Volume 2, Issue 1
Anatomy of a Wireless Project
As you dust off last year's wireless wish list we thought we'd share a few useful
from-the-trenches tips customers have shared with us. At this point everyone agrees they'll be using desktop applications in the field soon if they
aren't already. But what stands between where you are now and that grab-the-brass-ring project you envision? To guarantee your answer is "nothing" heed this advice:
- "Ask your users what they need." There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all wireless application and no project succeeds in a vacuum. The single greatest reason wireless projects fail is because users can't control their applications - so they stop using them.
- "Understand the business benefits. You'll be asked about them a lot." Will your organization reduce mean time to resolution? Improve customer service? Improve SLA hit rates? You'll save yourself headaches by building a business case first.
- "Support the devices your team already uses." Nobody wants to build a wireless money pit. Your project costs will be significantly lower if you start with devices you already have. If your project is successful, you'll have the political support you need to upgrade.
- "Talk to your security team early." You're not doing anything out of the ordinary but it won't seem that way to the security police. Use these words and you'll fare better: "wireless VPN," "SSL," "triple DES encryption." If all else fails, start with devices that sync and ease into real-time.
- "Plan for growth." When it rains it pours. If your techs like it so will their managers. And so will their managers' managers. Plan ahead.
Start small but start somewhere. There's a wireless world out there that's every bit as liberating as the stuff you see in commercials. Except without Catherine Zeta-Jones and those monkeys with colds.
Aeroprise Index of Wireless Activity
The Aeroprise IOWA remained unchanged in January, up an insignificant 0.24% to 123.49. If industry pundits are to be believed, it's idling in preparation for a mid-year joy ride. The January increase is almost entirely attributable to the rumored acquisition of AT&T Wireless by Cingular. Perhaps the much-anticipated Super Bowl wireless ad flurry will spark an IOWA surge in February.
Aeroprise in the News
Aeroprise identified as company to watch in Mobile Trax 2004 Predictions in Mobile and Wireless
Mobile IT: Market Analysis
2004 a defining year for wireless data: "Look at fax, or France’s Minitel, or the Internet, or SMS. These are all examples of new telecoms applications that grew explosively because there was a critical mass of terminals in place. What’s happening right now is that we are building two major new populations of wireless data terminals..."
Tip of the Month: Do It Yourself!
You know device profiles determine how Aeroprise creates applications for different devices. You also know display styles determine how your wireless app is formatted. So what if you don't like what you see on your device? Maybe you need to switch your orientation from portrait to landscape or maybe you just want to add your company's logo to your login page. Here's what you do:
From your Administration Console click "Create Display Style." Pick a name for your style, type a description, and off you go. Next, pick the page you want to modify then pick the device you want your changes to affect. When you save your changes log in from a user account and device that uses the style you modified and you'll see your changes.
Trivia Question: Alphabet Soup
Question: What does "GPRS", the popular wireless data access protocol, stand for?
(a) General Phone Relay Service (b) General Packet Radio Service (c) Generic Phone Replication Scheme (d) Gentle People Rarely Swear
[answer in next month's newsletter]
Last month's question: What percentage of cellular revenue did wireless data account for in Japan in 2003?
(a) 2% (b) 7% (c) 19% (d) 37% (e) 87%
Last month's answer: (c) 19% of cellular revenue came from wireless data in Japan in 2003. That rate is expected to increase to 25% next year. By comparison, mobile data accounted for 3% of North American cellular revenue in 2003 and it's forecasted to triple to 9% by 2005.
Resources
Aeroprise Newsletter Archives
Mobilizing Your Applications: A Primer
Aeroprise online demo
Aeroprise customer case study
Aeroprise Partner Portal
Questions
o: (650)404-1188
f: (650)404-1185
information@aeroprise.com
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