While 2007 was a year of significant change in the mobile and wireless space, 2008 will only accelerate that trend. Early last year, Microsoft was sitting well. But with growing market share, and newfound respect from the enterprise, they were growing complacent. The mobile platform wars of yesteryear seemed to be behind them, and they were no longer the underdog but the dominant player in the space. That all changed though, as both Apple and Google entered the ring. This year, we will see not only how this new competition continues to change the consumer wireless landscape, but also how it will impact the world of enterprise mobility. No matter how you slice it, this year is shaping up to be a very exciting transition point in the market and will affect us all.
Leading off the Enterprise section, Chris De Herrera shows us how to evaluate where our organization is in the mobility adoption lifecycle. He has provided an assessment that can be used to rapidly identify areas of success or improvement from an enterprise mobility perspective.
After you’ve done an assessment, and understand the state of your company’s mobility, you can begin to think about where you need to go next. I’ve written a brief article that discusses business opportunities made possible through mobility, which hopefully will help you begin to think about what the future can hold for your organization.
Next, Randy Siegel tells us about how the U.S. Government is leveraging mobile technology to streamline operations and save taxpayer money. From basic e-mail to mission-critical specialized systems, Windows Mobile is providing a standardized platform for the government. Randy also gives us a detailed look at how the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration have leveraged mobility to save lives and enhance the quality of healthcare services.
As one of the first industries to widely embrace mobility, healthcare has seen rapid innovation and even faster adoption of line-of-business mobile applications. Dr. Ed Zabrek gives us an overview of the leading products in that space, and how they’ve continued to improve and innovate.
While it may be difficult to pick the right phone and wireless plan for yourself, that challenge is nothing compared to the task of acquiring mobile services for the employees of a business. Amy Bennett brings us a case study of a wireless plan that garnered high employee satisfaction and cut support costs dramatically.
Usability is a very important but often overlooked aspect of mobile software. Don Overlander gives us a look into some design considerations that may help you improve success and user adoption.
Security is a significant concern for any business deploying mobile technology, but finding the right tools to ensure it is not always easy. Jeff Klienman walks us through the process of identifying and evaluating the best mobile VPN client for you or your workforce.
As the global economy is brought closer together through ubiquitous connectivity, trends such as offshore outsourcing impact even the mobile industry. Ashish Desai tells us about the impact of strategic sourcing in a “flat mobile world.”
Finally, to better manage current and future device deployments, companies need to take a closer look at device management and security. Steven Hughes gives us a first look at a new product that helps with this: Microsoft’s new System Center Mobile Device Manager.
I always enjoy hearing from you, so if there’s something you’d like to see in a future issue, please drop me a note with your comments or questions (nclevenger@smartphonemag.com).
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