A conversation with David McCarthy, senior account manager, SOTI

Companies across the globe depend on SOTI’s innovative solutions to secure, manage and support their mobile operations

Trade

David McCarthy, SOTI

In association with SOTI

An industry leader for mobile and IoT device management, SOTI helps businesses take mobility to endless possibilities. Since it was founded in 1995 by president and CEO Carl Rodrigues, SOTI has built strong partnerships with leading mobile platform providers and device manufacturers. Today, companies across the globe depend on its innovative solutions to secure, manage and support their mobile operations. Meanwhile, its SOTI Altitude Partner Program helps resellers, OEMs and system integrators accelerate revenue and enhance business mobility.

We recently caught up with David McCarthy, senior account manager at SOTI, to discuss SOTI’s partner program, local clientele, and Irish expansion. 

SOTI creates innovative solutions that reduce the cost and complexity of business-critical mobility and the IoT. How do SOTI products, such as the SOTI ONE Platform, help businesses secure, manage, and support their mobile operations?

SOTI MobiControl, part of the SOTI ONE Platform, is our Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution. It is our policy engine that simplifies the security and management of an organisation’s business-critical mobile devices and apps, as well as its Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints. It is utilised by nearly 20,000 organisations globally, from SMBs with a small device footprint, to massive enterprises with over a half a million devices. It has over 6,000 capabilities, and we are constantly growing, developing, and innovating here in our Galway office.

Devices can be managed remotely – and wiped remotely – on demand as needed. This could be due to a security breach or in response to lost and stolen devices. This provides peace of mind for all organisations handling customer data or sensitive corporate data on field devices.

In terms of management, SOTI MobiControl boasts unique features that drive efficiency and help avoid security issues on devices in specific locations. Lockdown, for example, can disable application access for field workers. Our geofencing features lock content when a driver leaves a depot so that all sensitive company data stays in the perimeter of the HQ and does not leave on the device with the drivers. This lets organisations operating remotely have confidence in their data and device management capabilities.

From a user experience standpoint, what makes SOTI’s offering unique?

While SOTI’s offering has been engineered to drive the complex technical functionality needed to keep up with today’s fast paced environment, it remains extremely easy to use. Its simple frontend user interface makes day-to-day provisioning, management and setup of devices in the field straightforward. Right down to remote support, administrators can easily access each device and even take over the screen to obtain all the details needed to provide a quick fix for first-call resolution. IT fixes and responses need to be faster than ever now that customer needs are driving increased demand for delivery updates and next day deliveries.

What is the SOTI Altitude Partner Program and who is it for? 

The SOTI Altitude Partner Program was created for our global partner network. It provides sales and marketing resources to support the sale of our goods and services through an online portal. To be a part of the program, simply register to be a partner and you can gain access to all our content. From our sales presentations and product brochures to help with customer queries, through to our recorded webinars and training program to become SOTI Certified, right through to answering requests for budget to support current marketing campaigns, we strive to help our partners every step of the way. Partners can even register SOTI opportunities directly in the portal and can benefit from the partner registration rebate schemes on offer. The program is free to access and available to all SOTI partners. 

How do you and your team help partners sell and market your products? 

There are numerous ways SOTI supports its partners, from webinars, sales and customer training, through to collaborations with global strategic partners such as Honeywell, Datalogic, Panasonic, Brother and Zebra. Our team is locally structured to support our partners on technical issues in the field and with customers.

Covid-19 permitting, we also support our partners through face-to-face meetings, and in 2021 for example, we supported Zetes Ireland at an event in Dublin.

Our program has tiered offerings based on the volume of business that partners bring to SOTI. Partners on the Platinum and Gold tier get marketing funding to help them grow their SOTI market share, as well as sales incentives, roundtable events and more.

SOTI is a global company with offices all around the globe, one of those is found in Galway. What drew SOTI to Ireland?

SOTI has an expanding global team and offices in over 100 countries around the world, including Canada, Australia, the UK and right here in Ireland. Home to a vast array of tech companies – from giant multinationals to new start-ups – Ireland has developed an excellent reputation for being a technology-based economy. Our fantastic office in Cathedral Square, Galway City Centre is currently home to over 40 employees, with many more roles advertised across sales, technical support and software development – that number will rise quickly. We expect to see our team expand to 60 – 70 in the coming months. Ireland forms an integral part of our long-term growth strategy as we expand our European footprint.

We have several large, specialist partners in Ireland such as Timewise, which provides systems and support for the entire critical supply chain of its customers, from food through to medicine. While this support is mainly offered remotely due to Covid-19, it is also carried out onsite while observing health and safety protocols. Audit trails are included in its mobile device management solution from SOTI, including notification and form fills.

SOTI works with several high-profile clients, including DPD Ireland. How does SOTI help the logistics company drive operational efficiency in its business?

DPD operates 34 depots and has a need to move everything from paper-based to digital. SOTI MobiControl helps DPD stay up-to-date with its data synchronisation, and real-time access to data, reduces remote support costs via its remote control solution enabling real time support. SOTI also supports DPD with visibility and audit trails as required for compliance around online parcel and order tracking. 

Innserve is another customer whose mobile fleet of workers fluctuates as the seasons dictate. As Covid-19 lockdowns turned the hospitality industry on and off, SOTI MobiControl has enabled Innserve to scale up and down as required. Thanks to SOTI’s relationship with Panasonic, the LG TOUGHBOOK comes pre-flashed with SOTI software ready to be provisioned and shipped to field technicians on demand. This means devices can go live within minutes, not hours, which in turn saves Innserve over 500-man hours a year and enables its team to use their time more productively.

SOTI has a proven commitment to R&D, as seen through global research initiatives such as its State of Mobility 2022 report. How does this research benefit SOTI’s customers as well as the company itself?

Our insight is managed by an independent research team which operates globally. The research provides crucial insights into the worlds of retail, transportation and logistics (T&L), and field services. Our reports enable the SOTI team, as well as customers and partners, to collectively engage with the latest global trends. The research allows SOTI to show the independent side of how we work within an industry framework, while introducing Shash Anand, our VP of product strategy, and his incredible background and enthusiasm for SOTI to the world. 

Research from SOTI’s State of Mobility 2021 report found that 45% of respondents believe their enterprise isn’t properly leveraging mobile technology in the post-pandemic marketplace. Why do you think that is?

From engaging with our customers and partners, I believe this is mainly due to adoption. There is an abundance of tech out there, but there’s also a resistance to change and departing from traditional working practices. We’ve also seen a significant shift away from paper towards digital. This is not purely about mobile device management, but about moving your business operations into new platforms, with new processes and workflows, and all the technology integration that entails. 

Over the last two years, there has been a massive increase in investment for mobile technology and solutions that enable mobile integrated systems. The reports show that there are significant efficiency and cost savings to be made by embracing better technology integration, and newly designed workflows. The biggest driver to all of this has been increased focus on the customer in response to the shift in buyer behaviour and customer experience over the past two years.

Budgets are often larger and split across multiple business units and departments, which also makes it more difficult for teams to decide on the when and how, as there are often more decision-makers involved than ever before as organisations streamline their processes and business operations.

To speak with SOTI about becoming a partner, please complete the form and we will get in touch.

To download the SOTI T&L report please click here. To download the SOTI global retail report please click here.