As the workforce becomes wireless so does the ... - Connect-World

The three states of broadbandgrade broadband connections has propelledforward at a staggering rate. As a result,application of productivity-enhancing solutionsto virtually every business function imaginableis now so commonplace as to hardly meritmention. It’s worth reminding ourselves,however, of the sheer scale and pervasivenessthat accounting, HR, CRM and other missioncriticalapplications have attained in enterprisesthanks in large measure to fixed broadband.This compels serious consideration of whatchanges are in store as ‘everything-wireless’broadband assumes the fluidity of its mobilestate and the even more profound ubiquity ofits dispersed state, especially in the emergingMachine-to-Machine (M2M) world.The mobile effect of fluid broadbandThe strategic and tactical advantages of mobilityrepresent a second major step in broadbanddeployment that is well underway, with soaringadoption rates for broadband-based mobileapplications. By arming sales forces andothers in the field with smart devices, we haveextended the central database and corporateapplications beyond the office to virtually anycustomer touchpoint. By coupling broadbandwith GPS, we have seen a mini-revolution inthe way companies track assets and people.There are two pivotal points worthy ofemphasizing about this rapidly advancing stageof the everything-wireless broadband evolution.First, mobile fluidity has spawned a growingvariety of specialized solutions to support mobilecomputing, nomadic workforces and fleetmanagement. By introducing an unprecedentedlevel of speed and flexibility in how assetsand people can be deployed and re-deployedgeographically, mobile broadband enablesenterprises to innovate as never before - not merelyallowing field associates to carry office functionswith them, but discovering and implementingcapabilities that were once unfeasible.To site a well-proven example, no industryhas explored advanced mobile applicationsmore thoroughly than the transportation sector.Trucking companies and others operating largefleets are using mobile to remotely monitor thelocation, speed, performance and maintenancestatus of vehicles. At the same time, mobiletechnology can enable continuous tracking ofindividual cargo items, with all that impliesin the way of efficiency, on-time delivery andcustomer satisfaction. Such levels of real-timemanagement were simply not possible beforemobile broadband.Secondly, the benefits of mobile fluidity flowstraight to the bottom line.Whatever the particular industry application,mobile broadband is becoming a key factor ineliminating many costs by speeding the flowof information, cutting travel time, reducingfuel consumption and enabling the automationof processes that formerly involved paperintensiveworkflow.Advantages like these will only become morepronounced as devices become faster, moreversatile and more numerous. And it is thisvery expansion of the universe of broadbanddevices and applications that is now taking usinto a much wider space where the everythingwirelessworld can be fully actualized.The transformative effect of dispersedbroadbandIn fact, we are already experiencing a rapidsurge into the next stage of broadband - what Icall fully integrated, dispersed broadband.Although dispersed broadband involves manyfactors, its leading edge is arguably machine-tomachinecommunication. M2M is inherentlycomplex, but it’s based on a straightforwardpremise: a variety of ingenious - sometimestransformative - uses can be created by usingbroadband to connect a vast array of devices asdiverse as smart meters, signboards, high-definitioncameras, remote sensors, laptops and appliances.Such a flexible and dispersed M2M-drivenenvironment offers enterprises scalable,automated systems composed of widelydisseminated devices that communicatedirectly with each other. Business managerscan use these systems as a strategic tool fortaking performance to another level. Andthe more thoroughly broadband applicationsdiffuse into the business environment, the moreimpressive the return can be in terms of savings,operational efficiency, positive customerinteractions and, most significantly, innovativeproducts and services.The evidence for this phenomenon is growingquickly in several sectors now taking the lead inM2M and related applications:• Utilities are generating greateroperational control and efficiencies bydeploying SmartGrid solutions wherethousands of smart metres are wirelesslyconnected into real-time automatedmetre-reading infrastructures.• Insurance companies are helpingcustomers get more competitivepremiums through connected in-vehicledevices. Insurers can wirelessly receivesecure information on a person’s drivinghabits, then reward safe drivers whilereturning benefits to the companythrough better underwriting and claimsreductions.• Public safety agencies are protectingcitizens by more closely monitoringhazardous conditions and potentiallydangerous offenders. For instance, policecan use 4G speed to receive images fromhigh-resolution cameras in high-crimeareas, and better identify offenders whilelowering response times.• Retailers are showing customers theirmost up-to-the-minute offerings withdigital signage. Store managers cancultivate customer relationships withoutdoor or indoor electronic signsfeaturing continuous updates on productsor special offers.• Medical providers are engagingbroadband to change the healthcareparadigm. Applications includesmartphone-equipped mobile healthprofessionals with instant, secure accessto medical images and vital signs.Looking ahead, 4G speeds could enablereal-time virtual collaboration acrossstates or streaming live video from anambulance to the hospital.• Manufacturers are exploring a widespectrum of CRM, SCM and PLMsolutions opened by dispersed broadband.These include sophisticated applicationsacross the gamut of handheld computing,building automation, remote diagnostics,asset management and cloud computing.This is only a sampling of dispersedbroadband’s role in satisfying the enterprisethirst for productivity, innovation and anaccelerated return on investment. The keyquestion, of course, is how to implementeffective and affordable solutions. A fewbroadband carriers have mobilized resourcesand expertise to meet that need. In the case ofSprint, this encompasses every critical aspect ofan effective collaborative partnership: an openand expanding ecosystem of M2M partners,network agnostic capabilities that include 4G,a long-standing open approach to applicationsand devices, and Internet Protocol (IP)-basedconvergence infrastructure to support mobileintegration and unified communications.Enterprises can look forward to the continuedexpansion of broadband in all its forms for theforeseeable future, secure in the knowledge thatthe opportunity and support is there to fully reapits benefits in the everything-wireless world. •16 • North America 2010