Extreme Mobile Inspections - a scramble to restore electricity

Unless you've been living in a hole you know Hurricane Sandy ravished much of the north eastern seaboard. Particularly ravaged by Sandy were New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.  One of my customers, Certified Electrical (http://www.cei-ny.com) not only weathered the storm but are now involved in the largest inspection endeavor they've undertaken.

Before power can safely be turned every building has to be inspected in the Suffolk County, NY area. Anthony Ceriello owner of Certified Electrical told me, "There are over 20,000 homes in the immediate area that have to be inspected before electricity can be turned on. All of our guys are scrambling to complete these inspections amidst taking care of their own homes.  Getting fuel to drive around town is a challenge and with a Noreaster bearing down on us the urgency is even more critical."

The ability to conduct inspections with a mobile device has been critical to inspecting every home. With limited or no cellular coverage, working independent of a connection has been essential to the inspection process.  Inspections are created on the fly using a tablet device and ZenTouch as inspectors literally go house to house. "The devastation is unbelieveable! The extreme environment we are working under is incredible.", commented Anthony.

Tentants are understandably anxious to get power restored as over 3.5 million have been without power since Hurricane Sandy hit October 29th . Once inspections are completed tenants receive a certificate, printed on special county approved green paper, authorizing power to be restored. This mobile generated certificate serves as the golden ticket to a warm sanctuary while rebuilding a home and community.

Jody Sedrick

Enterprise Mobility Strategist, Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 
Zenware | ZenTouch

Mobile, Mobile Everywhere

Field Service Assistant app for
 "Spreading the Good Word"

Field Service Assistant app for "Spreading the Good Word" This afternoon I took a few moments to explore the web and app stores for new field service mobile apps that have come on to the market. During my search I stumbled upon an app called Field Service Assistant . Thinking it was a field service app I clicked on the link. To my surprise it actually turned out to be an iPhone app to help Jehovah's Witnesses track their missionary efforts. Curious I browsed through the various screenshots that gave an overview of the apps capabilities. I was impressed by the number of items they can track with their app. Here is a brief list

1. Volunteer time 
2. Number of Books 
3. Number of Brochures 
4. Number of Magazines 
5. Revisits including quantity of visits and contact information 
6. Total Service Hours 
7. Email reports 
8. User Management 
9. Sharing 
10. Notes 
11. Multiple language support 

I was reminded again how mobility is permeating every aspect of our lives from business, travel, entertainment, shopping and even religion. It seems the only limit is our imagination, creativity and innovation.

Jody Sedrick

Enterprise Mobility Strategist, Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 
Zenware

Felix Baumgartner - Data Visualization helps set up the perfect jump

Last week Felix Baumgartner made history when he SMASHED the previous free fall sky diving record of 19 miles and jumped from a staggering 24 miles. The world literally watched in awe, wonder and anticipation as it was broadcast live from YouTube.

Being a bit of a adrenalin junky I watched a myriad of news reports, video compilations and Red Bull Stratos official videos. One video in particular caught my attention from the Red Bull YouTube Channel that highlights the team behind the record breaking jump.


Now watch it again and pay attention to the section where Joe Kittinger the previous record holder and Meteorologist, Don Day talk about the jump from :20 to 1:03.

The thing that caught my eye was the absolute attention to detail. The Red Bull team was working with every bit of data available to best predict the future - to best predict the perfect outcome.  Notice the power of information that was continually flowing to the meteorologist -- all at his fingertips. Every bit of data was visually presented in a manner that enabled him to make immediate analysis of field conditions to help mission control know when and how to dispatch the Red Bull Stratos team.

This same kind of data visualization implemented into mobile businesses can empower companies to better manage their mobile teams.  What kind of data are you gathering and more importantly visualizing from the field that will help you best predict the future outcome of your company? The ability to quickly visualize interpret and act on data patterns can signification impact business.  In the spirit of Colonel John Boyd's OODA model, with the right data not only can you observe you can orientate, decide and most importantly act now to help best serve your customers, manage your team and ensure your companies growth.

Related Links
Data Visualization - Real Time Visibility and Mobile Data
Tribto [Official] Felix Baumgartner freefall from the edge of space with New
CNN - Felix Baumgartner Stratosphere Jump 2012

Jody Sedrick

Enterprise Mobility Strategist, Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 
Zenware

Data Visualization - Real-time Visibility and Mobile Data

You’ve heard it said a thousand times “A picture is worth a 1000 words”. 

Cliché?  Probably more often than not, but this weekend this saying really hit home.  Some of my buddies we’re hunting in the mountains of Idaho when they got lost.  

Yes they had a mobile GPS device that gave them their GPS coordinates but they had no map to determine the direction they should go. To make things worse the smoke from nearby fires was so thick they couldn’t see notable landmarks to get a bearing. They were so remote the only other communication method they had was a satellite phone.

Yes they had data but they had no way to interpret or visualize the data to make a decision in the field.

This is a critical point in the utilization of mobile apps. Providing data is not enough. The key is presenting real time data in a visualization layer that provides REAL meaning to the user.

If my hunter friends had a mobile device that incorporated GPS coordinates with topographical maps and a compass they would have easily been able to reestablish their position and decide on the best path to safety. Instead they were stranded with limited data and had to call for outside help using a satellite phone to have someone interpret the data and provide the information needed to get back to base camp safely. Yes they had data, but the data was irrelevant without some way to visualize or interpret the meaning of the data. It was comparable to having a “You Are Here” map with no other information than a dot.

With limited interpretable data my hunter friends could not act independently. They had to call in for guidance from those at home base that had better tools to ascertain the best route forward. The support crew back home were in a key position to evaluate the hunters known GPS location against on-line topographical maps, fire information gleaned from the Idaho Fish & Game websites, deciding which fellow hunter could most quickly get to their area if needed and provide instructions to the lost hunters.

Mobile Data Visualization

Many companies are implementing mobile solutions in the same way.   They provide a smattering of information without providing the ancillary data. Mobile reps are thus forced to rely on the home office to help make decision.  Armed with interpretable data mobile reps and managers can act immediately. Further, they can see data connections and patterns that matter. 

In fully integrated mobile solutions mobile data from field personnel can update corporate systems immediately. With a continual flow of interpretable data senior managers are in a position to see the bigger picture and can identify resource gaps, reallocate personnel, analyzing trends, identify shrinking inventories and much more.  The speed to manage and make decisions is exponentially increased as managers not only have data but they have the ancillary data that is instantaneously understandable enabling them to make the right decision for their customers, staff and company

Some industries are incorporating data visualization in unique ways. Here are a couple of examples

Natural Gas Industry – Tank Inspections: 
The team at Zenware has been developing some interesting mobile data visualizations components for the Natural Gas Industry.  Color based prioritization enables field reps to at a glance ascertain the priority level of preventive maintenance calls that need to be included in their weekly visits; Red current day, Yellow within 3 days, Brown within 7 days and White within 30 days.  These priority levels are set systematically based on the current date. This allows field crews to manage work autonomously. Managers are empowered because not only do they have management tools that enable them to adjust priority schedules they also have a graphical display of region that includes real-time location of personnel, natural gas tanks in the area, last sites visited and related color coded priority levels. I think of it as “follow the dots” taken to the next level.

Automotive Industry – PDR (Paintless Dent Repair)

Enterprise mobile solutions combined with data visualization tools are majorly impacting companies that provide new car prep and other auto detailing services to automotive dealerships.  Complete mobile ERP solutions are not only helping manage mobile service employees and service tickets, but also providing CEOs and CFOs a real time view into the current health of the company.

Data visualization tools are presenting mobile generated data in a visually rich manner to show profitability of regions, stores, managers even a look into the efficiency and profitability of a specific employee. Company leaders can instantaneously evaluate gross margins on every service offered, identify product lines that are diminishing or increasing in sales, valuate efficiencies of team members based on time spent on each project and more. Visually rich data presentation is providing the mechanism to drill down to the minute details helping companies fine-tune every aspect of their business.

Mobile data visualization is critical for all industry sectors. The ability for company leaders to quickly visualize, interpret and act on data patterns can significantly impact business. Gone are the days of culling through Excel sheets. Businesses that are implementing data visualization tools into their mobile applications are seeing significant improvements in customer management, inventory management, customer satisfaction, increased productivity and more.

Remember data is meaningless without context. Question is can you see clearly what your data is telling you?

Some Interesting presentations on Data Visualization

David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLqjQ55tz-U

Hans Rosling: No More boring Data

http://youtu.be/hVimVzgtD6w

Jody Sedrick

Enterprise Mobility Strategist, Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 
Zenware

Shopping Lists Just Got Smarter with GPS Notifications

Download Now

For the past couple of weeks my team has been working on a brand new iPhone application for a client. The premise behind the application is to remind you that you have a shopping list not based on time, but rather based on your location.

The app is ideal for the busy mom, student or professional who is out and about.

The application works like this:

1. Create a shopping list.
   Your list can be for groceries, hardware supplies, electronics what ever.
2. Assign items to a store
   As you add an item to the list you can assign it to a store. The app provides built-in integration Google Maps enabling you to search for stores by name based on your current location.
3. Conduct business as usual
   Drive around town as you would normally through the day. The app doesn't even have to be initiated as it works in the background. When you are in the vicinity of a store that has assigned shopping items a visual and audio alert will inform you that you are in the vicinity of the store and ask you to open or ignore your list.

It's really that simple. The application is fully location aware based on the GeoFence parameters that you configure in the settings. Now when you are within 1 mile, 1/2 mile or even in the parking lot you can be notified that you have a shopping list.

We are now exploring other ways that we can incorporate this into this other applications. Imagine what could be done with:

1. Location based marketing based on your shopping list
2. Field Service notifications - accept or reject a new job based on where I am
3. Notify customers of the pending arrival of a technician based on their location
4. Initiate time tracking based on a technician's arrival or departure on a site.
5. Show other customers in my current area

With location based services integrated into your shopping list you can now say like one of the first users, "You just made my smartphone a little smarter."

Jody Sedrick

Enterprise Mobility Strategist, Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 
Zenware

The Key to BYOD? It’s the Data, Of Course

This article was originally posted on the Chief Mobility Officer Blog presented by Visage
http://visagemobile.com/mobilityblog/2012/09/13/the-key-to-byod-its-the-data-of-course/ 

The Key to BYOD? It’s the Data, Of Course

By Jody Sedrick | September 13, 2012

Millions of smartphones have invaded the workplace in recent years — and millions more are on the way. But it’s not the devices themselves that deserve so much of the chatter surrounding “BYOD.” Yes, legions of workers have made their smartphones and tablets integral parts of both their professional and personal lives. But for CIOs and CEOs, it isn’t the device they’re bringing that matters at all — it’s the invaluable data streams that course through them when they’re on the job.
Everyone can discuss and debate which device, what platform, which apps — but at a higher level, the end-game is all about the data. Forward-thinking technology managers are looking to get access to actionable mobility data to drive business, not just distribute phones. After all, the devices are simply the empty conduits of that data. And the data holds the keys to streamlining communication, tracking user behavior, managing costs and a host of other key business functions.

Smart Mobile Management

With the proliferation of smartphones and ease of access to data, companies are managing BYOD policies whether they want to admit it or not. Some are implementing new processes to get on top of all that data and put it to work. Others aren’t yet up to speed — and are increasingly prone to leaving their organizations vulnerable to security breaches, out-of-control spending and behavior, and unclear (or nonexistent) employee communication policies.
Smart mobility management means having the tools and technology to securely manage the constant data exchanges between your mobile workforce, back-end systems and inventory, assets, customer services, and more. The process needs to consider personal privacy, ease of adoption, and effective management of company data. Where can mobility data make a difference to the bottom line? Naturally, it varies from industry to industry. In just one sector —  field service — here’s what mobility data is helping enable:

1. Improved visibility to work assigned to field service crews, which fosters reduced fuel costs, travel times, and first-time fix rates.
2. Improved job assignments based on immediate availability, current location, or skill set.
3. Increased productivity due to more efficient planning of resources.
4. Improved inventory control with real-time visibility into parts on hand.
5. Increased collection rates with mobile invoicing at the time of service.
6. Improved customer interactions, with access to historical data that enables sales professional to follow up on services offered.

New companion strategies to BYOD, including Mobile Application Management (MAM) and Mobile Device Management (MDM), are evolving to help companies manage their data.These solutions provide ways to distribute applications and data to approved employee devices, corporate- or personally owned, while providing tools to support them in the field. Companies can set data encryption criteria, establish role-based access to data, and set parameters for deleting data or decommissioning a device from the system.
Ultimately, BYOD and companion mobility strategies are all about empowering your business and employees by securely delivering the right data, at the right time, to the right employee and device.
More: How to Safeguard Your Mobile Devices Against Security Breaches and Outages.

Image used under Creative Commons by Flickr user TIC Colombia.

Jody Sedrick

Enterprise Mobility Strategist, Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 
Zenware

Windows 8 – the Resurrection of Microsoft as a Mobile Giant?

Image Credit: Joe Klamar/Getty Images

For years I have watched Microsoft complacently sit back and let their foothold on the mobile market slip away. Mobile innovation from Microsoft has been conspicuously absent for the past 5 years. If it were not for the rugged space I suspect Windows Mobile would have already gone the way of Palm – a slow agonizing death. And even the rugged mobile space is asking the question “When will you support Android?”

Windows 8 is Microsoft’s last chance to resurrect Microsoft as a long-term viable mobile player enabling Microsoft to recapture marketshare.

Potential Windows Phone 8 Impacts on Business

1. Built-in Development Community, Tools and Resources
Microsoft has a built-in community to develop and deploy applications. Microsoft has the resources and community to promote and encourage development of applications. The tight integration of Windows 8 and Windows 8 Phone will be an attractive choice for CIOs and IT Managers who are looking to fully integrate mobile devices and internal systems.

2. Unique UI 
Windows 8 Phone provides a very unique and functional user interface.  Unlike Android where each manufacturer’s implementation is so varied you wonder if you have the same OS installed.

Microsoft wisely signed licensing agreements with Apple for some of the mobile technologies in their development of WP8. This offers some protection to the device manufacturers. I’m sure manufacturers will consider this as they watch the Samsung vs. Apple court battles continue.

3. Opportunity to Earn a Piece of the Rugged Market
I know that many rugged mobile device users are clamoring for a better device experience. They are tired of wrestling with a needle-sized stylus to enter data and an OS that hasn’t been significantly updated for 5 years. Many are even reconsidering the rugged versus consumer grade ROI argument in light of providing a more fluid way of collecting and recording information in the field. I have also noticed a culture characteristic that has underlined some purchasing decisions. This may seem petty but a reality, many rugged mobile device users I’ve talked to want the iOS experience but they see the iPhone as a “preppy, costly, elite user” mobile device. They see the Android as a blue collar, affordable mobile device option that could play very nicely for Windows Phone 8 adoption.

4. Built-in Printing
This could be the Trojan Horse for Windows 8 Phone business and field service adoption. Printing in the field from an iPhone or Android is a three-ring circus. The hoops you have to jump through to print in the field is largely dependent upon third party intermediaries or full connection to a wireless network.  If Windows 8 Phone provides direct printing this will serve as a dark horse feature that will help the adoption especially in the service sector.

5. Tablet Form Factor
Can you say Coup de Tat? The Surface, scheduled for release Oct. 26th, could be the device that accelerates Microsoft’s recapture of lost ground in the mobile space. Many people want the larger form factor provided by a tablet device. I’ve especially noted this in the field service industries where they want a mobile device that accommodates fat, grubby, man-sized fingers and a full set of mobile functionality.  Add the dual functionality of switching between Windows 8 and traditional Windows mode and Microsoft has provided nice transitional step for many potential users. This coupled with the promise of easier mobile printing could kick the door wide open for Windows 8.

The field is ripe for Microsoft to recapture its place as major mobility contender. Question is will Windows 8 have enough punch to excite mobile users and resurrect the sleeping giant?

Jody Sedrick

Enterprise Mobility Strategist, Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 
Zenware

I have iPads, Now what?

This week I had a great lunch meeting with a new client. One of the first things my client shared with me was the fact that "We've purchased 20 plus iPads for a pilot project and now everyone is wondering what to do with them." The client then asked me "Do you have some recommendations?"

This is a common theme I run across among potential and new clients. In their excitement and promise of enterprise mobility they rush to invest in new equipment without developing a plan for enterprise mobility.

The timeliness of this is evidenced in Kevin Benedict's blog post today highlighting some of the results of his  2012 Mid-Year Enterprise Mobility Survey where he asked vendors key questions about the challenges encountered implementing mobility. The number one challenge.... Drum roll please.....

"Q: What are your biggest challenges to implementing enterprise mobility today?" 

"A: The number 1 answer was, "Developing an enterprise-wide mobile strategy."  There was a tie for the next 2 between, "Determining anticipated ROIs" and, "Educating stakeholders on the potential impact of enterprise mobility on the business."   

(source Kevin Benedict's Enterprise Mobility Strategy Blog)

The importance of developing an enterprise-wide mobile strategy is critical. Many companies that I've delivered mobile solutions for are on the third or fourth mobile implementation specifically because they hadn't developed or thought through these three areas.

In the case of my client this week they clearly hadn't developed an enterprise-wide mobile strategy. In fact it was just the opposite, they threw iPads at the stake holders and said "here catch the vision of mobility". That's going to be a little difficult with 14 plus divisions, each with different ideas, interest, understanding, comfortability and vision of mobility. Further compounding the problem, each division has it's own ability to accept or reject the proposed solutions. (You might have guessed it's a state entity).

How do you successfully implement an enterprise solution in such an environment? You have to go back to the foundational requirements.

1. Develop an enterprise-wide mobile strategy. 
2. Educating Stake Holders 
3. Determine anticipated ROIs 

I'm working with my client through this process now.

Notice that while Kevin's survey results showed "Determining Anticipated ROIs" and "Educating Stakeholders" tied in importance, each customer is going to be slightly different. But generally I see the exact trends that are demonstrated in Kevin's Survey.

With my current customer I placed educating stake holders a higher priority based on the sophistication, interest and willingness to adopt mobility of the division managers. Either way you will have to address both of these issues. I tend to see educating stake holders and determining anticipated ROIs as dependent companions that help illustrate and articulate the transformative power of mobility.

Bottom line don't do anything with mobility until you lay a solid foundation for success.

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 
Zenware

Mobile Field Service Significantly Impacting Business

This morning I took a look at a great report from Aberdeen (Aberdeen Group Field Service 2011: Mobility and the Extension of the Service Enterprise)

Here are a few interesting stats gleaned fromt he report with some of my thoughts:

• Average workforce utilization is only 57%
  This means your field service techs are idle or non-productive an average of 43% of the time.  Statistically most companies report the majority of idle time is spent driving back and forth between the office or waiting for their next service appointment. The conclusion is field service solutions provide an opportunity to decrease fuel cost as well as increase work force utilization.
• Companies that implemented mobile field service management solutions increased workforce utilization  to 76%
  That's a 19% jump in utilization. This is accomplished through better planning, better scheduling and ensuring the service tech has the information, tools and parts needed for every job. What would a 19% increase in utilization do to your bottom line?
• Companies that implemented mobile field service solutions gained a higher first time fixed rate - 82% versus 65%.
  This naturally leads to higher customer satisfaction rates. On the service side mobile field service solutions are enabling managers to assign the right technician, pre-load service vans with right parts, schedule service calls, etc.. An interesting note, in Aberdeen's report companies reported that 47% of the return visits are due to not having the right part on-hand.

I am seeing similar trends in my own business. One of my customers recently reported an 18% increase in their conversion rate from Estimate to Work Orders by using the "Call Back" feature in ZenTouch.

Field service management tools like ZenTouch provide access to information that enable service teams to improve work order assignment, lower operational costs, provide a better customer experience via reduction of repeat visits, provide real-time data for better communication between customers and the  service desk and more. This doesn't even account for the impact direct integration with backend systems like QuickBooks or Sage are having on the accounting side of the business.

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 

Google Maps Coordinate - A silver bullet for field service?

As you may have heard Google has officially entered the mobile workforce space with the launch of Google Maps Coordinate. If you haven't heard Google Maps Coordinate is a mobile workforce tracking system that efficiently allows dispatchers to deploy jobs to their service techs and even track them while in the field.


Google Maps Coordinate offers tight integration with Google Maps as you would expect makes assigning jobs to a technician based on his location very simple and appealing to service managers. Assigning and sending jobs to field service techs is an easy task for dispatchers. Service jobs are time stamped and techs even have the option to accept or reject jobs based on their current on-site status. With an introductory price of only $15 per user Google Maps Coordinate seems like a nice solution for service companies.

Sounds pretty good, Right? What's the downside?

1. Google Maps Coordinate only works on Android. If your team currently uses iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry or any other web enabled SmartPhone you are out of luck.
2. Google Maps Coordinate only offers real-time work force dispatching and tracking. Yes, it provides great insight as to where you service team members are now but you are not provided any true scheduling capabilities.  From the service techs perspective he only sees active jobs that are assigned to him enabling him to only focus on the jobs at hand.
3. Integration into QuickBooks, Sage or other accounting systems is non-existent at this point. Given Google's influence I'm sure this will come in future versions. But for now there is no way to streamline and expedite the invoicing processes.
4. Reporting - While Google Maps Coordinates provides information about a specific job there are now report functionalities that show you trends within your business; what service tasks are most common, which service tasks are most profitable, etc.

Clearly Google Maps Coordinate is  Google's first step into providing a cloud based mobile workforce management solution. I expect it to evolve quickly. But based on the service companies I've talked to it does not meet the needs of a field service organization that is dispatching, managing multiple schedules, managing preventative maintenance schedules, managing inventory, conducting data analytics on service call times, evaluating service margins and profitability and integrating with their back end systems.

If you are looking for a real-time tracking and dispatching solution Google Maps Coordinate could be right tool for you. It certainly gives small to medium-sized service business a competitive tool to help them more dynamically manage their service crews and respond quicker to service calls placed by customers.

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 

Government and Mobile Apps

For the past couple of weeks I've enjoyed some very interesting discussions with Samantha Lapin, CEO of Pod, Inc. about government's adoption of mobile solutions. She found a great article from Information Week that highlights "14 Cool Mobile Apps from Uncle Sam". http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/mobile/231000240

Here is the list

· The Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Electronic Preventive Services Selector (ePSS) aids primary care clinicians in identifying the best treatment for their patients based on an array of patient characteristics.

· NASA App

· FBI Most Wanted App

· The White House The official app of the Obama White House is mostly a vehicle for White House news, and provides users with news, blogs, photos, and both live streaming and archived video of White House events.

· US Post Office

· Smithsonian's MEanderthal app. Make yourself a Neanderthal.

· U.S. Army News & Information

· Lunar Electric Rover Simulator

· The FCC Mobile Broadband Test is a simple app that lets users test their mobile broadband connection's download and upload speed, as well as network latency. The app stores results of old tests, and differentiates between Wi-Fi and cellular signals

·  My TSA app gives travelers and their families, friends, and colleagues access to information about flight delays, checkpoint wait times

·  The Library of Congress' Virtual Tour app highlights the library's exhibitions, collections, and architecture with photos, video, and audio.

·  IRS2go, launched earlier this year, lets taxpayers check their refund status, follow the IRS' social media feeds, contact the IRS for support, and sign up for tax hints.

·  The National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's BMI Calculator aims to help users determine whether their weight may lead to health problems.

I'm off to download the Lunar Rover Simulator now.

I'm interested to see where else government is adopting mobility. If you have any favorite government apps or are aware of interesting mobile government solutions please let me know.

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 

IBM bans Siri - loose lips a security risks

A new wrinkle was introduced in the BYOD argument today as IBM announced they are banning use of SIRI in its networks viewing SIRI as a potential security risk.

Where's the rub?

Siri captures your voice input and sends the data to Apple's servers in North Carolina where it processes the voice inputs to send the query results back to the device. It is unclear who has access to this information and for how long.  IBM is concerned that anyone with access to these servers could glean information from these transmissions.

While IBM is prohibiting the use of Siri within their networks what happens when an IBM employee is off campus? They still have access to Siri.

I've noticed  a greater concern about BYOD the past couple of months. This puts a new wrinkle in the BYOD argument.  While on the surface BYOD seems a great idea with the promise of greater employee productivity, IT costs being shifted to employees and worker satisfaction. There are significant risks that are bubbling to the surface that companies are have ing to address with stronger BYOD policies.

IBM's banning Siri highlights the criticality of protecting company data. It is imperative that companies establish BYOD policies that address company needs and provide clear acceptable policies for a personal device. IBM is finding this balance is a  little difficult to manage  and in the end zipping the lips of Siri. 

I'm curious to see what other BYOD policy changes are coming down the pike.

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 

Enterprise Mobility - "While we are benefiting, it's a mobility mess!"

This morning I visited with a significantly larger enterprise client that has divisions that provide services in  mining, oil and gas exploration, environmental impact studies, building engineering, water conservation and more. In our conversation he commented, "My biggest challenge is that we have come to realize we all have all these disparate mobile solutions that service individual business silos, but can not interact with each other. Each division is running their own mobile strategy. Some have mobile apps, some are still on spread sheets, others have no mobile solution but considering and I just learned we currently have two MEAP solutions running. And we haven't even discussed the mobile device issues. While we are all benefiting individually, it's a mobility mess."

In my experience companies who have rolled out mobile solutions have deployed them in an opportunistic fashion. Typically a field manager has caught the mobile vision early. Through his ingenuity, tenacity and budget maneuvering has implemented a mobile solution specific to his group. The positive impact of his mobile solution inevitably catches the eye and envy of other departments who eagerly clamor to adopt mobile solutions.

While this approach provides a strong, quantifiable internal use case for mobile solutions it often leads to a reevaluation of the first mobile solution. Especially, if the first mobile implementation only addressed a specific business need, was limited in scope, didn't plan for the broader needs of the company and was not scalable.

Developing a strategic plan is critical for the on-going adoption of enterprise mobile solution. The key is understanding "why you are going mobile". Evaluate what you trying to accomplish from an enterprise level all the way down to the individual level. Then develop a strategy that addresses this across the enterprise. Companies need to focus on the following key areas

1. Identify key business processes that will benefit from mobilization.
2. Determine how individual mobile projects integrate with a central mobile management, backend databases and security infrastructure?
3. Establish security policies for data accessibility, network accessibility, application distribution, device management, BYOD policies, etc.
4. Identify supported mobile devices; SmartPhone, TabletsPCs, Rugged devices
5. What supporting hardware is needed? Mobile Printing, GPS, RFID, etc.
6. Determine if mobile apps will be available on different mobile form factors; SmartPhone, TabletPCs, Rugged devices, etc.
7. Identify mobile user roles. User will roles determine data accessibility, security rules, appropriate device options.
8. Determine if mobile roles are transactional, informational or collaborative
9. Identify if mobile business processes and user roles are B2B, Internally driven or B2c
10. How many mobile users are targeted?
11. How will deployment and support of mobile users scale over-time?
12. What mobile architecture do you need to have in place?
13. How will mobile apps be developed, deployed and managed? Who will oversee this?
14. What types of apps will be supported? Custom-built, off-the shelf, modified mobile app templates, HTML5 mobile apps
15. Determine how success will be measured

Yes enterprise mobility brings new challenges and opportunities. Investing the time to conduct a full enterprise mobility assessment and developing the appropriate strategic mobility plan is critical for long-term sustainability and scalability of mobile solutions in the enterprise.

Like my client said, "We've been dabbling in mobility long enough. It's time to get serious and unify our mobile strategy and get out of this mobility mess."

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 

Why are you going mobile?

This week I had a great meeting with a new customer that is looking to build a really cool enterprise mobile application for the lighting industry. Meeting with them was refreshing as they obviously had invested serious time thinking through the mobile application, end-user requirements, backend integration and reporting requirements. This is unusual in that most of the customers come to with an idea for a mobile app but haven't really through through the business application.

My experience with them motivated me to share some enterprise mobility guidelines we walk through with our customers.

First Question: What is your goal in "Going Mobile"? Or better yet, WHY go mobile?

Obvious as this questions seems, it is the foundation of your success. But many companies are on their 2nd, 3rd even 4th mobile implementation because they didn't understand the "why" of going mobile. If a customer understands the "why" of going mobile their success rate  increase exponentially.  Some example goals and the "whys" brought to us to date

• Improve responsiveness to customers.
  This is really a goal. It's a result of good systems. Why do you want to improve responsiveness to customers? Have you struggled in this area? Have you identified the bottlenecks? What does it mean if you are successful?
• Providing mobile access to existing applications in the field to improve field worker productivity
  When I hear this I ask, "why is it important for field workers to have this data?" Does it enable the customer to make a decision now? Does it enable the field worker to guide decisions of the customer? Does it enable the service tech to offer the service now?
• Improve operational efficiencies both in the field and back end
  Again this is a goal. What is the cause of operational inefficiencies? Where are the bottlenecks? If I can eliminate those bottlenecks how does this affect serving my customers? How does it improve invoicing cycles? What reports now become available to help managers/sales people more effectively drive business.
• Expedite the invoicing process
  The why on this is clear as every business wants to keep cash flow moving in a positive direction so they can grow their business.
• Proof of service completion and acceptance
  Why? - A business wants to confidently demonstrate  service was completed or accepted.

Once you understand the "whys" of going mobile you can can establish the goals that will help you determine the right mobile strategy.  Most companies today deploy mobile applications in opportunistic business silos. While this approach can serve as a proving ground for mobile solutions it also can create a situation where mobile solutions become limited in scope, disjointed, invite technology disparity and are not scalable.

Businesses need to consider the overall mobility requirements within an organization and develop a long-term strategy that supports these goals then develop rollout strategies and pilots that align with the long-term strategy. Businesses tend to initially evaluate mobile solutions from the perspective of the field worker. But mobility needs assessments need to consider the entire business process and infrastructure considering every component including:

• Customer experience; Do customers interact with the device? A customer might review a service ticket or to provide a digital signature
• Field worker: what is the business process in the field? What data is required to help the technician or customer make a decision? Is mobile printing required? GPS -Do you need to know where your workers are or do they need help finding customer locations
• What kind of PDA device? Smartphone? Rugged PDA? Customer and field worker needs will drive device selection
• Back end integration: what accounting or corporate database systems need to be integrated with?
• Management and Executive Management: Considerations may inclue reporting, management evaluation and / or approval processes
• IT Support - what is required from the IT department? What device and connectivity standards have been set?
• Security policies

I find companies are on track when they've carefully considered these areas as well as come conclusions on the following:

• They have identified specific business processes that will significantly benefit mobile technology and why those are important
• Individual or departmental mobile projects are implemented with the overall business goals in mind. "Smaller" mobile projects can integrate with the enterprise mobile management, infrastructure and security policies.
• Common software, cloud based solutions or middleware mobile solutions are implemented across the organization.
• Implementation of device policies whether they be BYOD or corporate sponsored are clear and enforceable
• Projects are managed and supported according to clearly defined policies

I'll take a look at deciding which mobile applications to deploy in part 2 of this article.

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 

SAP acquires Syclo - Doubling down on mobility

SAP finally got it right with the announcement of acquiring Syclo. I remember shaking my head when SAP acquired Sybase thinking, "I see the infrastructure and synchronization value but Sybase doesn't provide a MEAP, SDK or even off-the shelf apps."

In a previous life, I spent 5 years building a MEAP solution that sat on top of Sybase.  I know first hand the power of the infrastructure as well as the weakness and lack of development tools. Sybase always seemed like a three legged stool somehow propped up with only two legs. The one significant benefit I saw at the time was that it provided a truly viable path for SAP's customers to extend data to mobile users - all be it the 9th attempt as pointed out by Narendra Agrawal in his article "With Syclo Acquisition SAP does it again"

My first question when I heard the news was "Did SAP finally realize they made a mistake the first time around learning that Syclo would've be a better bet in the first place? Or, is this a key strategic move to further support and build on SAPs mobile vision?" It's probably a little of both.

I think this is a big win for SAP since Syclo provides a much better mobile platform as well as industry proven mobile applications.  Companies looking to deploy enterprise mobile solutions quickly will be drawn to a Syclo's enterprise class app library that already integrate with SAP and a powerful MEAP to extend app capabilities or build entire new libraries.

I think the acquisition further entrenches SAPs commitment to enterprise mobility. I see it as a strategic play to broaden their enterprise mobility reach. Public consensus seems to agree as illustrated by Kevin Benedict in his blog "SAP Acquires Syclo - A second Cup of Coffed and 25 Comments". A whopping 78% think this is a good move for SAP.

The question remains, will customers view the acquisition in the same light?  I see the potential for many projects being placed on hold as companies wait for the dust to settle from yet another merger. I wonder if SAP will take this as an opportunity to simplify the pricing model as the current SUP pricing model is confusing at best.

Clearly this is another indicator of how quickly the Enterprise Mobility landscape is evolving.  This evolution creates on-going challenges and opportunities for mobile solution integrators and customers who are trying to decide how to develop and deploy mobile projects amidst an ever changing field of mobility players.

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 

Nordstrom & Home Depot See Sales Boost from Mobile POS – So What?

Forbes has a great article about how Nordstrom and Home Depot have adopted mobile POS devices enabling employees to check out customers anywhere in the store. Employees at Apple's retail stores have been armed with mobile iTouch devices for several years that enable employees to scan a barcode and check out a customer immediately.  Companies like Nordstrom and Home Depot are seeing increased sales because they can expedite purchases as the customer is trying on clothes, makeup, cordless drills or circular saws. No more waiting in line "thinking" about your purchase. Using Mobile POS employees can capture the buying moment and reap the benefits for the retailers.

Some interesting tidbits

• Nordstrom's first quarter sales increased 15.3% since implementing Mobile POS devices.
• The average number of items sold per sale increased
• The average sales price per sale increased

I am seeing similar trends in the adoption of mobile work order systems like ZenTouch in the service Industry.

Driving business with Mobile Work Orders

With a mobile work order system on an iPhone, Android or Rugged PDA service technicians have full access to services, parts and prices to quickly create an estimate or service ticket for a customer. One customer reported he has seen a 17% increase in service techs availability to take additional service calls just by implementing a mobile work order system. Spread that across 8 technicians - that's a big impact on our business.

Another customer reports, "Customers seem to trust a digital system that breaks down costs for services and parts rather than watching me rifle through a stack of papers. I can present a complete service ticket, review the recommended services, add or delete items and allow them to approve service immediately." In the event a customer decides to wait to initiate a service call to talk with their wife/husband, review finances, check their calendar, etc. a technician or estimator can save the estimate and schedule a call back with the customer. Now all estimates and work orders are accessible via a mobile device with a simple search.  Technicians can access past estimates and immediately revisit the estimate, email it to the customer or convert it to a work order on the spot.

Clearly efficiency gains are being recognized on both ends of the spectrum by implementing Mobile POS or Mobile Work Order Systems.  These efficiencies are enabling retailers like Nordstrom and Home Depot to drive business at the point of interaction.  Service industry leaders are experiencing identical results.  By improving the customer experience the decision to buy is expedited and mobile enabled businesses are reaping the benefits.

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile 

Goggle Shows Off New "Augmented Reality" Glasses

Since the launch of SIRI by Apple I have been intrigued, enamored and excited about the reality, power and true possibility of  interacting with my mobile device in a more natural and integrated manner.

Google's unveiling of their new prototype digital glasses on Google+ yesterday takes interaction with your device to the next level. While the augmented reality glasses are still in testing mode the interactive capabilities are exciting and astounding. 

The Google+ page featured a 2-1/2 minute video shot from the perspective of wearing the glasses shows wearer going through a typical day walking through the streets of New York. 

While this seems like a great tool, and yes I'll buy when available, I wondered how many new You Tube videos will go viral with people walking into fountains, walls or stepping into traffic distracted by a constant visual stream of data.  In answer to this one person who used the glasses reported: “They let technology get out of your way. If I want to take a picture I don’t have to reach into my pocket and take out my phone; I just press a button at the top of the glasses and that’s it.”


Exciting technolog to say the least.

The military has been experimenting with augmented reality technology for years.  Companies like Tanagram Partners out of Chicago are developing very progressive technology - Head Mounted Display Augmented Realty gear to feed critical data between soldiers and the command center. A myriad of data can be fed to the soldiers including city layout, building blueprints, highlight members of your team and more.


NASA also announced their efforts to implement Augmented Reality technology to train pilots, astronauts and other aviation professionals to handle challenging flight situations like fog and inclement weather.

On the commercial side, Nokia has been developing Point and Find technologies that allow smart phone users to take a photo of a landmark. The photo combined with GPS coordinate data immediately identifies the landmark and feeds information to the user about the landmark and surrounding area. (Kevin Benedict talks about this in his mobile interview series) 

I see significant personal and commercial uses for Google's augmented reality technology. Just yesterday, while navigating through Salt Lake, I would have loved to receive navigation cues fed to my Oakley Sunglasses so I didn't have to look down at Google Maps on my iPhone.  


How about service reps managing service calls? They could have "next appointment reminders" flash on their screen notifying them of their next appointment. He could acknowledge the reminder and be navigated to their next stop with visual cues. If they are running late the service tech could give a verbal command to initiate a call to the customer.  All while keeping their hands safely on the wheel. 


Think of the information you could feed customers when they look at QR Code incorporated in to an ad, poster or banner. You could dynamically feed the customer information based on their selections. The opportunities are endless.

The challenge is humans can quickly be overwhelmed by too much data. AR implementations on the consumer side will have to be conducted in a way that make us more efficient, is accessible but unobtrusive and keeps everyone safe in process.


I'd love to hear how you see AR Glasses being used both on a personal and commercial level.


The question now,  how long do I have to wait before I can buy my new Augmented Reality Glasses?

Jody Sedrick

Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc

LinkedIn Profile