It's All About the ROI

The current state of the economy has made the process of getting approval for new technology implementations a "tough sell" in the corporate environment. In these times of cost cutting and tight budgets, getting executive approval for a large-scale deployment of Pocket PC devices can be nearly impossible. Without carefully crafting a solid business case that includes tangible Return On Investment (ROI), the odds for getting the go-ahead for a project of this type are typically slim to none.

The primary purpose of this article is to provide some simple strategies that can help make the case for an enterprise Pocket PC deployment. In addition, I will point out methods for effectively calculating ROI for the more difficult (and less tangible) and often overlooked areas when building a business case.

Setting goals and benefits

A lot of emphasis has been placed (thanks to marketing and media organizations) on the ability of the Pocket PC to serve up enterprise applications. As a result, many people I have spoken to or worked with over the past several months have decided that they would like to deploy the Pocket PC with specific business applications (either "off-the-shelf" or developed internally) to solve business needs. Time and again, their project timelines suggest months (if not years) before realization of a return on the investment in hardware, software, and labor.

Presenting a proposal of this type to decision makers has most commonly resulted in a response similar to the following: "If it will take x months to complete and deploy the software for our workforce, why should we invest in the hardware now?" This is a valid response if no intermediate benefits are presented. The key to justifying the hardware investment up front is to have a business plan that shows an ROI as soon as possible. An effective business plan for Pocket PC deployments should set multiple milestones, with goals occurring in the near, medium, and long-term. Thought and strategizing should include items that can be easily achieved and will provide ROI quickly.

Replacing hardware

One of the most common goals of a Pocket PC deployment is to provide access to critical information or processes for highly mobile workers. For them, a Pocket PC is far less cumbersome than alternative mobile devices (most commonly, a notebook computer). This goal can benefit not only the mobile worker, but also the corporate "bottom line." Let's look at a field sales force as an example.

For mobile operations, a field sales worker would typically use a notebook computer with networking capabilities (a LAN or WLAN modem). Assuming that the data this person needs to be effective outside the office environment does not require all of the functionality (and cost) of a notebook computer, the Pocket PC could, in fact, serve as a replacement device. Even if computer access in the office is required, a desktop computer could serve as the hardware for the office, and the Pocket PC could serve as the mobile device. With this in mind, the following table provides some insight into immediate cost savings per worker (Note: the numbers provided are simply averages. Based upon your organization's research and requirements, your numbers could be different.)

With this information in hand, we can see the potential to immediately get ROI immediately on a Pocket PC deployment thanks to reduced hardware expenditures.

Short-term mobilization of data

As I mentioned earlier in this article, many organizations view the mobilization of data and applications as the long-term goal of a Pocket PC deployment. There are typically, however, various aspects of data that can be "mobilized" starting at Day 1 of a Pocket PC hardware deployment. This data can prove to be a valuable component of rapid ROI.