The European e-Business Report The European e ... - empirica

The European E-Business Report 2005
Remote access: integrating field workers with the firm's network
Exhibit 1.1-4: Firms enabling remote access to
their computer network (2005)
Total (EU-7)
Food & beverages
Textile & clothing
Publishing & printing
Pharmaceutical
Machinery & equipment
Automotive
Construction
Tourism
IT services
0 20 40 60 80 100
23 6
40 6
41 7
41
34 7
Enable remote access
8
47 6
60 5
75 6
753
74
Have planned to enable remote access
Weighted by employment (firms accounting for ..% of employment in a
sector), EU-7.
Source: e-Business W@tch (Survey 2005)
7
Remote access solutions are more
prevalent in manufacturing sectors
than in services, with the exception of
the IT services sector.
This aspect of firm connectivity is important
to facilitate tasks that require
flexible and mobile forms of work:
Support the sales force in the
field: Connecting the (often large)
sales force to the backend ICT
systems of a company facilitates
information flows and streamlines
processes.
Tele-work: Remote access is a
precondition for enabling homebased
telework, which is increasingly
popular among employees
and offered by many companies.
Tele-work can be a 'win-win'
situation for both sides.
Mobile work: Another group that
needs access to company data
from abroad are frequent travellers,
such as managers.
In spite of the slow deployment of the UMTS 12 standard and services based on it, mobile solutions
are expected to become important applications in many sectors. In the pharmaceutical industry, for
example, many companies have a large sales force that spends most of the time with the customers.
Connecting them to the companies’ ICT systems promises efficiency gains and better informed sales
representatives. Strangely, firms from construction rated low in this area also, although the nature of
the industry would call for a more active use of such solutions. 13
There are several scenarios for the further development of mobile solutions. Some of the paths that
are currently explored are:
• Mobile e-mail: the opportunity to send and receive e-mails remotely on a mobile device
• Mobile PIM (Personal Information Management) and Sales Force Management: mobile
updating of contact and calendar information by synchronising data remotely with the
company network
• Mobile CRM (Customer Relationship Management): remote mobile access to the CRM
system for recording and retrieving customer data on-site
• Mobile stock recording: the recording of product stocks at a retailer's site through mobile
devices
12
13
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, a standard for mobile communications.
For more details and case studies on this topic, see e-Business W@tch Sector Reports on the Pharmaceutical
Industry and on the Construction Industry, July 2005. www.ebusiness-watch.org ('resources')
21