 | Issue: | Asia-Pacific II 2007 |
| Article no.: | 10 | |
| Topic: | Toward the unified wireless future | |
| Author: | Norm Lo | |
| Title: | Vice President, Asia-Pacific | |
| Organisation: | Research In Motion (RIM) | |
| PDF size: | 272KB |
About author
Norm Lo is Research In Motion’s (RIM’s) Vice President for Asia-Pacific. Mr Lo’s career spans 20 years in high technology research, product development, management, sales and marketing. For the past seven years at RIM, he has led various successful product programmes and carrier businesses in North America and now in Asia-Pacific. Prior to joining RIM, Mr Lo worked for Nortel Networks, serving in various roles within the wireless organization as a key contributor to the creation and growth of the CDMA base station products and business. Mr Lo graduated with an MBA degree from the University of Ottawa and holds a B.A.Sc. degree in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Masters in Engineering and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from Carleton University. He spent one year as a visiting researcher at the University of Edinburgh.
Article abstract
Decision-makers on the move and field personnel need up-to-date information to be effective. Timely information lets executives take advantage of opportunities quickly and resolve problems at once. Recent advances in wireless technology and devices let companies ‘go wireless’ safely and cost effectively. Careful evaluation of the company’s needs, of the total cost of ownership of each option, employee acceptance, integration with existing systems and careful planning of security issues are needed to ensure the success of enterprise wireless programmes.
Full Article
Wireless technology has been in the spotlight in recent years. Consumers, companies, even whole cities are working toward the implementation of stable wireless connectivity in the hope of enjoying true ‘wireless freedom’. The advantages are apparent: adopting wireless solutions not only removes unsightly cords, it gives users freedom to do what they want, where they want. Business decision-makers, who are constantly on the move, often need access to mission-critical corporate data 24/7 as markets change rapidly in the globalised business world. However, many companies which have built their infrastructure based on wired technologies, are finding difficulty adjusting to challenges in the new world order. If technology isn’t properly planned and deployed, it may have a regressive effect on businesses amid rising costs and scarce resources. Understanding mobility To deploy wireless solutions successfully, businesses need first to understand the different wireless technologies available. Generally, there are three types: Personal area networks, PAN, enable end users and consumers to connect wirelessly to everyday devices. Bluetooth-enabled devices are perfect examples for wireless PAN-enabling products, enabling the connection between digital cameras to printers or linking handheld devices to earphones. Wireless Local Area Networks, WLANs, on the other hand, are the most widely used wireless technology available today. WLANs are commonly known as WiFi, though WiFi enables users to access only the Internet. WLANs, however, enable access to the Internet, local servers and other computers connected within the particular WLAN. WLANs are common in today’s companies and residential areas, rapidly replacing wired modems. Finally, Wireless Wide Area Networks, commonly known as WWAN, provide wireless access on a regional, national or global basis. 3G and WiMAX are recent examples of the developing technology of WWAN. Four steps to effective wireless freedom It is important to list the objectives of your business and the challenges it needs to overcome thoroughly. The simplest way to assess your business’s needs is to utilise the four-step approach. First and foremost, identify the opportunities that a wireless solution could address for your company. This often means analysing the needs of employees who need mobility, which could be your client servicing executives, your front-line sales staff, even your production manager. Undergoing this essential first step allows you to find out what the business requires from wireless technologies. Next, set performance targets to evaluate the success of the wireless solution properly. This should include returns on investments and total cost of ownership, TCO, measures. For instance, companies should consider using a standard technology that protects and connects all or as many wireless devices as the business requires. This overcomes the mess of having to deploy and manage different wireless solutions, which multiplies the burdens of an IT administrator and increases the chances of a security loophole – adding to a bigger overall TCO. The third step is to ensure that employees buy-in to the applications of wireless technology. This step is the most important to any enterprise when making investments. As such, it means solutions deployed should be user-friendly and should enable users to stay connected regardless of location. Features such as ‘push’ technology, which enables critical data to be sent proactively to wireless device users from any location, can add tremendous value to the enterprise and its users. The last step involves incorporating a wireless solution that does not compromise current IT policies and practices, but rather enhances them. This means solutions should be deployed from a centralised location to enable system administrators to detect, diagnose and address issues to minimise downtime of the business quickly. It is important to keep in mind that selected solutions should be user-friendly and be able to integrate seamlessly onto existing IT systems. As platforms become more integrated and unified, businesses can start truly to enjoy the benefits of mobility and being connected, wherever and whenever they need to be. Pitney Bowes, for instance, was in need of a connected unified operating IT platform. A US$4 billion global provider of mail and document management solutions, Pitney Bowes operates in 24 countries with 33,000 employees worldwide. It has a large field force that services businesses that require mailing machines for sorting and mass mailing. Due to poor IT infrastructure, data gathered from its mobile workers was not real-time and required multiple entries to consolidate it. After initial assessment, the main implementation strategy of Pitney Bowes was determined: unify and consolidate IT operating platforms to ensure that customer services could be improved through global access to real-time customer database. When Pitney Bowes embarked on this strategy, it discovered that half of its battle was won just by capturing real-time information from its service personnel who were on the job. By initially deploying 700 wireless handhelds, which were customised to suit their database, Pitney Bowes gained a more comprehensive understanding of its field services to improve its operations. Through instant real-time reports on product performance, Pitney Bowes could also instantly determine if there were any immediate challenges for its field force to deal with. By gathering data in the field in real-time, inventory levels were reduced by 15 per cent, which reduced holding costs. Emergency parts orders were also reduced by 90 per cent, and callback visits diminished by ten per cent. Ralph Nichols, Pitney Bowes Programme Manager, sums it up nicely: “All of these improvements improve the bottom line. We’ll keep reaping the benefits for years because we can now understand how our employees and products are performing and what that means to our customers.” Security, the missing link While mobility is a gift, it can also be a curse. While the four-step approach provides a checklist to determine the best wireless solution, it is important not to overlook security – a vital part of wireless solutions. Security can be difficult to assess in terms of cost. Security assessment is further complicated by the fact that wireless security often requires its own guidelines distinct from those governing wired security. The easiest way to go about this is to analyse security from a technical and TCO standpoint. Consider the following as a guideline to wireless security:- • establish a robust security platform to limit viruses and Trojan horses from plaguing your enterprise’s communication systems and servers; • strengthen security control points on your enterprise firewall; • set policies to ensure users authenticate themselves through wireless devices; • make transmissions secure from end-to-end; and, • use automatic control and intervention mechanisms to keep the wireless solution TCO low and manageable. In light of these security concerns, your enterprise should also plan for security costs triggered by users. Users can lose or misplace wireless devices and forget passwords, which make them popular targets for corporate thieves and hackers. As such, wireless technology solutions engaged must overcome these challenges; security failure often comes at a huge cost. Secure systems should include features that enable and automate IT security policies by guarding against wireless commands that enable or disable device functions and – when a device is lost or stolen – can remotely erase application data, reset forgotten passwords and lock stolen devices laden with confidential corporate information. Working toward better security requires the combined efforts of users, vendors and third parties such as, for example, to provide digital signature capabilities for wireless handheld devices. Through workforce management applications enabled with digital signature capabilities, transaction data is captured alongside a handwritten signature, which automatically correlates with the appropriate work order transaction. The signature is also viewable on the device screen for user verification. Investing for the future To capitalise on new expansion opportunities, and maintain their busy timetables, going wireless is not an option but a necessity for many executives. For companies that are looking to maximise employee productivity and connectivity with time sensitive data, mobility is no longer an option, it too has now become a necessity. As an enterprise of any size strives to increase connectivity throughout its business, it is important to remember that the wireless solution should be flexible, secure and scalable beyond the company’s current needs. Remember, it’s not about the technology itself, but rather, how the technology can address and help your enterprise’s needs.
