 | Issue: | Latin America 2012 |
| Article no.: | 14 | |
| Topic: | Saying goodbye to ‘out of the office’ | |
| Author: | Rodolpho Cardenuto | |
| Title: | President | |
| Organisation: | SAP Latin America and the Caribbean | |
| PDF size: | 271KB |
About author
RodolphoCardenuto is President, SAP Latin America and the Caribbean. He joined SAP as President of SAP Latin America and the Caribbean in 2008, after accruing more than 25 years of experience in the IT industry. As leader of SAP LAC, Cardenuto is responsible for guiding the company in its efforts to spearhead sales in the regional marketplace, maintain steady growth rates and consolidate its leadership as the innovativeprovider of choice for customers of all sizes and industries.Under his leadership, Cardenuto has taken the region, specifically Brazil, to a new level, as one of the top three markets for SAP globally in terms of financial performance and contribution..
Prior to coming to SAP, Cardenuto worked for 17 years at Hewlett Packard, where he established significant professional achievements while constantly pursuing customer satisfaction and human talent development as the basis to build teams who are fully committed to success.
RodolphoCardenuto holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering from the FEI (Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial) at Sao Paulo, Brazil, and another in Engineering from Washington University at St. Louis, MI. He also holds two MBAs: One in Finance and Administration from BSP at Sao Paulo, Brazil, and another in International Business from the University of Toronto.
Article abstract
The ‘out-of-the-office’ automatic message is now obsolete, since we continue to communicate wherever we are. Enterprise mobility applications have a dramatic effect on efficiency and performance – orders can be taken and despatched on the spot, budgets can be approved by managers while away from their desks, doctors can view patients records, medication and vital signs anywhere in the hospital or remotely, at a medical conference. The mobile office, thanks to SaaS (Software as a Service) and Cloud, is gathering momentum, not by IT departments pushing for cost savings, but by popular employee demand, driven by the “native” mobile generation. Now the trend of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is making it possible for personally-owned smart devices to be used in the workplace, removing the last barrier – the device cost.
Full Article
In the mobility era, smartphones and tablets have become the worker’s new desktop. How can you leverage the increasing amount of mobile solutions available and achieve better business results?
Here is a rather illustrative anecdote: I was at the airport, talking with a colleague, when all of a sudden, I got a message on my smartphone with an attached file that was of interest to us both. I asked him if he had also received it, and he said “no”.So, I decided to share and forwarded it to him right away. Immediately, as my colleague received the file I had just sent him and was about to read it, I got a message informing me I could not reach the addressee, since he was currently ‘out of the office’. I remember telling him that, in my opinion, it made no sense to run an automated “out of the office” alert if you were actually able to answer your messages. His answer was: “This is something I do without thinking, each time I know I will be away from the office.”
This brief story reminded me once again how quickly mobility is changing the way we work. Today, almost every executive around the world uses a mobile device. Smartphone penetration in Latin America is growing by the minute, as confirmed by several of the world’s top consulting firms, including IDC, which predicts that region-wide, smartphone sales will approach 100 million units by the year 2014. Concurrently, EuromonitorInternational estimates that in year 2013, sales of tablet devices across Latin American countries will generate about US$ 3.7 billion in revenues, Brazil being the leading nation in this segment, with 46% of such total. Additionally, according to FC Business Intelligence, some countries within the region are reporting outstanding mobility penetration levels: Chile, 106%; Ecuador, 98%; and Brazil, 94%, currently lead the pack. Furthermore, the Internet is now part of the daily lives of people around the world, where wireless or fixed online connections are commonplace. Estimations indicate that nearly two billion people across the globe gain daily access to the Internet, and half of those do it via mobile devices.
It should be noted that out-of-the-office messages gained momentum in the nineties, when emails were produced, filed and kept in desktop terminals. So, at the time, it was evident whenever someone was actually “in the office” or “out of the office.” Times have changed and today a significant portion of all routine activities performed by corporate employees involve making customer visits, travelling around the globe, meeting with business partners and participation in press conferences, among others. Many activities that could only be carried out by executives on their own physical desktops can now be performed anytime, anywhere.
Within the bigger picture, we should point out a second phenomenon that, together with the rapid growth of mobile devices, has effectively driven this dramatic change.This is the breath-taking emergence of mobile solutions and private cloud infrastructures that have broughtsecure access and efficiency to corporate applications. Can a salesperson take a purchase order directly at the customer’s home, with no need to return to the office and verify whether the requested product is in stock? Yes; and so are the chances that a top executive may approve a budget while on the road, or a supervisor may monitor the status of factory equipment from the comfort of their own home. Did you ever imagine you would be able to charge your travel expenses at the exact time and place where you generated the expense, by capturing images of the corresponding receipts? Well, now you can. Similarly, a physician can now take along the complete clinical records of all his patients, including study results, recommended medications and monitored statistics of vital signs, while working at his private practice, roaming through hospital halls, or attending a medical congress.
Let’s move a little closer to home, think about how this could affect your world, even at the small business owner level. If your company is just starting out and a building has not yet been purchased, you’re now able to give new meaning to the functions of a home office. What about meeting the perfect vendor for your next marketing project, agreeing on a service price, and sending them the invoice quote right then and there? Or, let’s say you’ve got two hours to spare while waiting for your next flight at the airport – it’s the perfect opportunity to make notes on follow up calls or edit customer profiles. Software as a Service (SaaS) was built around the concept of being mobile no matter where you are. By addressing the needs of technology usage and consumption, the private cloud is simple to use. It provides easy access to multiple reporting and analytical tools for effective business management. Using a SaaS approach, customers can run their business regardless of where they are and with solutions that best fit their needs.
In contrast with other emerging technologies that faded away over time, mobility has an ace up its sleeve: users were never forced to adopt its use. On the contrary, users drove this technological culture when they made their handheld devices a part of their daily life, and progressively began to incorporate business functionality into their “must have” applications. Today, you could say, new generations are “natively” mobile.
Considering company perks for employees, mobile phones are at the top rank.Many seniorexecutives and supporting staff consider 24/7 connection with company affairs and updates to be essential. However, not every company is able to provide every employee with a complimentary mobile device. Now, connection between company and employee is becoming feasible and cost effective due to a new trend – BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). This is a trend that is taking hold in major US and international companies and is growing in popularity on an almost daily basis.
The concept is envisioned to give employees the option of bringing the technology device that they use every day in their personal lives to work, and use that also for corporate communication. It allows users to have the device of their choice, whether smart phone or tablet, constantly connected to their company’s IT system. This allows for easy access to their work inbox and necessary company information. Convenience is now in reach as you are free to choose how you want to connect and bring that device to work. Take it home and remain connected just as if you had never left the office! Once connected, rest assured that all company and personal information is safe, as the personal device is constantly monitored by corporate IT. If the device gets lost or stolen, the IT managers of the company would automatically delete all content from the device to prevent any sensitive information from leaking out. The concept of BYOD is both consumer and enterprise-friendly, bridging the gap between corporate needs and the user experience.
Perhaps, in this new mobility era, the time has come to launch the following automated alert for anyone trying to reach our inbox while we are ‘out of the office’: “I’m currently away from my desk, but I am still connected and will get back to you shortly!”
