Welcome to the latest edition of Inside Looking Out. Even when on the road going from one meeting to the next, I try to make time to speak to people and just learn from them. This week, I got to sit down with Willie Jow. Willie is the Vice President for Business Operations and Product Marketing at Sybase - one of the largest companies in the enterprise mobility ecosystem.
I originally met Willie during their analyst conference in New York back in May, so it was great timing for me to go see Willie during last week's trek out to San Francisco.
Enterprise Mobility Matters: Hi Willie. It's great seeing you again. Last time we met, we had an awesome (in the real sense of the term) view of Ground Zero in Manhattan. Now we're only 3000 miles away from there! I guess that's how mobility is so great. With the right tools, it doesn't matter where we are. In any case, welcome to Inside Looking Out!
What would you say is the greatest advancement in enterprise mobility in the last few years?
Willie Jow: Hi Philippe, firstly thank you for inviting me to participate here. Without a doubt, one of the greatest recent advancements in enterprise mobility is how consumer devices have made their way into the enterprise. This has changed the landscape and as a result we are seeing a transformation of the traditional information worker (or mobile enterprise worker, if you will). This is an important role because it is the information worker who interacts with the customer as well as vendors and other outside entities. So, there is definitely a shift in the paradigm here which is reshaping the industry.
EMM: Are companies looking at mobility differently today as compared to a few years ago?
WJ: In the past, the mobile enterprise ecosystem was pretty fragmented where every vendor, SI, and ISV had their own “view” of enterprise mobility and solutions to address challenges they faced. I really believe CIOs today want a strategic platform that can address a variety of device types, various back-end applications, and an approach to help “future proof” their implementations. There is a need for the ecosystem partners to work together and develop a better reference architecture. Circling back to consumer devices coming into the enterprise — it is a relatively new trend that has really developed since the introduction of the iPhone. Beyond that, companies are viewing mobility as more mission critical to their overall business initiatives. Employees are using devices for a variety of tasks from point of sales to point of action. The focus is now on providing employees with the capability to complete business tasks while on the go.
EMM: How do you see the economy impacting mobility in the enterprise? When are we going to see an upturn in the (our) market?
WJ: That’s a great question. I think CIOs are looking at enterprise mobility from a perspective of, how do I actually get more out of my existing investments in back-end systems and mobile devices? Rather than looking at mobility as another costly component – enterprises are realizing the important role that mobility plays in worker productivity which ultimately provides a competitive advantage.
In this economy, companies want to get as much value as possible. One technique to consider is having employees access enterprise systems with personally-owned devices. Organizations can leverage this opportunity to enable a productive workforce, without incurring the initial device investment costs.
The current economic environment has also driven a higher level of competitiveness in the marketplace. Companies cannot afford to lose downtime caused by a delayed response if they are out of the office on travel, hence the need for companies to un-wire their enterprise and have the same capabilities available to employees on the go as in the office.
EMM: What do you think is the greatest current opportunity for enterprise mobility?
WJ: I think the greatest opportunity is with the information worker. This group of individuals is not necessarily in the field, but they are a valuable participant in managing the business workflow. Information workers play an important role since their reach extends to customers and other key influencers outside the traditional corporate network – so they need to be productive while on the go. The opportunity for businesses is about enabling individuals with the capability to complete business processes on any device, anywhere, at any time.
EMM: What do you think is the greatest risk for organizations right now?
WJ: I would say the greatest risk is for organizations to adopt a homogeneous strategy in mobility. It’s hard to predict the next great mobile device or technology so it’s important for organizations to deploy a strategic platform that enables a heterogeneous versus homogeneous strategy. The way technology is evolving, it would almost be counterproductive to have siloed implementations within different departments; organizations, particularly global companies, need to be more nimble. Tactical implementations not only increase costs but companies can really benefit by having a strategy in place that allows for flexibility and lays the corporate foundation for the future.
EMM: What steps should executives take to ensure the success of their mobility implementations?
WJ: I recommend executives take a strategic approach and look ahead in terms of what mobility solutions are required across the entire enterprise from task workers to information workers to executives. Factors such as increasing productivity, increasing security and ultimately, increasing the business flow within the enterprise are especially important in this economic time.
The strategic deployment of enterprise mobility evolves through the years because devices change, the back-end systems change and the business processes change. I encourage executives to work with mobility ecosystem partners (such as vendors, SIs and ISVs) to deploy a strategic platform that supports a heterogeneous environment and allows for flexibility and scalability. That really is the best way to successfully build the organization of the future.
Well there you have it. Some really great commentary from Willie Jow. Thank you Willie for taking the time to chat with me about your views on Enterprise Mobility.
Do you know anyone who should be a guest here on Inside Looking Out? Drop me a line.
