In the business world, end-users cannot simply download an application and start using it right away -- because while a mobile business application runs on a mobile device, it is rarely self-sufficient to stand-alone and provide value. In the vast majority of the cases, it is part of the overall enterprise IT environment and shares data, business objects, and workflows with back-office systems, as well as other mobile applications and users in different business roles, and needs to be integrated with them. Therefore the structure and processes of consumer-focused app stores as we know them today are inadequate for business mobility. This presentation explains how the combination of ClickSoftware’s Business Mobility Platform and the Sybase Unwired Platform addresses this challenge and enables system Integrators, IT departments, ERP/CRM companies and product developers of vertical industry solutions to mobilize back-office products and rapidly develop business apps.

This paper explores the convergence of several different technologies including: mobility, GPS, business intelligence and M2M (machine to machine) technologies with evolving field services management strategies. This convergence has resulted in a new “Networked Field Service” model. Investment in space travel has provided many direct and indirect benefits to society. For example, weather forecasting technology, solar energy, scratch resistant lenses, water purification systems, enriched baby food and air quality monitoring have all made advancements because of investments in space travel research. Likewise, the military has made huge investments related to the implementation of Network-Centric War fare technologies and mobile data collection strategies that are now providing benefit and revolutionizing the way commercial field services organizations operate. In this paper we will explore these concepts and benefits and learn how they can be implemented. In addition to the technology, we will explore how field services organizations can take advantage of the advances in management and decision making models that are now possible with a networked field services organization.

Research firm IDC predicts that some 1.2 billion workers will be using mobile enterprise tools by 2011, representing roughly a third of the total global workforce (February 2010). Some of these people are almost exclusively mobile, whereas some will only occasionally use mobile enterprise tools. Whatever the case, there are very few who would argue against the fact that investing in mobility has the potential to raise productivity, accessibility and visibility. However, as many have already discovered, selecting and deploying a mobile solution is complex and brings many challenges and considerations. Along with the huge rewards it can bring, deploying a mobile solution can also involve many risks and potential pitfalls. This whitepaper covers some common mistakes and tips for this process.

Empowering your field technicians to deliver better, faster service: As service and manufacturing organization look to break free from the constraints of the current economy and drive service productivity, they are increasingly looking to equip their technicians with mobile devices to allow them to escape from the bounds and limitations of paper based processes. However, a majority of organizations continue to struggle with truly mobilizing and empowering their field workforces with the right capabilities needed to facilitate effective service delivery. Those that are successful in extending the back office to the field with convenient well integrated workflows have experience significant 17% gains in the service profitability from the deployment of mobile solutions.

While handwritten notes, or notes written on hands, are all the crazy in the US political sphere, this medium of information storage and reuse is probably not what most service organizations have in mind when looking to provide workers with the necessary tools and information while in the field. For one, the information isn’t dynamic and unlike in politics where the same static message might continue to ring up support or applause, the dynamic nature of service work and customer expectations requires that service technicians have the most up-to-date information regarding the particular asset or customer that they are servicing. Also, the fact that service technicians often work in hot, humid conditions may also minimize the recall value of notes written on hands.