How Do You Advise an Enterprise on Mobility?

I was asked the other day to put together a list of questions to send to a management team in advance of my visit.  They had asked me to help them develop an enterprise mobility strategy. 

This was an interesting task.  I had little knowledge of the scope of their ambitions, so I approached this challenge by creating a list of open ended questions that were designed to uncover their interests and their range of possible needs.  How would you prepare to discuss an infinite number of different mobility scenarios, business processes, IT infrastructures, ERPs and a plethora of mobile devices?   Were they going to describe a simple iPhone application or a solution as powerful as the SAP Workforce Scheduling And Optimization by Clicksoftware solution?

I think this is one of those tasks that benefits from trial and error.  Here is the list of 14 questions I prepared in advance.  What questions would you add to this list, or ask differently?

1. What business processes are you considering mobilizing?
2. What business units or departments are involved?  Is this a corporate project or departmental?
3. What are your priorities for mobilizing business processes?  Which ones first, second, third?
4. How many people will be using these mobile applications?
5. What are the roles and responsibilities of the mobile users?
6. What are the expected ROIs?
7. What is the desired timeline?
8. Do you have business process diagrams developed for these solutions?  If so, can we review prior to our meeting?
9. What is your one to three year roadmap for enterprise mobility?
10. What backend applications or ERPs are involved?
11. What are your preferred integration strategies?
12. Do you have existing mobile enterprise solutions?  If so, please describe.
13. What are your mobile device or smartphone preferences?
14. Do you want to buy an off the shelf mobile solution, develop one in-house, or contract for a custom mobile solution?

I look forward to your thoughts on how to improve this list.

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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
Phone +1 208-991-4410
twitter @krbenedict

Join SAP Enterprise Mobility on Linkedin
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly – August 12, 2010

Kevin's Mobility News Weekly is an online newsletter that is made up of the most interesting news and articles related to enterprise mobility that I run across each week. I am specifically targeting information that reflects market numbers and trends.

You can read archived versions of the newsletter here - http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-mobility-news-weekly.html.

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T-Mobile USA announced another quarter of customer defections, saying its total customers served declined by 93,000 in the second quarter compared with 77,000 net customer losses in the first quarter of this year. Its positive spin is that customers using 3G-capable smartphones continued to increase significantly in the second quarter, driving data ARPU (average revenue per user) to account for 25 percent of the company's total ARPU.

http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/t-mobile-loses-more-subscribers-2q-data-revenues-bright-spot/2010-08-05?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

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As of July 2010 the App Store offers over 225,000 applications optimized for Apple's iOS platform, including 11,000 expressly optimized for the computing giant's iPad tablet. App Store downloads now top 5 billion--free applications represent 81 percent of iOS downloads according to data released in late June by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who adds iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users presently download over 16.6 million apps each day.

http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/app-store-adds-try-you-buy-section/2010-08-06?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
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ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware - http://www.clicksoftware.com/.

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The US is projected to add more mobile subscriptions (about 80 million) than any other developed nation with mobile revenue surpassing all fixed line services by end of 2015, according to a new report from Pyramid Research.

http://telecoms.cbronline.com/news/us-mobile-revenue-to-exceed-all-fixed-line-services-by-2015-pyramid_040810
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SAP AG has announced the completion of its acquisition of Sybase, a partner and a market leader in managing, analyzing, and mobilizing business information. Through this transaction, SAP intends to accelerate the reach of SAP solutions across mobile platforms and drive forward the realization of SAP's in-memory computing vision.

http://www.sys-con.com/node/1489651

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A new Nielsen survey shows that only 42 percent of BlackBerry owners want their next phone to be a BlackBerry, while 89 percent of iPhone owners and 71 percent of Android owners plan to stick with those platforms.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704017904575409331541948418.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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I have been invited to join popular mobility blogger Gil Bouhnick, the Director of Mobile Solutions at ClickSoftware, to speak at an upcoming webinar entitled, 10 Costly Mistakes to Avoid when Selecting and Implementing a Mobility Solution. I don't know where that title came from, as I have made at least a hundred costly mistakes all by myself.

http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-happens-when-you-schedule-2.html

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Android devices accounted for 27 percent of U.S. smartphone sales during the first half of 2010 according to data issued this week by The Nielsen Company, four percentage points higher than the iPhone--Android now makes up 13 percent of the U.S. smartphone market as a whole, trailing Research In Motion's BlackBerry (35 percent), iPhone (28 percent) and Microsoft's Windows Mobile (15 percent, down from 27 percent only a year ago).

http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/android-wins-battle-iphone-still-winning-war/2010-08-05

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Vendors of smartphones shipped a total of 63 million units in the second quarter of 2010, compared to 41.9 million units in the same period a year ago. For H1, vendors shipped a total of 118.3 million units, up 54 percent from the 76.8 million units shipped during the first half of 2009.

http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=750019

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AT&T Inc. said Friday it doesn't expect to suffer a "material negative impact" from the end of its exclusive arrangements to carry handsets, including its lucrative deal for Apple’s iPhone.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703309704575413672727878934.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews

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Evidence continues to mount to support expectations that Apple's iPhone 4 will finally launch on Verizon this coming January.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/08/09/iphone.verizon.wired/index.html?hpt=T2

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Revenues from mobile data in the United States jumped six percent in the second quarter from the previous quarter and climbed 22 percent from the year ago period, according to fresh data from Chetan Sharma Consulting. In the second quarter alone, revenues for mobile data eclipsed $13.2 billion.

http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20100810/CONTENT_MOBILE_MARKETING/100819994/us-consumers-double-their-mobile-data-traffic-consumption-in-six

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I have found that in some industries and markets, mobile applications for smartphones or rugged handheld computers just won't cut it, at least on their own. In heavy construction, utilities, environmental services, disaster relief, inspection and assessment and on blueprint and map intensive jobs, handheld mobile devices simply have screens that are too small to be effective.

http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/08/mobile-companion-applications.html

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Research in Motion has agreed to install a server in Saudi Arabia that will allow that country’s authorities to monitor data on BlackBerry devices.

http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/rim-reaches-saudi-deal-over-blackberry-ban-8882

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Sybase, Inc., an SAP company and industry leader in enterprise and mobile software, today announced that partners around the world are successfully launching innovative mobile applications on the Sybase Unwired Platform, the industry’s leading mobile enterprise application platform.

http://www.sunherald.com/2010/08/09/2391759_sybase-and-sap-partners-launch.html

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Samsung Electronics’ share of the global smartphone market is small but growing, says a report from a U.S. based research firm.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2924392

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Nokia maintained its lead in the smartphone market, shipping 24 million units in the second quarter. Despite its failure to launch a successful smartphone in recent years, Nokia controlled 38.1 percent of the smartphone market, IDC said.

http://iblogauto.com/2010/08/10/nokia-rim-control-smartphone-market-despite-dip-idc/

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Global market for enterprise mobility is projected to exceed US $168.8 billion by the year 2015. Growing acceptance from large as well as small and medium businesses, and introduction of sophisticated mobile devices and novel mobility solutions are likely to fuel market growth in the next few years.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/enterprise/mobility/prweb4370204.htm

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• Read the latest Mobile Expert Interviews at: http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-interview-series.html

• Watch the latest Video Comments from Kevin Benedict on enterprise mobility and M2M subjects at: http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-video-comments.html

• Watch the latest Mobile Expert Videos at: http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/mobile-expert-video-series.html

• I would invite those interested in enterprise mobility to join the SAP Enterprise Mobility group at: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
Phone +1 208-991-4410
twitter @krbenedict
Join SAP Enterprise Mobility on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

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http://www.clicksoftware.com/e86e075b-4fca-44c9-bfeb-4efcc978f416/knowledge-center-white-papers-delivery.htm

Mobile Companion Applications

I have found that in some industries and markets, mobile applications for smartphones or rugged handheld computers just won't cut it, at least on their own.  In heavy construction, utilities, environmental services, disaster relief, inspection and assessment and on blueprint and map intensive jobs, handheld mobile devices simply have screens that are too small to be effective.  In these work environments Panasonic Toughbooks and other ruggedized laptops and Tablet PCs seem to be the better fit due to their bigger displays.  However, there are also cases where companies want both mobile applications for handheld devices and laptop applications that work together.  This category of applications is called "mobile companion" applications.

Mobile companion apps are smaller versions of the laptop or Tablet PC application that are specifically designed for use on a handheld mobile device.  In many cases an engineer has a mounted Toughbook in the cab of the truck, but when he/she leaves the truck they want the ability to interact with the data, collect data, receive alerts, query a database, and fill out forms all on the smartphone using a version of the application designed for smaller screens.

When the engineer returns to the truck, any edits or additions to the data captured on the mobile handheld device is already updated on the laptop.  The bigger displays on the laptops and Tablet PCs can show maps, blueprints, CAD drawings, etc., and the integrated data from the "companion" application.

SAP's co-Innovation Partner, Syclo has coined the phrase "mobile companion" application to describe the coupling of laptops and handheld devices that work together, but have different screen sizes and application designs.

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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
Phone +1 208-991-4410
twitter @krbenedict
Join SAP Enterprise Mobility on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Kevin’s M2M News Weekly – August 11, 2010

Welcome to Kevin's M2M News Weekly. This is an online newsletter that consists of the most interesting news and articles related to M2M (machine to machine) and embedded mobile devices that I read each week. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around the M2M market.

You can read archived editions of Kevin's M2M News Weekly at http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html.

Also available are Kevin’s Mobility News Weekly and Kevin’s Enterprise Mobility Blog.

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Berg Insight says worldwide installed base of smart electricity meters will reach 302.5 million units in 2015.

http://www.fieldtechnologiesonline.com/article.mvc/Berg-Insight-Says-Worldwide-Installed-Base-Of-0001?atc~c=771+s=773+r=001+l=a&goback=%2Egde_2114322_news_165748098

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AT&T recognizes the value of the M2M market. During the past three quarters, the company said it has added almost 3.4 million connected and M2M devices bringing its total to almost 6.7 million.

http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/weinschenk/despite-lukewarm-reports-m2m-still-overflows-with-promise/?cs=42605

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It is predicted that more than 400 million embedded devices and M2M connections will emerge by 2014 due to the world’s mobile data traffic being transferred onto embedded computing systems at an increasing rate.

http://m2m.tmcnet.com/topics/m2mevolution/articles/94486-wherever-there-embedded-devices-embed-management-capabilities.htm

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In the past 18 months, the Cellular M2M communication market has registered a decrease in both shipment volumes and revenue. However, unit shipment volume started growing along with the growing importance of 3G, which is estimated to result in market worth of $3.8 billion in 2015, market researcher ABI Research said.

http://telecoms.cbronline.com/news/worldwide-m2m-module-market-to-reach-38bn-in-2015-abi-research_090810

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A participant in a Linkedin group I was reading today listed his requirements for an M2M solution. He was asking the group for recommendations as to how to select and implement an M2M solution. Other participants in the group added their advice and comments until there was a long list of recommending vendors, solutions, strategies, etc. I was impressed.

http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/2010/08/mobility-m2m-and-linkedin.html

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The bulk of new additions to the mobile services of both AT&T and Verizon Wireless represent "connected devices," which includes non-phone consumer products such as tablets, e-readers and netbooks, as well as M2M units such as meter readers.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/203007/atandt_verizon_cashing_in_outside_of_phones.html

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Wireless Logic, an M2M connectivity provider, is releasing its latest vertical sector share analysis showing that, despite the economic downturn, vehicle tracking M2M deployments have recovered to pre-recession figures, remaining the biggest M2M sector with 60 percent of the market.

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/44715.php

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Through the use of M2M technology homeowners can monitor their homes remotely via the Web or even using a smartphone.

http://www.connectedworldmag.com/latestNews.aspx?id=NEWS100808203152303

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Silicon Valley Power, the municipal utility that provides electricity to 51,000 customers in the city of Santa Clara, recently announced that it has chosen Elster Solutions of Raleigh, North Carolina to provide its smartmeters. Once the smartmeters are fully installed by the end of 2012, residents will also have access to free Wi-Fi across the city through Tropos, a technology vendor based in Sunnyvale.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15607927?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com&nclick_check=1

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New research from the analyst firm Berg Insight says that the worldwide installed base of smart electricity meters will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 31.1 percent between 2009 and 2015 to reach 302.5 million at the end of the period.

http://www.berginsight.com/News.aspx?m_m=6&s_m=1

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M2M gadgets include wireless dog collars, a pill box that uses a wireless connection to remind people to take their medicine, e-readers, a device that tracks product pallets for shipping companies and entertainment systems for people riding in cars. When all these are connected to other devices or the Internet, they will connect using AT&T's network -- meaning more revenue for the company. AT&T expects about $1 billion in annual services revenue in about five years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62N6ST20100325

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With the Enfora Services Gateway Platform, IBM Maximo users can now define the business rules and logic for how and when an asset should report via M2M, as well as logically associate rotating wireless devices. Additionally, IBM Maximo users are able to track mobile assets with easy access to location information, status and monitoring alerts for movement, Geofencing, reporting and battery levels.

http://www.enfora.com/index.cgi?CONTENT_ID=2971&User:LANGUAGE=en


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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
Phone +1 208-991-4410
twitter @krbenedict
Join SAP Enterprise Mobility on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

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Mobility, M2M and LinkedIn

A participant in a LinkedIin group I was reading today listed his requirements for an M2M (machine-to-machine) solution.  He was asking the group for recommendations as to how to select and implement an M2M solution (for more information on M2M read M2M News Weekly).  Other participants in the group added their advice and comments until there was a long list of recommending vendors, solutions, strategies, etc.  I was impressed.

Social networking and social media tools can be used very effectively today if you know how to use them.  I thought back a few years to how questions like this would be posted in the past.  Often you would spend weeks creating an RFI that you would send out to a long list of vendors that you found in the back of an industry trade magazine.  The responses were then reviewed and RFPs were sent to a subset of the respondents.  You would receive responses in the mail over the next few weeks.  The entire process could take months.

Today, you can post 12 questions to a special interest group on LinkedIn, SAP Community Network or other online discussion groups and the ideas, recommendations and links to other resource sites come pouring in within minutes. 

The person that posted the questions about M2M had additional advantages.  He could see the profile of each person responding.  He could see where they worked and review their background.  He could ask additional questions and could ask for clarification.  All of the answers were public, so other peers could also review and debate the merits of various answers.  These public responses have a way of encouraging honest and thoughtful answers.  The whole world can read and critique them.

Public discussions on subjects like M2M also educate the industry.  Everyone benefits from reading the questions and answers that are posted.  It is group think.  It is group education.  It is group advancement.

Group discussions on subjects like M2M also have a way of sorting out vendors.  It is a fact that an M2M vendor could be very competent, but if they don't participate in public forums, they lose their industry standing and thought leadership roles simply because they aren't present and participating.

Companies like Clicksoftware in the enterprise mobility space, however, are active conversationalists in discussion groups like SAP Enterprise Mobility on Linkedin, general enterprise mobility groups, SAP user groups and through sharing their knowledge through blogging.

Today it is not enough to have good R & D, technology, funding, partnerships, marketing and sales channels.  Companies must share their knowledge and participate in the industry's education and conversation.  Some companies have learned this lesson and are active contributors, while others today are fading from view, not because their products are not good, but because they are not participating in the industry's conversations.

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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
Phone +1 208-991-4410
twitter @krbenedict
Join SAP Enterprise Mobility on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.