Mobility in business - why companies should implement mobile solutions

Sponsored by HP In the interest of SMEs

Paul Boshoff, HP's personal systems group country manager, looks at the impact of mobility in business and why companies should implement mobile solutions as they build for the future

According to BMI-T, mobility is on the rise and is turning out to be a significant factor in the sale of IT hardware, especially with regards to PCs. In 2005 the mobile PC market underwent yet another year of double digital growth.

Hannes Fourie, an analyst at BMI-T, says that the total notebook market in South Africa increased by 36.9% in 2005. The driving forces behind this growth have been the increased adoption of mobility in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, the increasing demand from consumers, and the attractive price promotions in the retail channel.

Business has become increasingly mobile with service calls, remote visits and travel all playing a bigger role in day-to-day operation. If the proper tools are provided to them, employees can achieve greater efficiency and produce far more output.

For companies, mobility means reducing costs and gaining a competitive advantage, making mobile solutions indispensable to business.

Although mobility is not free, in most circumstances it achieves a payback quickly -according to Meta Group - in as little as 6 to 12 months.

Meta Group says companies that wait too long to implement a mobile solution risk losing customers, being less efficient and effective than their competition, and limiting the flexibility they need to compete in the new market realities.

The essence of getting the most from mobility is to focus on how mobile technology can adapt to the way we work, as opposed to adapting the way we work to the technology.

Unrestricted Productivity

Mobility solutions mean that "dead time"-on planes, in hotel rooms, at airports and in coffee shops, for instance-becomes a thing of the past for mobile professionals. Equipped with easy-to-carry and easy-to-use products such as notebook and handheld devices, they can deal with their workloads more promptly, more flexibly and more efficiently, making their organisations more competitive.

Extending the network and providing constant connectivity gives mobile users the agility they need to profit from fast-changing business conditions. They can respond to customer needs faster, which in turn helps to enhance customer loyalty and increase customers' lifetime value.

According to Meta Group, on a global basis, notebook users increase their work output hours by an average of 13% per week versus their desktop counterparts through increased efficiency.

Research also indicates that enterprises that embrace mobility by providing notebook computers to their employees gain an average of six hours per week of useful work per employee over those fixed to desktop PCs.

Mobility and HP

Providing access to mission-critical information isn't as straightforward as it used to be. As we move towards the reality of an undefined wireless world, the challenge for vendors is how to make connectivity manageable, simple and adaptable so employees can access the information they need, wherever and whenever it's needed, cost-effectively and without compromising their organisation's security.

When you add in real concerns from staff, customers, and partners about the security of wireless solutions and the challenge of finding qualified assessment and implementation expertise, it can be difficult to assemble all of the pieces so you can best leverage wireless and mobility technology to move your business forward.

The ease of deployment and management of HP mobility solutions, along with their compatibility with existing investments and their rapid return on investment, makes them the preferred choice of forward thinking companies all over the world.

Simplicity is the driving force behind HP's wireless and mobility solutions. Our goal is to build products, solutions, services, and partnerships that make wireless and mobile solutions a true business tool that any business of any size and with any level of IT resources and support can use.

HP has integrated mobile flexibility across product lines and built smart connectivity directly into mobile devices: Top-selling iPAQs, full-featured HP notebooks, and mobile digital projectors and cameras are all easy to carry, easy to operate and easy to connect from wherever you are.

HP mobile printers and mobile printing software complete your mobile office, complementing your notebook or iPAQ and giving you the power to print office-quality documents from anywhere.

Security

The challenge in an interconnected world is security. IT vendors will need to address security issues moving forward. HP has already made significant strides in this area, offering the latest in wireless security so users can implement a wireless network out of the box with confidence and without hiring an IT specialist.

HP ProtectTools security provides enhanced levels of protection that are not available in standard environments. This ensures that access control, confidentiality, data authentication and data integrity for wireless networks are just as secure as they are for fixed installations. Sensitive data is protected by PINs, verification codes, timed lock-outs and passwords.


All Meta Group research derived from the Meta Group Study: Taking Business Mobile, April 2004

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