Showing posts with label mobility strategy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mobility strategy. Show all posts

Strategic Enough to Matter, Code Halos and Mobile Apps

Gartner IT Budget Forecast
If a massive herd of elephants were charging at you from 20 meters away, would taking a small step forwards or backwards improve your safety? NO!  In many situations it seems that is how companies are approaching mobile strategies.  They are staring massive marketplace transformation in the face, but responding by just starting a few mobile app POCs (proof of concepts).

In James McQuivey's book titled, Digital Disruption:Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation, he states that competition in business is rapidly moving to a focus on knowledge of and engagement with customers.  Companies are developing an understanding of "code halos" (their customers' digital footprint or history of activities on the web, at a location and in various database systems) and they must now use this data to better engage with customers through their customers' "engagement format of choice" which is increasingly on a mobile device.

Finding, integrating and using a person's "code halo" represents a lot of work for an IT organization.  It takes strategy, budgets, resources and planning. It takes more than a small step as suggested in my earlier anecdote.   This is the kind of thing the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) needs to be taking up with the CEO and CIO.

In the latest technology budget forecasts I have seen from Gartner (see chart above), more of the technology budget is being shifted to the business and/or marketing department, while the IT budget remains relatively flat.  I believe this suggests many companies "get it."  They understand their ability to stay competitive in the face of Amazon, Apple, Google and eBay, etc.,  just to name a few of today's digital disruptors, depends on their ability to effectively collect, analyze and utilize "code halos" and engage with their customers and markets on a mobile device.

When it comes to enterprise mobility and mobile apps - Get strategic and get competitive before it is too late!!!

***Have you seen the NEW mobile solution directory here http://mobilesolutiondirectory.blogspot.com/?

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Kevin Benedict, Head Analyst for Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud (SMAC) Cognizant
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Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
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***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and SMAC analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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Enterprise Mobility and the Fog of War

Fog of War
The term of "Fog of War" means "The uncertainty in situation awareness experienced during operations."  It is really hard to manage operations efficiently if you don't know where your people and resources are located.  How can you implement your strategy or fulfill your mission without this knowledge?  Gaining situational awareness is the key to improving productivity in the field.

In the preliminary results of my mid-year enterprise mobility survey, the participants have identified "improved productivity" as the #1 ROI that companies are seeking from enterprise mobility.  This would suggest a need for GPS tracking of your workforce, assets and resources and improved situational awareness.

I recently read that 90% of the challenges that military commanders have are finding the enemy, and finding their own forces.  Knowing the location of your resources enables you to make all kinds of data driven decisions such as:

  • Estimated arrival times
  • Determining what resources are closest to a job site
  • Optimizing routes
  • Optimizing schedules
  • Identifying the nearest location of materials, supplies and other resources
  • etc.
Although it is impossible to eliminate all fog, best in class services organizations are going to invest in the elimination of as much fog as possible.  This takes not only knowing GPS coordinates of your workforce and resources, but having an enterprise mobility solution and real-time analytics and forecasting applications that understand how to use this data to optimize your productivity.
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Kevin Benedict, Mobile Industry Analyst, Mobile Strategy Consultant and SAP Mentor Alumnus
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Kevin Benedict's Q2 2012 Mobile Expert Video Series

In case you missed any of these Mobile Expert Video Series the first go around, here is the list of video interviews that I recorded in Q2 of 2012.  Grab some popcorn and enjoy!
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Enterprise Mobility and Competitive Decision Making

Colonel John Boyd
One of the greatest military strategists of the 21st century was the late USAF Colonel John Boyd.  In his workshops he emphasized the need for agility, new and quicker ways of thinking, and competitive decision-making.  He taught that advantages in observation and orientation enable a tempo in decision making and execution that outpaces the ability of your competition to react effectively in time.  His core strategies were compiled into the acronym OODA (observe, orient, decide and act).

These strategies are meaningful to nearly every company that is developing a mobile strategy and thinking about potential ROIs.  Have you considered the negative impact on your business that might develop if your competitors connected their mobile workforce to real-time business analytics, CRM, EAM, field services, ERP, etc, and you did not?  What if your competitors could respond faster to customer service issues, optimize real-time scheduling, respond faster to new sales opportunities, solve problems faster and make better decisions in the field?  What if they could run circles around you?

Boyd stressed that the key to winning is the tempo.  He called his theory, Fast Transients. The theory of Fast Transients suggests that in order to win or gain superiority we should operate at a faster tempo than our adversaries.

There is a big difference between running a batch mode or offline business, and running a real-time enterprise.  Real-time means you have mobilized your workforce and you can make the best decisions possible, and respond as fast as possible from nearly anywhere.

In the mobile strategies workshops that I taught in 11 countries last year, I start by asking the audience what kind of business tempo do they want to support and maintain.  The purpose of this questions is to get my clients thinking about how their business can be transformed if they operated on a faster tempo with mobile solutions and real-time data exchanges.

Boyd preached that the key to winning is the speed with which you change and adapt to changes.  How fast can you switch from Plan A to Plan B?  How soon can you recognize the need to change plans?

In the mid-year enterprise mobility survey that I have open right now, making better real-time decisions is currently the second leading ROI that companies are seeking by mobilizing their enterprise.  The third is developing better customer interactions by using mobile solutions.  Better customer interactions often involve responding to your customers' needs faster.  Sounds like Boyd's tempo strategy again.

If you would like a free copy of the mid-year enterprise mobility survey results, please take the survey and I will send the final results to you.

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Kevin Benedict, Mobile Industry Analyst, Mobile Strategy Consultant and SAP Mentor Alumnus
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Kevin Benedict's What's New in HTML5 - Week of June 3, 2012

Have you noticed how many of your iOS (iPhone and iPad) apps are now in HTML5? I have several that were updated and are now HTML5.  Very cool!

WebMobi has released a mobile HTML5 app creation platform for Blackberry developers, providing features including developer components for the developer to create their own UI in HTML5, jQuery Mobile or Cordova, and a WYSIWYG designer component to create custom HTML5 content.  Read Original Content

Verivo Software has added HTML5 support to its enterprise mobile app development platform, enabling developers to incorporate HTML5 content and Javascript into native and hybrid apps.  Read Original Content

HTML KickStart is a website development toolkit which contains a set of HTML5, CSS, and jQuery files, layouts, and elements.  Read Original Content

Yahoo has announced the launch of an HTML5-based mobile search app, Axis, with search functionality built with HTML5 and running off Yahoo's Cocktails platform, which blends elements of Javascript, SQL and HTML5.  Read Original Content

Merchandising content and technology provider Easy2 Technologies is converting its products to HTML5 and eliminating the need to use Flash.  “By migrating from Flash to HTML5 we are providing a richer visual experience to shoppers and increased flexibility and scalability to clients and partners.”  Read Original Content

The use of HTML5 provides “100 percent pure mobility”, as it works on anything with an HTML5 compliant browser - smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops, according to ClickSoftware’s Stephen Smith.  Read Original Content

ProPoint Graphics has launched a suite of mobile solutions for business, including mobile app design and HTML5 design.  Read Original Content

Kaazing University is offering 13 free HTML5 instructional videos for development of Ultrabook applications.  The videos are published on Intel’s Software Network (http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/html5-how-to-video-series-for-ultrabooks/).  Read Original Content

The new version of Cubender’s website building platform will introduce many HTML5 features, such as HTML5 audio, video and forms.  Read Original Content

Ecommerce Developer provides a list of 17 tools and tutorials to aid developers with creating HTML5 mobile apps and sites.  Read Original Content

According to some experts, Facebook should focus efforts on the push for further development of HTML5, rather than to create its own smartphone.  Read Original Content

Mediacom and mobile ad network InMobi are collaborating to produce HTML5 ad units using InMobi’s Sprout platform.  Read Original Content

Publishing software provider Quark has announced its acquisition of Mobile IQ to expand the company’s enterprise digital publishing solutions.  Quark and Mobile IQ share a vision of digital publishing that includes HTML5 and XML.  Read Original Content

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Kevin Benedict, Mobile Industry Analyst, Mobile Strategy Consultant and SAP Mentor Alumnus
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Interviews with Kevin Benedict