Page 26 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

moving to mobility � 5

with mobile technologies? Are there cost advantages? Can business
cycle times be reduced? Customer service improved? How can your
workforce be transitioned so workers excel in a mobile environment?
How will you sustain that new paradigm? A robust mobile technology
infrastructure is foundational, but, ultimately, achieving competitive
advantage will depend upon your people, not your technology.
Let’s begin by exploring the current mobile ecosystem and why it’s
so important to rethink what you are doing and how you might push
forward with a new mobile strategy.

` unplugged: BusIness strAtegy And
the moBIle teChnology enVIronment

It is almost impossible to overstate the mobile revolution. The ability
to communicate quickly, to receive and send information at a mo-
ment’s notice, and to collaborate on urgent company issues easily from
anywhere in the world is essential in today’s business environment.
The Internet surrounds us like the oxygen we breathe, saturating our
personal and professional space. Having the capacity to connect 24
hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7) is now an expectation, just as is turn-
ing on a radio and assuming music will emerge, or flipping through
channels on your digital TV with your remote. It’s always on. You are
within reach of a mobile network from a mobile carrier or local Wi-
Fi hot spot just about anywhere you go. The Internet has become a
lifeline for all of us. Moving at the speed of life, we expect technology
to keep up with us, with the consequence that we too are “always on.”
When we finally sit down with a tasty cup of java or at our favorite
deli, we know we can connect with our company, our employees, our
partners, and our personal network of contacts.
Always-on broadband connections set us free, but they also cre-
ate a new set of business rules and business expectations. In the last
five minutes, how many times has your mobile device alerted you of
incoming e-mails, a personal text message, a Twitter message, or a