investments,” McDermott said. As such, many companies are looking for highly integrated “out of the box” solutions that will save them on integration costs and ongoing maintenance of complex systems.

Who is paying who for the "out-of-the-box" solutions? Is Sybase investing in the development of mobile SAP applications, or is SAP paying the bill? The task they have announced is enormous. Of course the details are vague, so maybe it is just hype. I have worked on many mobile applications and the suite of products that SAP has is large. This would be a monumental task, and then how do you create user interfaces for so many mobile devices with different configurations.

I am very interested in understanding how they will deliver the actual mobile software applications. Supporting all of the mobile devices with device specific features is too hard for Sybase or SAP to do on their own. Even Google said there are too many mobile devices and Smartphones with different configurations and features to support them all. There is a limit to what can be done by any 2 companies. I would guess that Sybase would begin selling a "mobile software tool kit" so that other systems integrators and partners could help build out SAP applications with device specific features that run on the Sybase mobile database and synchronization platform.

Here is another interesting observation. I did not see Sybase's mobile division, iAnywhere mentioned in any of the associated press releases or articles I read on this announcement. They did not role out their iAnywhere Management or the iAnywhere products. Hummm...what does this mean...?

Follow this link for the latest update on the SAP and Sybase partnership.

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With Cloud Computing - Google Doesn't Care Which Mobile Operating System Wins

That was the sentiment expressed by Vic Gundotra, vice president of mobile and developer platforms at Google, who spoke on a panel at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in San Francisco this week. Applications like gmail live in the world of cloud computing which means they are less impacted by the various mobile operating systems so although they have skin in the game, they can win no matter the users mobile operating system preferences.

Even Google says it cannot afford to develop different versions of the same mobile applications for all the various mobile operating systems. Their strategy is to develop applications for the "cloud-based" platforms and then make them accessible to all the different mobile handheld PDAs and Smartphones via the internet.

There is still a lot of excitement around internet-centric mobile handhelds and Smartphones even in today's economy says Gundotra. Why? He attributes it to the mobile phones' transition to personal computing devices.

Google's strategy has implications for a lot of mobile software companies and should influence where they spend their R&D budgets in the future.


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Windows Mobile Rugged Handheld PDA the i-Mate 810-F

For those of you involved in the mobile handheld PDA industry you know that there is usually a distinct line between the categories of rugged industrial grade handhelds and the category of consumer grade mobile devices such as Smartphones, PDA Phones, iPhones, etc. It only takes a few questions about the environment the customer is working in to make a recommendation as to the kind of mobile device required. That process is now getting harder as the announcement below demonstrates.

"i-mate, the global specialist in Microsoft Windows Mobile devices and software, today launched the i-mate 810-F, the world’s first complete lifestyle mobile with a lifetime warranty. Designed to meet military specifications, the 810-F combines high-end mobile technology and incredible durability in a single sleek package. Whether you work in the great outdoors or in an office, on the road or on a building site, or you just simply want a tough take-anywhere mobile, the 810-F offers everything you need for work and play. The phone comprises waterproof rubber casing and exposed metal screws to lock in the factory seal, making it impervious to almost anything. A full QWERTY keyboard, and impact resistant touch screen, means you don’t miss a thing while you are out and about... The 810-F is designed around the stringent MIL-STD-810F series of standards. These standards are issued by the U.S. military’s Developmental Test Command, a body whose role is to ensure equipment can withstand the rigours of the most extreme environments. This means the i-mate 810-F can cope with pressure, heat, water, humidity and even extreme shock without missing a beat. The 810-F is equally happy at a chilly -10°C or sweltering 60°C, and can be fully submerged in water."

How do you select the right rugged handheld, Smartphone or PDA? This article on the site called Mobile Software & Handheld PDA Business Strategies has a chapter called Selecting the Right Mobile Computing Device for the Solution.




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Questions to Ponder before Starting a Mobile Software Development Project for Handheld PDAs, iPhones and Smartphones

This article identifies some basic questions that should be asked and pondered by the business user and software development teams before starting on a mobile software development project:

1. Do you anticipate needing one mobile software application, or many? Can you start with a mobile software development platform that supports all of your mobile application needs, or will each mobile application be a separate IT project and use different development technologies and infrastructures (e.g. Windows Mobile, Google Android, RIM Blackberry, Symbian, iPhone, etc.)?
2. Do you know your exact solution and data requirements in advance? Do you anticipate needing to edit and adjust your mobile application as you learn from your field users and their experiences? Can it be hard coded, or does it need to be flexible and easily edited? The answers to these questions will impact both design and schedules.
3. Do you have an in-house software development capability, budget and helpdesk infrastructure to enable you to develop and support your own mobile application(s)?
4. Are you going to outsourcing the development of your mobile software application's design, development and deployment to an experienced mobility company, or build it internally?
5. Will you be synchronizing your field data with one back-office database, or multiple database applications? How will you do this? Are you using a middleware solution in this process?
6. Do you know how to integrate field data to your database applications? Do you have your own DBA that can do this? Are they involved in the data synchronization discussions. How can you ensure valid data is synchronized from the field?
7. How secure does the mobile data synchronization need to be? The more security that is added and layered the slower the data synchronization. Does only a small part need to be secure or all of the data?
8. Will the user always need and have internet connectivity, or will the application run equally well disconnected? Does you design take this issue into consideration?
9. Mobile solutions are often used on laptops, Tablet PCs, Smartphones, PDAs, and rugged handhelds. Do you know your hardware requirements and user environmental requirements? Is the user environment hot, cold, dry, wet, dusty, flammable or frozen?
10. Will you be supporting just one mobile device, or many different kinds and sizes? Is the screen size an issue? What size is the screen on your chosen devices? Is it sufficient for the work done in the field. Does the mobile worker need to read manuals, maps, images, blueprints and drawings, or just click on a few buttons?
11. What mobile device operating system(s) will you be supporting?
12. How will the mobile handhelds or mobile devices be carried and stored. Is the user wearing a suit, or wearing overalls in the rain. Does the environment require a rugged case, or a suit pocket? The answers to these questions impact your choice of mobile devices, operating systems and screen sizes.
13. If your internal IT staff are developing your mobile solution, do they know how to do the following: integrate with and support GPS, Barcode scanners, RFID radios, Digital Signatures, digital cameras and synchronize data bi-directionally across multiple databases?
14. What mobile database will you use? Does it have its own synchronization technology? If not, what mobile middleware are you going to use? Does the mobile database vendor support the operating systems you have chosen?
15. Do you have an IT development team that is experienced in designing, developing and deploying mobile applications, or is this their very first mobility project. Can you afford the steep learning curve, time and money developing a mobile application in-house with no experience?
16. Have you considered the implementation, training and support effort required to manage large mobile software deployments? Do you have project management and helpdesk software in place to manage it?
17. Have you made sure that your mobile software application's database and screen design will include the data fields required by the office database application you will sync with?
18. Does the mobile software application need to support a specific business process in SAP or other ERP? Have you designed the mobile software application to do so?
19. One of the most challenging and complex parts of mobile application development is to create the right data model for your mobile application before you start development. Often an appropriate data model for a simple mobile application, is not the appropriate data model once you start adding features and additional modules in future versions. Is your database model designed to easily support additional components?

These are a few of the questions you will want to discuss with both the business and the technical team before you begin this effort. For more questions and possibly some answers you may want to visit this Google Knol called Mobile Software & Handheld PDA Business Strategies.

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