15 Comments
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Barney West
Philippe,
IMHO it’s about two issues, connectivity and bounceability.
If you want an enterprise class database in order to sync applications rather than run online, then Windows Mobile is your only real alternative.
If you want to have a shiny device in the enterprise then fine, but be prepared for it to bounce, break and increase real TCO.
The Iphone/Android/WebOS apps are for the Consumer and prosumer, not the enterprise……at least not yet
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Isn’t that the point though? Shouldn’t prosumer devices be made to work in the enterprise?
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Augie Corsico
The answer is yes, but….
As always, it depends on the application requirements. Professional knowledge workers may find a Moto Q, Blackberry and even an IPhone appropriate to keep in touch, but if backoffice applications (such as SAP or Oracle) and field usage is in the picture, more rugged offerings from Motorola Enterprise (MC55XX or MC75) or Intermec (CN3 or CN4) would be much better suited for the application. Total Cost of Ownership studies have shown the rugged devices to cost less over time, especially if the study considers the value of worker lost time while replacing the broken consumer device. 0 0 -
Philippe – perhaps enterprises would buy more if carriers weren’t pressing them to buy GUI solutions requiring costly devices…when they could be solving their business needs with plain old wireless phones at a fraction of the price. Instead of touting mobile computers (and the lucrative data plans to accompany them), perhaps carriers should let enterprises know that they can get the real-time connectivity they need using voice-enabled applications (voice user interfaces) via inexpensive IP phones (like Motorola’s $199 “Badge” or Ascom Wireless’ $165 d41) or cell phones already in use by mobile workers. Smartphones sit somewhere inbetween, but really, business value can be achieved for less cost and less complexity. But do carriers want enterprises to know that?
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Calvin
BB and WinMo have their merits, and there’s always a case for cheap and simple. But let’s be careful not to underestimate the likes of iPhone as just “shiny” toys. SalesForce.com on iPhone simply delivers a better and more consistent user experience than alternatives. Beyond SF, apps will become a major driver. Good platforms without apps aren’t useful and fail to succeed (ask Apple about their experience on that front with Microsoft in the 1980′s and 90′s).
MNO’s are trying to sell new devices, but “pushing” might not be the right word. Prosumer/consumer market share numbers point to both demand and value. Enterprise sales teams are reacting to that – logically or instinctively. Enterprises are ultimately asking for help in how to say “yes” to new devices beyond BB. MNO’s are in the right position and have the right incentive to provide that help.
Fleet devices. By the time you load custom apps through a systems integrator for fleet applications, the TCO goes through the roof and delivery timelines get very very slow. I don’t think the TCO argument is that simple. Devices like iPhone may be more expensive, but they require little to no systems integration. The immense universe of app developers (and corresponding apps) means that you’ll have more capabilities available from more sources – and probably for cheaper and certainly faster. 0 0 -
tony
this is funny. we have endured waves of sales people from various mobile operators. to be fair we have been requesting those meetings lately because we are exploring what devices to add. we already made the decision on iphone (was it really a choice?) so we asked ourselves ‘what else?’. the sales people just didn’t know what to say. i can’t blame them. they just walk into our office with only a pdf file they received the day before the launch of the new device. whoever wrote that pdf didn’t give them much information. so we escalated a call to the people that did (product people). they seemed equally ill-prepared. at the end of the day some of these devices aren’t ready. and they should know better. biggest surprise for me is that iphone is now one of the most secure and manageable phones out there. there. i said it.
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Does the TCO go through the roof with a SI? Certainly the upfront costs, but a well developed strategy and solution will justify that upfront expense. I’m not convinced that MNOs are either in the right position or have the right incentives (currently) to drive that value to enterprises.
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“iphone is now one of the most secure and manageable phones out there. there. i said it.”
OK, I’ll bite. Shoot me an email so we can discuss this off line. To make this statement you MUST be working with a mobile device management vendor that has an iPhone solution. I’d love to learn more. 0 0 -
“SI” and “increased costs” should be synonymous and reasons for that obvious. There’s a lot of value in a SI but that value diminishes quickly as equivalent capabilities are found off-the-shelf.
MNOs. They have the right incentive.
They have the ambition to be sure. Some MNOs like at&t and verizon work closely with their peers on the business side (VZB) for a pretty broad array of network and system offerings.
Are they capable? That’s a great question. A related one. Who is capable? Big demand of enterprises looking for solutions. Short supply of companies who know how to make any of it work. 0 0 -
So my view is that there are simply not enough off the shelf applications for the Enterprise to truly embrace Mobility with Consumer/Prosumer devices. To be attractive to the Enterprise, beyond messaging and email, applications usually need to be developed (SalesForce is an exception perhaps), integrated and devices provisioned and routinely updated. Upfront costs do increase, but TCO, over the life of the project (usually 7-10 years)is lower than using the shinies.
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Randy NunezI think it is really around supporting enterprise policies. You mentioned one issue around the lack of support for Exchange policies. The other important area is security. Not only shortcomings in supporting security policies around mail but also of the device itself. Encryption of data at rest is really important for many companies. Those that can’t quantify the risk will default to a conservative approach and will require everything to be encrypted. A handheld can be the most phenomenal productivity tool ever created, but it will be a hard sell if it can’t live up to the company’s security policy.
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Doug,
Employees WANT pretty user experiences. It’s unavoidable at this point. “Old wireless phones” as you call them are a thing of the past.
My $.02
Philippe 0 0 -
The advent of mobile applications (off the shelf) is happening now.
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Security is huge, no doubt….but why can’t 3rd party vendors step up for that?
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We have developed a mobile content publishing system geared towards the enterprise. http://www.pushmobilemedia.com is a web-based platform that gives managers the ability to build and distribute mobile “campaigns” that train, inform and gather feedback from the mobile workforce and customers. A big goal of a mobile strategy is to build trust, increase engagement and measure ROI. Creating your own content that is secure, measurable and viewable on any mobile device is an interesting way to harness the power of these consumer devices for business use.
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Can Carriers Sell Enterprise Mobility Solutions Based On Consumer Devices?
The conversation went something like this. Sure, the BlackBerry is a great, enterprise grade, mobile platform, but all the hype and momentum is based upon the consumerization of enterprise mobility – specifically focused on the iPhone, Android and to a certain extent webOS. So why is it that the carriers and handset manufacturers struggle to sell these platforms from an enterprise perspective? What needs to happen for enterprises to embrace the sales pitch that would come from the carrier enterprise sales teams?
Hmmm. Fascinating question. There’s no question that iPhone, Android and webOS are either promising and/or wildly successful smartphone platforms from a consumer perspective…and yes, those devices do find their way into the workplace. However, talk to sales teams at the carriers, and I guarantee you that they still struggle to push the value of those three platforms from a true enterprise grade perspective. So what’s the problem?
Is it that the sales people don’t know how to tell the story properly? The platforms are suited today yet to be fully enterprise grade? 3rd party vendors are still working through platform issues? How about “E,” all of the above.
I think it’s all these issues. Let’s look at Android. Sure, tons of promise and hype right now. So many new devices are coming out now, and you know from a consumer perspective, it will be quite popular. And it still supports zero Exchange policies. Sure, it will get there…in time…but that doesn’t help us today. What about the sales teams? They certainly are biased – but part of that is based upon their compensation structures. How do we get a level playing field so that at the end of the day, the sales people are most focused on providing what is best for the customer need, as opposed to what is easiest to sell? When are the mobility management vendors going to be able to provide equal levels of features and functionality for full blown mobility management across all devices?
Not any time soon, unfortunately. That said, I do believe we will get there. Why? Because companies want and need it now.