Kevin Benedict Ponders the Future

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.

Field Mobility News Weekly - Week of July 18, 2011

The Field Mobility News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news and articles related to field mobility that I run across each week. I am specifically targeting information that reflects market data and trends.

Also read Mobile Commerce News Weekly
Also read Mobile Marketing News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly
Also read M2M News Weekly
Also read Mobility Charts Weekly

According to ABI Research by 2011 the RFID market will reach and potentially surpass a total in sales of approximately $6 billion. Read Original Content

The U.S. Army is currently testing smartphones to be used in battlefield situations to increase surveillance capability. The Army is testing 500 off the shelf smartphones equipped with rugged cases for device protection. Read Original Content

Many hospitals and clinics are finding tablets useful. Benefits include easy access to medical records, mobility, speech-to-text capability, paperless billing, access to photos and the ability to electronically send prescriptions to pharmacies. Read Original Content

According to a recent airline industry study, 91 percent of airlines are planning to invest in mobility services for its passengers. This includes mobile check-in capability and digital boarding passes. Read Original Content

Simplot, a major player in the agriculture industry, is teaming up with electric utility companies to develop a smart grid-like irrigation system that responds to power demands. Read Original Content

In order to help prepare Filipino farmers for droughts, heavy rains and other variables, Senator Edgardo J. Angara is suggesting the use of remote sensors to provide better agriculture intelligence for the farming community of the Philippines. Read Original Content

Mobile Expert Video Series: Jessica Fell

I had the opportunity to meet Jessica Fell from Association and Communication Events in Australia last week and talk to her about the upcoming October 25th-27th Field Mobility Conference in Sydney.

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

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.

Mobile Expert Video Series: Telstra's Warren Wipiti

Last week in Australia I was able to listen in on a presentation about field services automation, scheduling and mobilizing field workers by Telstra. They use Panasonic Toughbooks, WiFi enabled vehicles and ClickSoftware's ClickSchedule to organize and dispatch their field services teams.

In this video Warren shares that Telstra has gone from being just a utility provider, to now being a service provider in a deregulated and competitive environment where superior quality and customer service is a competitive advantage.

Telstra has done something that is very hard. They reduced their field services staff by 50%, yet improved their quality and customer service. Listen to this video to find out how.

Upcoming Events

Critical Requirements for Mobile App Development: Agility and Speed Strategy, Process, and Tools to Accelerate Mobile Development, July 21, 2011

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

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
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
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

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

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.

Mobility in Australia is Challenging

Snake is 5 meters (15 feet) long
Click Image to Enlarge

I had the privilege of speaking at a conference in Australia this week and spending time with many utilities and construction companies. The challenges in Australia can be highlighted by this image of a snake, provided by Jeff Morgan from Electrix taken from the window of a utility vehicle in Australia. This snake is of a very aggressive and deadly nature. I was also intrigued by the many spider stories that were shared by the field engineers that I spent time with this week. Seems spiders really like electrical meter boxes.

In addition to the biting and stinging variety of challenges, there are many connectivity challenges in a country as big and remote as Australia. It doesn't take long to lose connectivity once you leave the main roads in Australia. Companies use specialized radios and satellite phones and up-links a lot in this region.

Any mission critical mobile application such as field services and enterprise asset management needs to be designed to work equally well connected or disconnected from the Internet in Australia. That takes databases on the mobile client, syncing technology and back office integration. In other words, these kinds of mobile solutions are naturals for Sybase's SUP and SQL Anywhere architecture.

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

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.

Mobile Expert Video Series: Jemena's Tinashe Mutimbe

I met Tinashe Mutimbe over dinner at ClickSoftware's ClickConnect APAC 2011 conference in Manly, Australia this week. We had a very interesting discussion about enterprise mobility in the utilities industry and he was kind enough to agree to a video interview. Thanks Tinashe!

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

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.

Mobility ROI Weekly - Week of July 11, 2011

This weekly ROI (return on investment) report will include ROIs that I come across in my weekly enterprise mobility, M2M and GPS vehicle tracking research. I will be collecting ROIs and posting them here. The idea is that in the future if you need to find ROIs for companies in various industries they will be available here. I hope you find this useful.

Scottish Council Saves Through Fleet Management

After investing in a fleet management system from TomTom Business Solutions, the Scottish Council of West Dunbartonshire was able to track its fleet of vehicles resulting in a £100,000 reduction in fuel expenses during the first year. The Council installed TomTom LINK300 tracking units on 260 vehicles allowing Rodney Thorton, head of fleet and waste management, to better monitor the driving habits of his workers.

In the upcoming months the Council is expected to install TomTom tracking units on the remainder of the 380-vehicle fleet to save in fuel costs and reduce carbon emissions. West Dunbartonshire is also looking at TomTom’s ecoPLUS device that monitors engine performance and gathers engine data through embedded sensors. West Dunbartonshire’s ROI was reported to come from the following areas:

£100,000 reduction in fuel expenses
The ability to better monitor the driving habits of workers resulting in more responsible and efficient driving practices.
Fuel cost savings resulted from improvements to the way council vehicle operators carry out their duties.
Reduced carbon emissions

Read original source

Pipe Works Services SAves Through Vehicle Tracking

New Jersey based Pipe Works Services was able to increase their vehicle fleet productivity and reduce fuel consumption after installing GPS tracking devices on company vehicles. They selected the Marcus Fleet Tracking Solution package from Discrete Wireless, Inc. Pipe Works chose this solution because it offered features including email alerts and geo-fencing capabilities. Their ROI was reported to have come from the following areas:

35 percent productivity increase
20 percent reduction in fuel consumption
Better security and improved employee accountability

Read original source

Ventura California Saves Through GPS Tracking

The city of Ventura, California equipped select vehicles in its fleet of 450 with GPS tracking devices. After implementation the city saw impressive savings that include an overall fuel savings of 10 percent. In just the city’s water department, they realized annual savings of $10,000. Larger vehicles like wastewater vehicles can save up to $1,200 per year. After implementing a fleet tracking solution, the city saw an ROI in the following areas:

Improved fuel economy by 10 percent, which more than pays for the GPS Tracking System
Reduced idling time
Improved routing
Improved customer service
City water department saved more than $10,000/year in fuel and maintenance costs
Larger vehicles realized up to $1,200/year in fuel savings
Helped the city become leaner and greener by implementing more sustainable practices

Read original source

Upcoming Events

Critical Requirements for Mobile App Development: Agility and Speed Strategy, Process, and Tools to Accelerate Mobile Development, July 21, 2011

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

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
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
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

*************************************************************

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

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict