Mastering SAP Technologies and Mobility in Australia

Geeks/SAP Mentors Migrating South

About ten SAP Mentors spoke at this year's Mastering SAP Technologies event in Sydney.  I presented one of the opening keynote presentations on Monday, and lead a session called Network Centric Operations in the SAP Environment this afternoon. 

It was a packed house, but there was a noted absence of any Sybase folks.  I met several companies currently interested in purchasing mobile solutions.  The strange thing is that Sybase has a sales office in Sydney, but still did not attend.  It seems there are still some coordination issues to work out.

There were 4 sessions that focused on enterprise mobility this year, and the Demo Jam winner was also a mobile solution.  The Demo Jam winners had the following components and features:

• Remote controlled helicopter
• Barcode scanner on the helicopter
• Wireless remote control of the helicopter using an Android device
• The barcode was capture and wirelessly integrated with SAP's SCM (supply chain management) system.

I attended a session today by Jason Lante from ETSA Utilities on mobile timesheets.  He shared how ETSA Utilities is successfully using ClickSoftware's ClickMobile and ClickSchedule integrated with SAP for about 75% of their employees that work in the field.  They have achieved their mobility and ROI goals and are looking to expand.

Kevin Benedict's Keynote...fun, fun!

I had a gathering of utility, post and CPG company representatives around me following both presentations that I gave.  I kept looking around for some SAP utilities or Sybase folks to bring into these conversations, but none were present.  I don't think the SAP field sales team quite knows how important mobility is becoming to their customers.



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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 on Linkedin
Read The Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Read The Field Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Money 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.

Down Under and Enterprise Mobility Security

I am speaking this week at the Mastering SAP Technologies conference in Sydney, Australia.  Following my presentation this morning on enterprise mobility, I spoke with attendees from MIT's Lincoln Labs and Boeing.  Both of these individuals shared that their companies had many requests for enterprise mobility solutions, but security concerns have prevented any from being deployed.  This sounds like a real problem!

A 2011 study by Kelton Research found that security fears had caused 75 percent of enterprises to delay rolling out mobile apps at one time or another.  Yikes!  This is not good for business if you are an enterprise mobility vendor.  This subject deserves more discussion, but I am working in an outdoor cafe and a tropical storm is about to open up on me and my laptop, so we will pick up this discussion again in the future.

Cheers!

Whitepapers of Note

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

Webinars of Note

Five Ways to Optimize the ROI of your Mobile Solution
Implementing SAP Enterprise Mobility in Fortune 500 Companies - 10 Lessons Learned 
Barcode Scanning In Mobile Applications
SAP Mobilization - What You Need to Know

***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group on Linkedin
Read The Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Read The Field Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Money 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.

Field Mobility News Weekly - Week of March 21, 2011

Kevin’s 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 Money News Weekly
Also read Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly
Also read M2M News Monthly

The U.S. Army will soon evaluate prototypes of wearable mobile handheld computers running battle command capability.  New applications will provide dismounted soldiers with network connectivity, command, control and situational awareness.

http://defense-update.com/wp/20110318_jbc-p_wearable_pc.html

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The medical device industry is worth $400 billion in annual sales.  Vante, a medical equipment company is restructuring itself to enter the emerging market.  The company, formerly known as SEBRA, is retooling itself as a market leader in supplying machines to make medical catheters and seal sterile tubing.

http://azstarnet.com/business/local/article_7894c9a9-dff4-574f-a809-bd03da540c3a.html

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Pentagon contractors are developing applications for Apple’s IPad and other tablets in order to command and control unmanned aerial vehicles.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/222301/tablets_smartphones_join_the_military.html

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IDC has launched the ZB111 wireless-based barcode scanner, to provide low cost inventory management systems in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and surgeries.

First Solar Drives Business Value with Enterprise Mobility Platform

First Solar and Mobility

I came across this mobility webinar announcement and wanted to share it with you.  Nothing beats learning directly from the end user.  First Solar has just implemented an enterprise mobility solution and Jay White, Mobility Architect (cool title!) from First Solar will share his experiences.

Here is the webinar description:

Hear first-hand about First Solar’s road to mobility, the critical decisions they faced and the benefits they’re reaping as a result of successfully implementing an enterprise-grade mobility strategy that is able to scale with their needs.

In this informative webinar, Jay White, Mobility Architect at First Solar, will share his insights into enterprise architecture, system integration, and multi-device support and the crucial role they play in successfully and cost-effectively developing enterprise-grade mobile applications.

March 23 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET


Register Here!


***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group on Linkedin
Read The Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Read The Field Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Money 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.

Enterprise Mobility Podcast Series: Neil McHugh, Part 2

This is Part 2 (see Part 1) of an indepth interview that I recorded with mobility expert Neil McHugh.  We talk about all kinds of strategies that companies must consider when preparing to implement enterprise mobility.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1vibltMryY&feature=youtube_gdata



Whitepapers of Note

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

Webinars of Note

Five Ways to Optimize the ROI of your Mobile Solution
Implementing SAP Enterprise Mobility in Fortune 500 Companies - 10 Lessons Learned 
Barcode Scanning In Mobile Applications
SAP Mobilization - What You Need to Know

***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group on Linkedin
Read The Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Read The Field Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Money 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.

Mobility News Weekly - Week of March 14, 2011

The Mobility News Weekly is an online newsletter 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 data and trends.

Also read Field Mobility News Weekly
Also read Mobile Money News Weekly
Also read Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Also read M2M News Monthly

It's almost too cool to believe.  Simply wave a piece of American currency in front of your iPhone's camera and LookTel, created by software company Ipplex, will tell you the denomination without even having to access the internet.

http://www.good.is/post/video-possibly-the-best-iphone-app-yet-sees-money-for-the-blind/

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Apple, Nokia and Research in Motion together have generated 64 percent of the revenue in the popular and ever growing smartphone market.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2011/03/15/apple-nokia-and-rim-tops-in.html

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Verizon Wireless is the last operator to launch a phone under the 4G banner.  The first smartphone for VZW’s long-term evolution network, the HTC Thunderbolt promises to be the fastest gizmo on the market.

http://blog.connectedplanetonline.com/unfiltered/2011/03/16/vzws-4g-smartphone-service-begins-thursday/

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Consumerization, cloud computing, tablet computing and mobile collaboration are among the major trends that will drive the market for enterprise mobility solutions over the next year.

Enterprise Mobility Podcast Series: Neil McHugh

I was able to track down Neil McHugh, VP of Sales and Business Development with Sky Technologies today and record his thoughts on a variety of subjects related to enterprise mobility and strategy.  This is a very interesting discussion.  The link below takes you to Part 1 (see Part 2) of the interview on YouTube. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38TMW2ysQGY&feature=youtube_gdata

Listen to Part 2 of this interview here.

Webinars of Note:

Five Ways to Optimize the ROI of your Mobile Solution
Implementing SAP Enterprise Mobility in Fortune 500 Companies - 10 Lessons Learned (with Kevin Benedict)
Barcode Scanning In Mobile Applications
SAP Mobilization - What You Need to Know

***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group on Linkedin
Read The Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Read The Field Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Money 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 Money News Weekly - Week of March 14, 2011

The Mobile Money News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news, articles and links related to mobile payments, mobile money, e-wallets, mobile banking and mobile security that I run across each week.  I am specifically targeting market size and market trend information.

Also read Field Mobility News Weekly
Also read Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly
Also read M2M News Monthly

Google is trying to beat Apple to the punch when it comes to making Near Field Communication technology popular in the U.S.  Google is about to begin testing mobile NFC payments and plans to do so by installing "thousands" of VeriFone NFC readers at merchants in New York and San Francisco.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/03/google-reportedly-testing-phone-payments-in-nyc-san-francisco.ars

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Recent reports have projected mobile payments would grow to a $680 billion market by 2016.  Juniper Research has valued the mobile payment market at $170 billion in 2010 and projected it to grow to $630 billion by 2014.

http://www.procurement.travel/news.php?cid=mobile-payment-providers-consumer-applications-commercial-applications-hype.Feb-11.28

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Forrester reports that less than 6 percent of American adults have ever used mobile payment.  Americans seem stuck on paper money and credit or debit cards — behind both high-tech first world countries and the developing world in using phones as a wallet.

http://www.technewsdaily.com/us-lags-even-developing-world-in-using-cell-phones-as-wallets-2318/

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Apple has told several UK mobile operators that NFC will not be part of the next iPhone, because Apple is concerned about the lack of an industry-wide standard.

Enterprise Mobility Podcast Series: SAP's Dr. Ahmed El Adl

This is a great interview that I conducted with SAP's Dr. Ahmed El Adl last week.  He discusses his new role at SAP working on enterprise mobility projects and strategy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZva1Y6KqF0

***************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group on Linkedin
Read The Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Read The Field Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Money 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 Retailing News Weekly - Week of March 14, 2011

The Mobile Retailing News Weekly is an online newsletter that is made up of the most interesting news, articles and links related to mobile retailing applications and mobile marketing applications that I run across each week. I am specifically targeting market size and market trend information.

Also read Field Mobility News Weekly
Also read Mobile Money News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly
Also read M2M News Monthly

Berg Insight estimates that the total value of the global mobile marketing and advertising market was € 1.72 billion in 2009.  Growing at a compound annual growth rate of 41 percent, the mobile ad market is forecasted to be worth € 13.5 billion in 2015.

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/sbwire-82016.htm

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While today mobile represents 15 percent of online advertising, by 2015 it will represent 64 percent of all digital ads.

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/research/9264.html

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Recent reports show the total download app market for Android and iPhone will reach a whopping $15 billion by 2013.

http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2129310&spid=24698

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AOL is trying to transform itself from an Internet service provider to a media company, driven by advertising.  And as attention shifts to the mobile Internet from the desktop, AOL realizes that it needs to kick start a mobile advertising business, too.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/03/11/businessinsider-aol-mobile-ads-2011-3.DTL

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The mobile marketing industry in Kenya is set to see significant growth with the launch of the East African chapter of the Mobile Marketing Association.