Enterprise Mobility Matters

Mobile Applications and Their Impact on Enterprise Mobility

Time to start another post with an explanation as to why I haven't posted something in a while.  Last week, I was on the west coast visiting some enterprise mobility vendors.  Everyone knows how it is when you're on the road...you basically have no time for anything other than the meetings you have planned.  Big surprise, this week has been mostly about catching up on everything I couldn't get done while traveling.  In any case, there was an interesting article on Fortune.com recently regarding mobile software developers and how end-users can access those applications.  The article makes some interesting points, but misses in my mind the very real challenges of application deployment for the enterprise.

What's The Value of Celio's REDFLY for Enterprise Mobility?

I, like many others, am an avid reader of Engadget and Engadget Mobile.  They have just a constant stream of incredible information that really helps me learn every single day.  However, there are times when they post stories that make me scratch my head...sometimes to the point where I am compelled to comment on it myself.  There was a story a few days ago regarding a price reduction in Celio Corporation's REDFLY "mobile companion."  In short, Engadget Mobile is still questioning the merits of the device.  I couldn't disagree more.

The iPhone 3G Is Now Ready for Enterprise Mobility: So Says Gartner

In case you missed it, Gartner has written a new report called "iPhone 2.0 Is Ready for the Enterprise, but Caveats Apply."  Although I didn't get to read the entire document (for obvious reasons), I really have to question whether the author of the report understands the full requirements of an enterprise mobility solution.  Heck, the complete cynic in me wonders how Apple got Gartner to write this piece.

Enterprise Mobility Mid-Year Review

Just thought I'd share with you a glimpse of a new piece I recently co-authored with my esteemed colleague Andrew Brown.  Andy leads the Wireless Enterprise Strategies service over at SA, and together, we compiled a mid-year review on enterprise mobility and a preliminary outlook for 2009.  Here's a quick snapshot in terms of some of the key drivers we see moving forward:

1. Globalization and Workforce Decentralization Continue to Drive Business Mobility
2. Device Management Becomes a Priority
3. Virtualization and Green IT Impact Mobility
4. Unified Communications Becomes a Hedge Against a Weak Economy
5. Enterprise Mobility Becomes More Scrutinized & Hard Metrics Are Needed

If you have access to the SA library, go have a read.  If not, I'd still love to hear your thoughts on this.

Is There Such a Thing As a "Typical" Enterprise Mobility Deployment?

If there's ever a word to use to describe my work ethic, people would typically say either dedicated or "just nuts."  The latter was used by a colleague of mine today when I got up at 4am (after going to bed at 2) to talk to a mobility vendor.  While I certainly can't name who the vendor was, I wanted to share a little part of the conversation.  One of our clients asked us to describe the ecosystem of a "typical" mobile deployment.  What a great question.  Is there such a thing?