As Ireland’s mobile economy reaches critical mass, there are concerns about worker productivity

Trade

One issue raised by attempts to harness wireless technology to the needs of M2M is that of patchy network coverage and security compromises. Yet for every M2M application there must be more than 20 conventional mobile applications which go beyond simple e-mail provision and which provide access to back-end databases or supply chain systems – all suffering from identical issues.

Europe is following the lead of the US, where over 50 million workers are considered mobile because they spend at least 20% of their time away from the ‘office’, according to a January study which also suggested that 55% of those surveyed were either field workers without a formal workspace (hot-desking road warriors) or permanently-mobile workers such as healthcare professionals and public service utility providers.

The study found that all mobile workforces have widely diverse mobility requirements. So diverse, in fact, that some would argue mobile field and speciality workers represent the next killer application market for solution vendors, with a sizeable market potential. Uniquely, field sales and service is neither a vertical nor horizontal market but more a “diagonal” one covering industries as diverse as insurance, transportation, construction, telecommunications and the utilities. To benefit from this opportunity, Limerick-based auto ID and mobile solution specialist Zetes this year launched a dedicated real-time field service solution in partnership with Fields 2, specialists in the provision of software solutions for field service users, which is aimed at remotely based service engineering users.

Mobile field service applications offer great promise in terms of enhanced revenues through better data (often in real time) and improved productivity, lowered costs due to increased automation, and improved brand reputation as a result of faster customer service. However, without the right infrastructure investments, these benefits quickly vanish as wishful thinking. The customer’s requirements for mobility may be diverse in terms of the business processes they follow or the types of devices they need, but the need for a robust wireless network to facilitate the exchange of information is universal. Without optimal mobile connectivity, the usability and effectiveness of the mobile solution rapidly breaks down and the whole point of the implementation is lost.

A significant problem facing deploying organisations is the disconnect between the demands of decision makers and their workforces. While the top concerns for management are security, complexity of integration, network speeds and cost of ownership, users just want to be able to get on with their jobs. Another survey of mobile workers found their top frustration (43%) was unreliable network coverage, which can be the result of multiple causes including latency, jitter, roaming and bandwidth limitations.

But now, mobile VPN technology is uniquely positioned in helping to align and alleviate both the performance related frustrations of users and the more strategic and security focused concerns of decision makers. Software such as that offered by NetMotion Wireless uses a variety of techniques to maintain a connection when a signal is interrupted or when a worker is moving between hotspots. For instance, if a wireless connection is severed, NetMotion’s Mobility XE software can fool the VPN into behaving as if the link between mobile device and main server is still active by signalling that data traffic speeds have plummeted. The system keeps the line open, and programs running as normal, until the wireless connection is restored. Similarly, when a device moves between wireless connections, the software generates a virtual Internet address that stays with the computer rather than having a new address assigned by each hotspot or cell tower.

Such technology is becoming available just as industry is just starting to wake up to its potential. Surveys by O2 show teleworking in Ireland is reaching critical mass, with over 40% of people admitting they work remotely for at least some of the time. Zetes sees huge potential within the public sector and healthcare fields as providers scramble to deliver on long-promised service and productivity improvements. So the reseller will be recommending NetMotion’s mobile VPN to customers seeking solid performance from their wireless applications, particularly those running on wireless WANs. Watch this space!

* By Barry Long, sales manager for Zetes Ireland, the auto ID and mobile solution specialists. Zetes is Ireland’s sole reseller of NetMotion Wireless products. More info: blong@ie.zetes.com

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