Content provided in partnership with

Technology Industry

Move beyond e-mail and Internet access: user model aids management of the evolving wireless enterprise - Netcom Update - wireless business processes

Communications News, July, 2002 by Morris Edwards

Thus far, the tremendous growth of wireless communications has been fueled by demand for mobile voice communications With the convenience and productivity benefits of untethered communications, and an increasingly mobile workforce, however, more and more enterprises are exploiting the data aspects of wireless networking more fully.

In particular, many enterprises are seeking a competitive edge through the wireless transformation of their business processes, and by providing wireless access to, and sharing of, mission-critical information. Such a "wireless enterprise" will be able to collaborate in new ways with customers, suppliers and partners, with the potential for greater customer and employee intimacy and satisfaction, and for faster innovation and improved market responsiveness.

Most Popular Articles in Technology: An overview of continuous data protection; Why all those current ratings?; Many countries now have a mobile penetration rate above 100%, report says; The Tata Group's big telecom gamble: VSNL's recent acquisition of Tyco ...; MEASURING BANK BRANCH EFFICIENCY USING DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS: MANAGERIAL ...; More »

Given this potential, IDC predicts that enterprise spending on wireless services in the United States will double over the next five years, reaching nearly $60 billion by 2006. While some of the increased spending will be the result of the subscriber base growing from 37.5 million to 67.5 million business users, much of it will be the fruit of additional spending on data services.

There are adoption issues and barriers, however, to realizing the potential of the wireless enterprise. These include real and perceived security issues, slow network speeds and spotty coverage, shortage of in-house expertise, lack of standards, initial disappointment with the wireless application protocol (WAP), and concerns about technology readiness that encompass devices, networks, applications and payment systems.

Fortunately for IT managers, wireless operators are providing increasingly robust networks and developing expertise, skills and products to address key challenges with enterprise wireless data. Their capabilities now include business solutions integration and development resources, stabilized transaction and messaging products via much improved WAP and short-message service (SMS platforms), flexible delivery and management systems to fit customized requirements, and hands-on access to account management tools.

IT managers planning for the wireless enterprise may also be helped by a model developed by IDC that groups business wireless users into "tiers" based on the applications they need for their work. These tiers give IT managers a structure for supporting the evolving needs of their users with devices optimized for the primary applications in each tier.

GROWTH DRIVERS

Over the next five years, IDC expects several factors to spur growth in the number of business wireless users, including:

* Businesses will want to increase the productivity of mobile employees, such as salespeople and executives, by giving them the tools they need to access critical information while in the field, and to make the most of their time away from the office.

* Businesses will also want to realize a higher return on investment from existing IT infrastructure and applications by expanding their functionality beyond the confines of the wired LAN.

* Meanwhile, business-class speeds in wireless will make mobile application access a productive, rather than a painful, experience.

* Finally, higher penetration of wireless networking in the enterprise, and a growing comfort with data-centric applications, such as SMS, will build a base of users who will increasingly find additional business benefits from wireless communications.

As their numbers grow, IDC predicts that users will evolve into four distinct tiers, defined primarily by the suites, or groups of applications each tier will use. In the first tier, the applications are primarily voice-based, with some SMS, instant messaging (IM) and basic Internet access, defined primarily by "dash-in/dash-out" information requirements. Each successive tier then adds further data-based applications and device requirements:

Tier 2: Applications added in this tier include second-generation basic Internet and text e-mail access. Tier 2 users will need devices optimized for e-mail viewing and data entry, since they will use e-mail access heavily.

Tier 3: Primary applications added include a "fuller" Internet experience, personal information management (PIM), full e-mail access (including attachments), intranet/LAN access, data transfer capability and multimedia messaging service (MMS). Tier 3 users will need devices with large color screens, storage capabilities and good data manipulation.

Tier 4: Streaming media will be the primary application added in this tier. Tier 4 users will need devices supporting the most diverse multimedia applications.

The development of these user tiers will depend on the concurrent availability of higher-capability handsets, next-generation networks and enterprise adoption of wireless applications. Migration between tiers will largely be a function of application needs, such as the requirement for e-mail attachments or access to sales information resident on corporate LANs and intranets.

Technology Industry

Move beyond e-mail and Internet access: user model aids management of the evolving wireless enterprise - Netcom Update - wireless business processes

Communications News, July, 2002 by Morris Edwards

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Health

Most Popular Articles in Technology

Most Popular Publications in Technology