S E L ECT
VOL 02 | ISSUE 11 APRIL 2010 | RS. 50 A 9.9 MEDIA PUBLICATION
S E R IES
ENTERPRISE
MOBILITY
SPECIAL At a time when executives are more mobile than ever, a whole realm of opportunities exists before vendors and solution providers
Profit without Wires
Wi-Fi provides tremendous opportunities to partners PAGE 14
Empowerment on the Go Mobile SFA brings tangible ROI to businesses investing in it PAGE 17
Raring to Go Mobile
Small and medium companies are on the cusp of a mobility surge PAGE 19
Making Mobility Work A sanjay.gupta@9dot9.in
There’s huge potential for solution providers to tap into the mobility market – if they are able to overcome some basic hindrances
lot of people get flummoxed when you ask them about enterprise mobility. “Enterprise mobility? What animal is that?” they utter, knitting their brows in a complicated pattern. At the same time, there’s no dearth of those who are absolutely confident that the whole world out there uses a smartphone such as a BlackBerry, an iPhone or a China-made-local-branded Qwerty. And they aver that their companies, their Facebook friends’ organisations and all others who deal with them are mobile enterprises. As far as India is concerned, the truth lies somewhere in between. For the past few years, telcos have pushed trendy smartphones into the palms of the wealthy – many of which happen to be executives working in enterprises. Within this limited universe, those who extensively use the devices are even fewer and mainly do so to access e-mail. And apps like CRM, sales force automation and industry-specific solutions remain in the low-usage category. Overall, the enterprise mobility pie in India, if a Frost & Sullivan study is to be believed, was a mere Rs346 crore in 2008-09. Assuming a 30% growth, this would have reached about Rs450 crore in 200910 – still miniscule in the overall scheme of things. But most agree that there’s huge potential for solution providers to tap into this market – if they are able to overcome some basic hindrances.
One of the basic challenges is the high cost of handsets. There are two ways in which some companies are tackling this – by giving out netbooks to middle and junior staff, and by making the most of SMS solutions. But these are only forced measures and do not always yield the best results. Other issues that come in the way of enterprise mobility adoption relate to security, mindset and preparation. Despite vendors’ claims that advanced solutions are very secure, businesses remain sceptical. Also, a majority of companies seem to have a mental block in empowering their employees on the go. And many are ill-prepared to conform to the more exacting policy standards that an effective mobility solution demands of them. With India emerging as one of the fastest-growing mobile markets in the world, it’s high time solution providers got into overdrive to make enterprise mobility work. Why should only the telcos and handset guys make money?
SANJAY GUPTA Editor Digit Channel Connect
sounding board sounding board S E L ECT
VOL 02 | ISSUE 11 APRIL 2010 | RS. 50 A 9.9 MEDIA PUBLICATION
n
As per a Forrester report on enterprise mobility, having a wellmobilized workforce can save an organisation up to 40% of its valuable man hours, and can result in a consolidated increase in the overall efficiency of employees.
n
Chetan Timbadia, Director, DC Infotech, Mumbai: “Today, most users want to be connected even while they are on the move. Though initially there were some issues with wireless because of security limitations, but today, many loopholes have been fixed and enterprises are increasingly adopting the Wi-Fi way.”
n
Indraneel Fuke, Director - Strategy and Management, Bhea Knowledge Technologies: “Mobile SFA has significant utility in the micro finance industry, where the agents frequently travel to remote villages to “bank the unbanked” and do not have traditional internet connectivity for extended periods of time. Similarly, there is good potential in the pharma industry.”
S E R I E S
ENTERPRISE
MOBILITY
SPECIAL At a time when executives are more mobile than ever, a whole realm of opportunities exists before vendors and solution providers
Profit without Wires
Wi-Fi provides tremendous opportunities to partners PAGE 14
Empowerment on the Go Mobile SFA brings tangible ROI to businesses investing in it PAGE 17
Raring to Go Mobile
Small and medium companies are on the cusp of a mobility surge PAGE 19
Write to the Editor E-mail: editor@digitchannelconnect.com Snail Mail: The Editor, Digit Channel Connect, K-40, Connaught Circus, New Delhi 110 001
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
2
APRIL 2010
contents
S E L ECT
VOL 02 | ISSUE 11 APRIL 2010 | RS. 50 A 9.9 MEDIA PUBLICATION
S E R I E S VOL 02 ISSUE 11 | APRIL 2010
ENTERPRISE
Managing Director: Dr Pramath Raj Sinha Printer & Publisher: Kanak Ghosh
MOBILITY
EDITORIAL Editor: Sanjay Gupta Copy Editor: Akshay Kapoor Sr. Correspondents: Charu Khera (Delhi), Soma Tah (Mumbai)
SPECIAL
DESIGN Sr. Creative Director: Jayan K Narayanan Art Director: Binesh Sreedharan Associate Art Director: Anil VK Manager Design: Chander Shekhar Sr. Visualisers: PC Anoop, Santosh Kushwaha Sr. Designers: Prasanth TR & Anil T Photographer: Jiten Gandhi
At a time when executives are more mobile than ever, a whole realm of opportunities exists before vendors and solution providers
BRAND COMMUNICATION Product Manager: Ankur Agarwal SALES & MARKETING VP Sales & Marketing: Navin Chand Singh National Manager - Events and Special Projects: Mahantesh Godi (09880436623) Business Manager (Engagement Platforms) Arvind Ambo (09819904050) National Manager - Channels: Krishnadas Kurup (09322971866) Asst. Brand Manager: Arpita Ganguli Co-ordinator - MIS & Scheduling: Aatish Mohite Bangalore & Chennai: Vinodh K (09740714817) Delhi: Pranav Saran (09312685289) Kolkata: Jayanta Bhattacharya (09331829284) Mumbai: Sachin Mhashilkar (09920348755)
10
RARING TO GO MOBILE
UNWIRE FOR GROWTH
Enterprise mobility significantly boosts an organisation’s efficiency Profit without Wires Wi-Fi provideswhile tremendous and productivity offering PAGE 14 opportunities immense flexibilitytotopartners the employees on any device any time
Enterprise mobility is showing a lot of promise – but it is yet to turn into a reality for most SMBs
Empowerment on the Go
Mobile SFA brings tangible ROI to DO PAGE 17 businesses investing in it“WE
PROFIT WITHOUT WIRES
14
EMPOWERMENT ON THE GO
Accessibility of SFA on handhelds not only makes the best use of the application but it also provides tangible ROI to businesses investing in it
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
4
Raring to Go Mobile
Small and medium companies are on
26
NOTthePLAN cusp ofTO a mobility surge PAGE 19 COMPETE WITH FACEBOOK AND TWITTER”
Wi-Fi provides tremendous opportunities to all sorts of solution providers for hooking up with profits. No strings attached
17
19
PRODUCTION & LOGISTICS Sr. GM Operations: Shivshankar M Hiremath Production Executive: Vilas Mhatre Logistics: MP Singh, Mohd. Ansari, Shashi Shekhar Singh CHANNEL CHAMPS Sr Co-ordinator - Events: Rakesh Sequeira Events Executives: Pramod Jadhav, Johnson Noronha Audience Dev. Executive: Aparna Bobhate, Shilpa Surve OFFICE ADDRESS
SATYA KALYAN YERRAMSETTI, FOUNDER AND CEO, SMS COUNTRY
OTHERS EDITORIAL.......................................................... 02 TRENDS.............................................................. 05 WIRELESS SECURITY.......................................... 12 ON THE MOVE.................................................... 21 CREATING THE WIRELESS ENTERPRISE.............. 22 MOBILITY DIRECTIONS...................................... 23 EFFICIENCY WITH MOBILE APPS........................ 24 TELECOMMUTING.............................................. 25 MOBILITY TRENDS............................................. 27 MOBILE APPS..................................................... 28
advertisers index K7 Computing....................................... Inside Front Cover
Nine Dot Nine Interactive Pvt Ltd., KPT House, Plot 41/13, Sector 30, Vashi, Navi Mumbai - 400 703 Phone: 40789666 Fax: 022-40789540, 022-40789640 Printed and published by Kanak Ghosh for Nine Dot Nine Interactive Pvt Ltd. C/O KPT House, Plot 41/13, Sector 30, Vashi (Near Sanpada Railway Station), Navi Mumbai 400703 Editor: Anuradha Das Mathur C/O KPT House, Plot 41/13, Sector 30, Vashi (Near Sanpada Railway Station), Navi Mumbai 400703 Printed at Silverpoint Press Pvt. Ltd, TTC Ind. Area, Plot No. : A - 403, MIDC, Mahape, Navi Mumbai - 400709
EMC................................................................Back Cover Kingston................................................Inside Back Cover Digilink...........................................................................1
APRIL 2010
COVER DESIGN: PRASHANTH T R
S E L E C T
trends
S E R I E S
Global PC shipments up 27% in Q1 2010: Gartner
P
reliminary results by Gartner have indicated that worldwide PC shipments totalled 84.3 million units in the first quarter of 2010, which is a 27.4 % increase from the first quarter of 2009. These first quarter results have exceeded Gartner’s earlier market outlook, as it had been expecting the PC shipments to grow 22 %. “The stronger-than-expected growth was led by a robust recovery in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) PC market, which grew 24.8 % in the first quarter of 2010,” said Mikako Kitagawa, Principal Analyst at Gartner. “All other regions recorded doubledigit growth rates, although U.S. and Latin America were slightly lower than what we had expected,” she added. HP continued to be the leader in worldwide PC shipments, but its growth was below the worldwide average in the first quarter of 2010. It faced continued pressure from its Asian rivals that are gaining share. While Acer had strong shipment growth across all regions, Dell achieved year-over-year growth above 20% for the first time in two years. Its growth was attributed to strong international sales. In the U.S., PC shipments totalled 17.4 million units in the first quarter of 2010, which is a 20.2% increase from the first quarter of 2009. HP maintained the top position in the U.S. market, but its growth was below the market average. Dell retained the No. 2 position in the U.S. market, but continued to face challenges in the consumer market. Toshiba’s
shipments grew 50% in the U.S. market, as it became more competitive with pricing and promotions. Apple created major attention with its media tablet, the iPad, which launched in April. Early estimates showed that Apple grew 34% in the U.S. market. In the first quarter of 2010, PC shipments in EMEA totalled 27.1 million units, a 24.8% increase from the first quarter last year. The first quarter volume was the biggest on record. The EMEA market was boosted by exceptional mobile consumer market demand, which continues to grow unabated. In Asia/Pacific, PC shipments reached 26.5 million units, a 36.9% increase from the first quarter of 2009. PC shipments in China grew 45.4%. The PC market in Latin America grew 35.4%, with shipments reaching 7.2 million units in the first quarter of 2010. In Japan, PC shipments totalled 4.3 million units in the first quarter of 2010, a 14.7% increase from the same period last year.
Worldwide IT spending In another announcement, Gartner said that worldwide IT spending is forecast to reach $3.4 trillion in 2010, a 5.3% increase from IT spending of $3.2 trillion in 2009. The IT industry will continue to show steady growth, with IT spending in 2011 projected to surpass $3.5 trillion, a 4.2% increase from 2010. Worldwide computing hardware spending is forecast to reach $353 billion in 2010, a 5.7% increase from 2009. Worldwide software spend-
ing is expected to total $232 billion in 2010, a 5.1% increase from last year. Gartner analysts said the impact of the recession on the software industry was tempered and not as dramatic as other IT markets. In 2010, the majority of enterprise software markets will see positive growth. The hottest software segments through 2014 include virtualisation, security, data integration/data quality and business intelligence. The applications market, which includes personal productivity and packaged enterprise applications, has some of the fastest-growth segments. Web conferencing, team collaboration and enterprise content management are forecast to have double-digit compound annual growth rates (CAGR), in the face of growing competition surrounding social networking and content. The worldwide IT services industry is forecast to have a spending reach of $821 billion in 2010, up 5.7% from 2009. The industry experienced some growth in reported outsourcing revenue at the close of 2009, an encouraging sign for service providers, which Gartner analysts believe will spread to consulting and system integration in 2010. Worldwide telecom spending is on pace to total close to $2 trillion in 2010, a 5.1% increase from 2009. Between 2010 and 2014, the mobile device share of the telecom market is expected to increase from 11% to 14%, while the service share drops from 80% to 77% and the infrastructure share remains stable at 9% of the total market. n
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q10 (Thousands of Units) Company
1Q10 Shipments
1Q10 Market Share (%)
1Q09 Shipments
1Q09 Market Share (%)
HP
1Q09-1Q10 Growth (%)
15,319
18.2
12,773
19.3
19.9
Acer
12,003
14.2
7,779
11.7
54.3
Dell
10,209
12.1
8,406
12.7
21.4
Lenovo
6,977
8.3
4,384
6.6
59.2
ASUS
4,647
5.5
2,164
3.3
114.8
Toshiba
4,623
5.5
3,404
5.1
35.8
Others
30,565
36.2
27,309
41.2
11.9
Total
84,344
100.0
66,220
100.0
27.4
Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs. Source: Gartner (April 2010)
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
5
APRIL 2010
trends
S E L E C T
Nasscom, NMCC release report on ICT adoption in manufacturing
N
asscom and National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) recently released a report titled ‘A Roadmap of ICT adoption in the Indian manufacturing sector’. The objective of this report is to identify the current stage of ICT (information and communication technologies) adoption in the manufacturing sector, especially in the micro, small and medium-size enterprises, and the factors hindering the adoption of ICT. It identifies shared responsibilities between the government, technology companies, industry associations, academia, and the manufacturing firms for enhancing ICT adoption. The key recommendation and action plans in the report, across each of the ICT enabling levers include capturing and documenting the existing business processes at the cluster level to enable mass adoption of ICT, development of human capital skills, developing innovative commercial and delivery models of ICT procurement and implementation, and, developing the ecosystem of local IT service providers. According to Som Mittal, President, NASSCOM, “ICT could be the transformational catalyst to accelerate the growth and make the industry globally competitive. This can only be enabled through sustained and multi stakeholder efforts across each of five levers of building readiness, affordability, availability, usage and awareness. The report recommends to have shared responsibilities between the government, technology companies, associations, academia and the manufacturing firms.” n
HP completes acquisition of 3Com
H
P recently announced the completion of its acquisition of 3Com Corporation at a price of $7.90 per share in cash or an enterprise value of approximately $2.7 billion. Combined with HP’s global reach, the expanded portfolio solidifies HP’s converged infrastructure strategy, which is built on the integration of servers, storage, networking, management, facilities and services. With this integration, customers will be able to simplify their networks, deploy an edge-to-core network fabric for the enterprise and improve IT service delivery capabilities. The acquisition of 3Com expands HP’s Ethernet switching offerings, adds routing solutions and significantly strengthens the company’s position in China. 3Com also brings to HP network security capabilities through its TippingPoint portfolio. As per HP, it aims to deliver one of the broadest network technology capabilities in the market to meet customer needs. Further details on product integration will be announced at a later date. n
A-DATA Lenovo India releases USB 3.0 announces changes portable hard in leadership team drive
L
enovo India has announced changes in its executive management team, in a move to strengthen the organisation and build on the growth it has achieved over the last couple of quarters. Rahul Agarwal, who has been the head of Lenovo’s Global Marketing Communications & Services, takes over as Executive Director, Key Account Business (KAB), Lenovo India. Prior to Lenovo, he managed the commercial desktops business at IBM. Rajesh Lakhani joins the company as Head, Services Support, Lenovo India. He will be responsible for service delivery operations, parts management and service sales. “I am confident the new team will help steer Lenovo towards its business goals,” said Amar Babu, Managing Director, Lenovo India. n
AVG fortifies its cybercrime research labs
A
VG Technologies has announced that it has fortified its AVG Virus Research Labs team to help fight cybercrime worldwide. The company recently appointed security industry veteran Yuval Ben-Itzhak as Senior Vice President of engineering, as well as added two more researchers to assist in detecting trends and prevent-
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
6
ing exploits. The firm’s LinkScanner technology helps to detect exploit trends in real-time and report back data, which is in turn licensed by top security software companies to update their products. The fortification will enable the Virus Research Lab in aiding companies to detect and prevent online bank fraud, consumer phishing
APRIL 2010
S E R I E S
schemes, identity theft scams and many other cybercrime activities. A c c o r d i n g t o Roge r Thompson, Chief Research Officer, AVG Technologies, “The AVG Virus Research Lab is the cornerstone of our operations, working at the front lines to hunt down the bad guys and protect our customers from their malicious schemes.” n
A
-DATA Technology has announced the shipment of NH01, a 2.5-inch portable hard drive equipped with USB 3.0 interface, following its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January this year. It is designed to deliver data transfer rates up to 88Mbps in read and 81Mbps in write overall. The users of NH01 will be able to use the USB 3.0 interface to save up to 70% on file transfer time compared to the preceding USB 2.0. For example, the device will enable a typical 24GB Blu-ray movie to be transferred in just 4.6 minutes as opposed to 14.6 minutes via a conventional USB 2.0 interface. USB 3.0 will also provide improved interaction between device and host computer to deliver enhanced energy efficiency compared to its predecessor. n
S E L E C T
trends
S E R I E S
Autodesk signs Redington as value added distie
Microsoft launches Visual Studio 2010, .NET Framework 4
A
M
utodesk has appointed Redington India Limited, an integrated supply chain solution provider, as its Value Added Distributor (VAD) for India. Under this agreement, Redington will distribute Autodesk’s design software solutions through a network of Autodesk Value Added Resellers (VARs) across the country. The association is part of PS Neogi Autodesk’s endeavour to expand the channel partner ecosystem in India. Commenting on this association, Ajay Bagepalli, Director – Channels and Business Development, Autodesk India & SAARC, said, “As we continue to expand our VAR network to address new markets and new territories, it is critical that this expansion is supported by a distribution framework that enhances the operational efficiencies across the supply chain. The addition of Redington to our existing VAD family is a significant step in this direction”. According to P S Neogi, President - Redington India, “This partnership with Autodesk will enable us to leverage Autodesk’s software and solutions offerings to diversify our portfolio of products for the channel community.” n
icrosoft has unveiled Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 in India at the technology conclave, TechED India 2010. The company also announced that Silverlight 4 will Release To Web (RTW) later. As per the company, these technologies will simplify the entire development process, enabling developers to target new platforms and build high-quality applications. Among new features introduced in Visual Studio 2010, a novel tool is the IntelliTrace, which makes non-reproducible bugs non-existent, by recording the application’s execution history and providing reproduction of the
reported bug, enabling the tester to help squash the bug once and for all. “The enhanced testing features in Visual Studio 2010 automate the majority of common tasks and streamline the flow of information across our team,” said Steve Schlonski, Vice President, Xerox Global Services, Global Te c h n o l o g y a n d O f f e r i n g Development. .NET Framework 4 adds extra support for industry standards, more language choice, new support for high-performance middle-tier applications including parallel programming, and side-by-side installation with .NET Framework 3.5. n
Verizon enhances on-demand cloud computing solution
V
erizon has enhanced its on-demand, global cloud computing solution – Verizon Computing as a Service, or CaaS. The enhancements provide business customers with better control and flexibility over their computing environments. The new features that Verizon has recently added to CaaS are server cloning, application and
operating system expansion, and, expanded networking facility. Server cloning provides IT administrators with the option to customise the configuration of a CaaS virtual server and then create a golden, or reference, server image. This eliminates the need to manually create the same server image multiple times and enables the rapid
SMC Networks enhances router features
S
MC Networks has enhanced the features of its Barricade N Broadband Router (SMCWBR14S-N4), which offers high speed internet connection that will enable Small Office Home Office (SOHO) users to enjoy an uninterrupted network connection through wired and wireless. This multi-functional broadband router combines a 4-port 10/100Mbps LAN switch and a high speed Wireless-N access point. Also, it supports the latest WPA and WPA2 wireless encryption standards, which prevent unauthorised access to wireless networks. n CORRIGENDUM On page 27 of Digit Channet Connect Vol.2 Issue 10, the name of Hemen Goswami from Infogain was wrongly spelt as PK Hemen Goswami. The error is regretted.
deployment of server clones supporting the same corporate application. As for the feature of application and operating system expansion is concerned, the SUSE Linux operating system is now supported on the Verizon CaaS platform as a standard service offering. Also, Linux software is used with commonly
Compuage ties up with Jetway
C
ompuage Infocom has announced a tie-up with Taiwan-based motherboard giant Jetway Information to distribute the latter’s products. mainly in the southern and western regions of the Indian IT market. Compuage will dedicate a team
deployed enterprise resource planning packages. With the expanded networking facility feature, enterprises now have expanded and streamlined networking options – virtual router and shared virtual private networks, including Verizon Private IP – for connecting back-end systems to Verizon CaaS via the online portal. n of professionals for the Jetway business and intends to penetrate the two regions with its evergrowing basket of products. At a time when the motherboard market is already flooded with several brands, the duo aims to “revamp” this segment. Jetway is one of the world’s leading motherboard makers, with strategic alliances with all major global processor giants and chipset manufacturers. Last year, Compuage entered into eight distribution tie-ups with various manufacturers for different product categories. n
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
7
APRIL 2010
trends
S E L E C T
S E R I E S
Hitachi launches external storage solutions
RSA service to help fight cybercrime
H
R
i t a c h i G l o b a l S t o rage Technologies (Hitachi GST) recently unveiled its external storage solutions for India. The new Hitachi branded products include the SimpleTOUGH portable USB drive, which is water and shock-resistant, and the Hitachi X Series that features the Hitachi XL Desktop Drive and Hitachi Mobile Drive. As per the company, it is best suited for people on the move, prosumers as well as Small Office/ Home Office (SOHO) users. The SimpleTOUGH and Hitachi X Series of external hard drives provide easy add-on storage and effortless backup and restore capabilities, making it easier for users to manage and help protect content. The Hitachi XL Desktop Drive has up to 2TB capacity and a plug-
and-play design. It gives both Mac and PC users the capacity to store or backup 660,000 photos, 500,000 MP3s or 153 hours of digital video. The Hitachi X Mobile Drive is costoptimised and comes in two models/ capacities: Hitachi X500 Mobile Drive (500GB) and Hitachi X320 Mobile Drive (320GB). n
SA, the security division of EMC, has announced the new RSA CyberCrime Intelligence Service, which is designed to help organisations identify computers, information assets and identities compromised by Trojans and other online attacks. It can help IT professionals further understand and isolate possible points of exposure within their enterprise environments, so they can adjust security controls and close gaps to better protect their organisations against the theft of corporate resources by fraudsters. The RSA CyberCrime Intelligence Service is designed to identify a subscribing organisation’s compromised computers and user credentials, including those that are leveraged via remote access. It is engineered to provide information to security professionals to adjust policies and controls to prevent the loss of data due to malware and careless employee activities. As per the company, security managers can use the information and analysis provided by the service to react to and remediate potential data exposures, employee identity theft, as well as infected corporate resources. The new service, offered as an outsourced, managed service, will be available worldwide by May 1, 2010. n
Gigabyte intros Strontium launches solid state drives motherboard that can recharge iPad
S
G
i gaby t e Te c h n o l o g y h a s announced its full range of Intel chipset-based X58, P55, H55, H57, as well as current and upcoming AMD 800 chipset series motherboards, which all allow charging of Apple’s iPad. Recent industry and news reports indicate that USB ports on most Windows PCs are unable to provide enough power to charge the new iPad while the device is in operation, due to differences between motherboard USB power output and the device’s charging specifications. Gigabyte’s USB power design is able to deliver extra power for devices that require more than the 500mA delivered from a traditional USB port. With a simple On/Off charge driver update, Gigabyte motherboard users would be able to take full advantage of USB charging of their iPad, giving them more options and convenience when recharging their new device. n
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
8
APRIL 2010
trontium, a company that develops high performance computers and flash memory products, has announced the launch of its new 2.5-inch Swift Solid State Drive (SSD) series, which is equipped with Serial ATA II interface. The new drives use less power, have reduced heat dissipation, are lightweight and more rugged. They also offer fast read/write speeds and high capacities, making them useful for read-intensive applications
requiring high performance and greater reliability. “We are confident that our customers will appreciate the
delivery of extraordinary transfer speeds of up to 236MB/s read and 160MB/s write to guarantee ultraspeed throughput, regardless of file size or type,” said Ajay Kogta, Country Manager, Indian Subcontinent, Strontium Technology. Strontium Swift SSDs are currently available in 64 GB (Rs9,500) and 128GB (Rs14,900) capacities, with a three-year warranty through Strontium channel partners across India. n
Siemens appoints Chris Hummel as CMO
S
iemens Enterprise Communications has appointed Chris Hummel as the company’s new chief marketing officer, who will serve as a member of the senior executive team. He will be responsible for the strategy, structure and execution of the company’s marketing activities globally. Hummel joins the company from SAP, where he last served as executive vice president of global field marketing. Before SAP, Hummel spent 13 years at Oracle Corporation in a number of senior sales and
marketing roles around the world. “Siemens Enterprise Communications has long been advocating a software-based approach to voice, networking and unified communications, and Chris’ deep software industry expertise, as well as his ability to translate technology messages into clear business value, will further assert our leadership position in the market,” according to Hamid Akhavan, CEO for Siemens Enterprise Communications. n
S E L E C T
trends
S E R I E S
Symantec launches protection suites for enterprises
Oracle launches CRM On Demand Release 17
O
S
ymantec has introduced its new protection suites, which will unify information security management across endpoints, gateways and servers, and deliver targeted protection for enterprises. As per the company, these new solutions are aimed to alleviate challenges of security administrators and bring in simplicity and protection across the enterprise infrastructure. The foundation of each of the new protection suites will be Symantec Protection Center, a single sign-on Web console that provides administrators full access to configuration management, report generation and dashboard views of the multiple Symantec protection technologies relevant to each suite. It will provide consolidated access to threat, security and operational dashboards and reporting. “Protection Center’s consolidated access to security infrastructure management and reporting, along with the drag and drop workflow capabilities, will allow our clients to tightly integrate the solution into their environments,” according to Wade Wyant, President at ITS Partners. n
Infosys to manage Microsoft’s internal IT services
rcale has launched its latest Software as a Service (SaaS) - Oracle CRM On Demand (OD) Release 17 - in India, which will help customers leverage its forecasting and analytics capabilities to gain more actionable insight and increase productivity. The new forecasting capabilities include flexible fiscal calendars for more productive business operations, ability to perform both revenue and product quantity forecasting, and real-time information comparisons against current and historical forecasts for proactive pipeline management. The solution introduces usability enhancements and a newly redesigned user interface that enables sales teams to resize to their preference, quickly navigate to relevant information with the new head-up display, better manage lists, and customise field labels in Oracle mobile sales assistant. It maximises pipeline management with automated timebased workflows to manage sales, marketing, service and channels, while enabling accelerated time-to-value and accurate and timely updates. CRM OD also helps to reduce administration time through automated migration and data loader tools, including Oracle Migration Tool On Demand, to migrate customisations from one environment to another and the Oracle Data Loader On Demand to create, update and delete massive data volumes. CRM OD R17 starts from Rs3,270 per user per month, and includes sales, service, and marketing functionality, along with a reporting and analytics solution. n
Kingston launches Value RAM Server Premier Memory
I
nfosys has announced that it will now manage the internal IT services for Microsoft worldwide. As per the agreement, Infosys will provide Microsoft with IT help desk, desk-side services, and infrastructure and application support from multiple global centers. It will manage Microsoft’s internal IT services for applications, devices, and databases in 450 locations across104 countries. “Infosys will deliver this engagement in an outcome based pricing model, enabling Microsoft to associate and manage IT costs directly to business variables and demand,” said Sanjay Jalona, Vice President and Head, Manufacturing North America, Infosys. According to Jim DuBois, General Manager of Service Management, Microsoft Corporation, “The fully integrated solution developed by Infosys, combined with process compliance, a robust tool platform and the creation of a service excellence office will help us enhance how we deliver end-user computing services to our internal employees and partners, while leveraging the innovation and investments we make in developing new technologies.” n
K
ingston Technology has launched ValueRAM Server Premier Memory, a product line that is made specifically for mission-critical server systems that require maximum uptime and reliability. According to Ann Bai, DRAM Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston, “For high-end systems that constantly process huge amounts of data under non-stop operating conditions, the compatible memory can prevent instability and have become increasingly important in hardware design. Kingston’s ValueRAM Server Premier Memory allows IT managers or system administrators to find the memory module they needed accordingly, ensuring the best system performance and stability. n
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
9
APRIL 2010
mobility overview
O Unwire for Growth
ver the last few year s, mobile devices have rapidly and deeply penetrated enter prises at the root level, thanks to their immense value as corporate productivity tools. The competitive business landscape has further prompted enterprises to take strategic initiatives in making their workforce mobile. Today, there is no dearth of functional devices in various form factors that can handle both voice and data applications. Apart from notebooks that are getting more and more affordable, a host of handheld devices are there to serve as key enablers of mobility. A study by Frost & Sullivan says the enterprise mobility market in India clocked revenue of over Rs 346 crore in FY2008-09, and is estimated to reach Rs 1,881 crore in FY 2015-16.
Challenges for IT managers
Enterprise mobility significantly boosts an organisation’s efficiency and productivity while offering immense flexibility to the employees on any device any time DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
10
APRIL 2010
Indeed, enterprise mobility has freed employees from the inflexibility of a wired desk. However, this new-found freedom has introduced a number of new challenges for the IT manager. These challenges are getting multiplied with the growing adoption of wireless in the organisation. While wireless was considered to be an overlay network in the past, enterprises are now using it more and more as a mainstream medium, given that it is quicker to deploy and promises lower overall Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) than a wired network. However, enterprise mobility is much more than the mere adoption of wireless networks, PDAs, notebooks and other such devices. It is about a number of applications being enabled over the mobile devices. This brings in the associated challenges of porting the enterprise-wide applications to mobile devices and also integrating new mobile applications with the enterprise network. Mobile enablement of business applications such as Sales Force Automation (SFA), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Supply Chain Management (SCM) offer immense benefits for enterprises. For attaining these efficiencies, effective collaboration between the handset manufacturers and application providers is also very crucial.
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL An aspect of enterprise mobility is also to connect and integrate employees’ mobile device to the corporate PBX. This brings in the benefit of a single number and voicemail box for the mobile employee, apart from access to richer PBX-based features as well as features available on the mobile device. Again, this gives rise to integration requirements and related issues, which need to be addressed at the IT manager’s end.
Security issues As enter prise mobility makes extensive use of wireless networks, the boundaries are often very porous in nature. This potentially introduces new vulnerabilities in the enterprise network, which in turn means that security threats rise manifold. Therefore, addressing security issues becomes an integral part of an enterprise mobility deployment. Safeguards should also be put in place to monitor and protect mobile assets throughout their lifecycles. These measures must take a strategic view of IT and security. Ideally, relevant and adequate changes should be made at the security policy level
to effectively address security issues related to enterprise mobility. Besides having policies for strong encryption and inbuilt password protection, the devices should be managed from a central console, so that maintenance and support activities can be carried out without physically bringing the devices back to the premises. It is also important to ensure that the choice of mobile devices is such that the enterprise mobility landscape doesn’t become too heterogeneous. In the total absence of standards, it becomes really challenging for an IT manager to provide the required level of support. It will be ideal to go for a single type of device, at least for common business objectives. If that is not achievable, specific compatibility parameters and operating systems must be specified and adhered to. Also, employees should be trained well on safe usage of the devices. They should be told which precautions are to be taken in case the device gets lost or stolen. Basic security measures such as changing passwords regularly, exercising caution about posting or submitting confidential data,
ACCORDING TO SYMANTEC, WITH MORE AND MORE PEOPLE GOING ONLINE AND SOCIAL NETWORKING BECOMING PERVASIVE, CYBER CRIME NOW GENERATES MORE MONEY THAN DRUG TRAFFICKING.
feature and not doing an auto-save for passwords will go a long way in ensuring that the mobile devices are not easy entry points for security attacks on the enterprise network. A provision in the security policy should ensure that sensitive documents that can embarrass or negatively affect the image and reputation of the organisation are not stored on mobile devices. Digital Rights Management (DRM) should be applied to prevent data to be synchronised or transmitted by undue means, so as to block any malicious or careless breach. In spite of all the precautions, it must be noted that whatever encryption method is used, the device is at risk anytime it leaves a secured perimeter. Therefore, any mobile platform must be viewed as always unsecured and treated as a vector for major loss. Such a view will help put up an effective quarantining process in case of a breach or a threat.
What’s in store? While RIM continues to dominate the market in e-mail access solutions, companies like Unisys and Tech
Strategic Recommendations Understand the business case for your enterprise: A vital undertaking in deployment of mobile data is development of a business case. Often, the process of developing the business case serves as a means of refining the deployment, ensuring that its implementation is optimised. Do scenario planning: Often, the IT managers are more focused on solving existing problems. There is hardly any discussion on long-term needs and requirements. To ensure that there are no surprises instigated by fluctuating markets and events, one must consider various realistic scenarios while developing a mobile enterprise strategy. Consider mobile project as an IT project: Enterprises should regard mobile data akin to an IT project, rather than a communications deployment. This implies that companies deploying mobile data today need to work with a variety of companies. It is unlikely that dialogue with a mobile operator alone (as is the case for the purchase of mobile voice) will suffice. The likely option for a onestop approach would be to work via a systems integrator. Proactively move the enterprise beyond mobile access: Majority of enterprises that have deployed mobile data so far have primarily gone for “mobile access” solutions. The approach taken has been to provide mobile connectivity to e-mail. This barely scrapes the surface of the ROI potential from mobile applications. In this context, mobile connectivity provides less value per user. Look for vendors with wide-range device support: There are thousands of new devices coming into the market every year and it is foolish to design an app for a particular handset or even an OS. Instead, IT managers should quiz vendors on their device and OS support and how their transcoding engines are going to be future-proof. Look for vendors with multiple app offerings: By looking for one integration platform, you will reduce the number of integration functions required, thus cutting costs and time to market. Besides, vendors who work closely with carriers and device manufacturers can give you one point person to deal with your entire mobile solution needs and can get you a better-packaged deal on these solutions. Keep your TCO low: It is a useful exercise to develop financial models for expense and growth to see what solutions or a group of solutions will work best while addressing the various pain points of the business process and it is necessary to tackle them right up front while leaving flexibility for future changes. Adapted from ‘Enterprise Mobility: Mapping your Strategy’ by Chetan Sharma Consulting
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
11
APRIL 2010
mobility overview Planning for Enterprise Mobility • What are the best practises for implementing a costeffective mobility strategy? • What are the organisational and processes changes that will maximise benefits? • Have all risk management aspects such as programs, controls, policies and procedures have been thoroughly checked? • Is the infrastructure ready for deployment of enterprise mobility? • Have the cost issues related to infrastructure, enterprise servers and license fee been analysed? • Has due diligence been conducted in a rigorous manner? • Has proper training and education with respect to the associated risks of using devices been provided to employees and partners? Mahindra have offerings in the space of ERP, wireless data, CRM, Field Force Automation (FFA), sales force automation (SFA), and supply chain management (SCM). Motorola is also offering Wireless Network Solutions (WNS), aimed at providing customers with multivendor flexibility and seamless connectivity. The company is also expected to release a mix of eight new products and solutions over the next few weeks to cover the full spectrum of indoor WLAN, outdoor wireless mesh, pointto-multipoint, point-to-point networks and voice-over-WLAN solutions. n Editorial Coordination: Jatinder Singh Editorial Panel: Anurag Agarwal, Manager IT, BSES; Deepak Kumar, Manager IT, Triveni Infrastructure & Development; Pushkar Raj, Manager IT, Express Retail Services; Rakesh Mohan, Project Manager, Flytxt
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
12
APRIL 2010
UP IN THE AIR
With the enormous amounts of data we transmit on the air waves, how do we ensure it is secure?
L
ife unwired… the punch line of a major telecom giant in the international markets has started to mean everything for most of us. A necessity for all business and communication purposes, wireless systems are partaking our routine jobs. We have newer, faster, and more efficient technologies like WiMAX and software radios coming into presence, and aligned with them is the issue of security associated with wireless services. “With more and more people going online and social networking becoming pervasive, cyber crime now generates more money than drug trafficking”, says global cyber security solutions provider Symantec. So, even though wireless networks provide us added comforts of portability and flexibility, possible security breaches can happen specifically in cases when data is transferred over a medium as amorphous as air! One of the most common form of this are the “man in the middle” or MITM type of attacks. This refers to the condition when a hacker redirects the data being transferred from a source system, to a middle (hacker) system via spoofing, redirection or tunnelling, from where it is forwarded to the targeted destination systems. These attacks can be passive (where data is only copied without alterations via packet sniffing), or active (where data is tampered with before sending to the actual intended destination via malicious code injection) in nature. Other forms of security threats on wireless networks include: 1. Accidental association – where a wireless network user unknowingly connects to some overlapping wireless networks. An attacker can take advantage of this link created to
intrude into a system accessing some secured information. 2. Denial of Service attacks or DoS – In this type of attack, the attacker usually floods the airwaves and hence, the access points are not able to cope with the high volume of data being sent. This leads to a lot of disturbance and failure messages to the victim networks 3. Malicious association – This type of attack uses the same framework as the accidental association type of attacks, with the difference being that in this case, the hacker deliberately forms a connection by using malicious methods. 4. Caffe latte attacks – This is a method to defeat the WEP or the Wired Equivalency Protocol. In this type of attack, the attacker benefits from the shared key authentication and the message modification flaws in the 802.11 standards. These form of attacks put the confidentiality of the data at a major risk, especially in the cases where the data belongs to important clients of multinational corporates. “Cyber crime has surpassed drug trafficking as a criminal money-maker. Every three seconds, an identity is stolen worldwide,” says Symantec Consumer Business Unit VicePresident for Asia-Pacific, David Freer. Symantec’s data showed cyber criminals not only steal personal information such as identity, profile and credit card numbers, but also sell it to the highest bidder on the online black market. Then arrives the time when these multinational companies are ready to provide any amount of money or manhours for making their networks secure and ensure proper security and confi-
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
dentiality of the data associated with their clients. This is where companies like Cisco, IBM and Norton come into the picture to provide systems that are referred to as wireless internet security systems for protection of a client’s network. The amount of time that an organsation takes to respond to a security incident has a direct impact on the amount of time taken for damage control as well as the costs associated with it. Hence, it is very critical to plan well in advance what has to be done in case of an incident. There are certain best practices that can be followed like MAC ID filtering, static IP addressing, adhering to the 802.11 security standards, RF shielding etc. that reduce the risks associated with such malicious acts. The following are certain strategies and solutions provided by the network security solution providers:
IBM Internet Security Systems or IBSS IBM Internet Security Systems (ISS) experts have minimized the risk of a potentially successful attack. IBM emergency response services team has provided services like an incidence response plan that prepares for and minimizes the effects of an information security breach. The emergency response services team encompasses the leading
security research from the IBM Internet security systems X-Force security. Some features include: n Responds to security incidents in progress to help stop attacks and mitigate impact n Provides forensic analysis to help find and prosecute perpetrators n Helps mitigate security risk through proactive measures and world-class defensive tactics n Delivers a comprehensive incident response plan and ongoing support to help organisations respond in case of a security incident
McAfee Wireless Home Security Suite n Strong automatic encryption blocks
hackers from accessing wireless networks or capturing data. n Scheduled rotation of encryption keys thwart even the most determined wireless intruders. n Detection at multiple entry and exit points, including e-mail, instant message attachments, Internet downloads, and USB drives. n Script stopper technology prevents script-based troubles, such as with the ‘I Love You’ virus.
Cisco Secure Wireless Solution
The amount of time that an organisation takes to respond to a security incident has a direct impact on the amount of time taken for damage control as well as the costs associated with it. Hence, it is very critical to plan well in advance what has to be done in case of an incident.
feature
tion capabilities that don’t just detect wireless attacks, but prevent them n Comprehensive protection to safeguard a company’s confidential data and communications n Simplified user management with a single user identity and policy, which also protects against unauthorized access n Collaboration with wired security systems that enables a superset of wireless security functionality and protection With the kind of benefits associated with using wireless network services like increased flexibility, lower hardware costs and free movement, more and more households and organisations are adopting such technologies. But, in order to keep such networks secure, one has to adhere to stringent security standards and in case of organisations, they should maintain a comprehensive security policy which has become an indispensible part for any small/big organisation that aspires to venture the new horizons of the modern digital wireless era. It will not be an exaggeration if we refer to the wireless internet security systems as the very soul of the information highway body. n editor@digitchannelconnect.com
n Proactive threat and intrusion detec-
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
13
APRIL 2010
wi-fi
Profit without
WIRES
Wi-Fi provides tremendous opportunities to partners for hooking up with profits. No strings attached CHARU KHERA
advances in features, performance and security. The four generations are denoted successively as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n. So, the most advanced Wi-Fi products carry the 802.11n label on them. From the old age of the Alliance, it’s clear that Wi-Fi is nothing new. But as far as India is concerned, it’s only recently that Wi-Fi has begun to show true commercial promise – with a majority of vendors and partners going after the market opportunity with unprecedented zeal. Girish Hiremath, Country Head of Wi-Fi solutions provider Tomizone India, quotes a study by the Wi-Fi Alliance which, he says, “bullishly predicts that by 2012, the Indian Wi-Fi market will grow to $744 million from the current $41 million.” In India, while networking is still dominated by wired networks, in many companies – including large enterprises, SMBs and even in the SOHO segment – wireless routers are replacing wired ones. Due to their quick installation and hasslefree configuration, wireless routers are becoming increasingly popular among all verticals. This provides good opportunities for system integrators to cash in on.
Growth drivers
T
here is a steady but sure wireless movement going on in enterprises of various sizes all across India. A clear, unmistakable symbol of which is laptop-toting execs smoothly shifting from their desk to any workspace within the organisation and ‘staying connected’ all the time. Or hooking up to the net in cafes, airport lounges, hotel rooms and other public areas. And all this without the need to plug in and out messy wires each time the computer moves to another location in the vicinity. Welcome to the world of Wi-Fi – a technology that wirelessly connects different types of computing devices through the use of radio waves in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio frequency bands. The Wi-Fi Alliance, a standards organisation set up in 1999 that now has over 300 technology companies as its members, has thus far announced specifications for four generations of Wi-Fi networking products – with each generation carrying
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
14
APRIL 2010
Mobility is considered to be one of the key factors driving growth in Wi-Fi adoption. According to Jayesh Kotak, VP Product Management, D-Link India, “In large enterprises, the trend is to have Wi-Fi as part of the wired networks to offer mobility to employees on IP networks, whereas homes or SOHO users prefer a standalone Wi-Fi network.” As per Amit Rambhia, Owner, Vardhaman Technologies, Mumbai, “The necessary market drivers are in place to propel the growth, development and deployment of Wi-Fi into a mainstream technology across the country. As broadband wireless access grows, the combined Wi-Fi market (which comprises wireless local area networking (WLAN) gear, systems integration and professional services) and the increasing number of Wi-Fi end points will drive public domain hotspots across the country.” India is still way behind developed countries, but an increasing number of shopping malls, hotels, cafes and campuses are sporting Wi-Fi hotspots. In addition, though earlier only laptops had Wi-Fi capability, today most PDAs and many mobile phones come equipped with Wi-Fi. All this will translate into more connectivity over Wi-Fi. Another factor for the uptake in Wi-Fi is the drop in prices of Wi-Fi routers and wireless network interface cards. Furthermore, the government’s strong push towards broadband and initiatives like ‘unwired-city’ are creating a conducive environment for wireless technologies. “As Internet penetration increases, online lifestyles will become more prevalent and wireless access will become more ubiquitous. India’s emerging content industry, fuelled by Bollywood, cricket and music, will feed a new generation of youth that will seamlessly use
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
wi-fi cellular and Wi-Fi networks to exchange files and upload personalised content,” believes Rambhia.
Opportunities for SIs Wi-Fi solution providers have a pretty vast field to play, according to Asheesh Pandia, Manager – Marketing Communications, Siemens Enterprise Communications. “They can offer simple solutions like guest internet access and billing solutions, voice over WLAN solutions, video surveillance over WLAN, and real-time location tracking in WLAN. Solution providers can also look into vertical specific solutions like wireless in retail industry for barcode scanning and inventory, solution for hospitals for running wireless voice and data services for doctors and hospital staff. They can also offer professional services in the area of Wi-Fi planning, wireless security assessment, etc. Lot of customers are looking for managed services in this area, too,” he says.
As per Rambhia, “There are clear opportunities in the hotspot market for full-fledged billing, PIN/security administration for users, and roaming solutions. Travellers to tier-2 towns would immensely benefit if airport authorities move from high flat monthly rentals to revenue-shared models, enabling the system integrators to profitably run the hotspots.” However, he says that there is a clear need to increase general awareness and education about the new Wi-Fi solutions, standards and capabilities, so that the technology heads of companies can make better-informed decisions and benefit vastly from them. Chetan Timbadia, Director, DC Infotech, Mumbai, foresees a huge, growing demand for secured Wi-Fi Internet solutions with strong technical support. The company recently completed a Wi-Fi and wired installation at Tikona Digital. “Today, most users want to be connected even while they are on the move. Though
Wi-Fi is a Revolution In the previous century, telephones changed the way we communicate with each other. Today, we can say the same thing about computers, mobile phones and the Internet. The next big technology revolution, Wi-Fi, has been growing at massive proportions in India. This wireless technology allows wireless enabled devices to hook up to a network, and to surf the Net without wires. If you install Wi-Fi in your office or home, you can move around anywhere and access the Internet or sort files without having to tear up walls and partitions to install wiring. ‘Hot spots’ are areas in public places where one can use Wi-Fi. You can find them in restaurants, hotel lobbies, campuses, airport lounges and stadiums. In fact, now we even have in-flight wireless Internet access. It is also being implemented in factories to increase productivity through innovative applications. With increased broadband penetration and WLAN becoming easy to set up and affordable, Wi-Fi has seen widespread adoption in our homes. By getting wireless broadband routers, consumers can enjoy the benefits of broadband connection, mobility and home networking without the hassle of rewiring their homes. Devices like wireless media players that distribute digital music, video and photos stored on PCs to play and view on television and/or stereo system are also gaining popularity. A major concern with most Wi-Fi users is data security. Today’s technology has made it possible for Wi-Fi users to get the best in secure connectivity – from the simplistic WEP to the enterprise option of WPA2 (AES). Today, for Wi-Fi with the latest 802.11n version 2.0, the connectivity speed can go up to 300Mbps, with a peak throughput of up to 90Mbps. Wi-Fi has managed to break all barriers of reach and speed and is all set to change the way data/voice communication happens, not only at homes, but in businesses as well. Shridhar Kadam, VP – Product Management, Digisol.
IN INDIA, WHILE NETWORKING IS STILL DOMINATED BY WIRED NETWORKS, IN MANY COMPANIES – INCLUDING LARGE ENTERPRISES, SMBS AND EVEN IN THE SOHO SEGMENT – WIRELESS ROUTERS ARE REPLACING WIRED ONES. DUE TO THEIR QUICK INSTALLATION AND HASSLEFREE CONFIGURATION, WIRELESS ROUTERS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR AMONG ALL VERTICALS. THIS PROVIDES GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR SYSTEM INTEGRATORS TO CASH IN ON.
The projections on Wi-Fi in India are quite aggressive. However, a lot will depend on how the government cleans up its act on broadband access and whether the security concerns and other challenges of vendors and solution providers are taken care of.
initially, there were some issues with wireless because of security limitations, but today, many loopholes have been fixed and enterprises are increasingly adopting the Wi-Fi way,” he says. There is no dearth of channel partners sharing their success stories on Wi-Fi. For one, Mumbai-based Netplace Technologies recently deployed Wi-Fi solutions at a large software firm (180plus access points) and for a state-ofthe-art hospital (over 150 access points, with Wi-Fi phones for doctors and key staff members). Says the company’s CEO Dhaval Doshi, “Wi-Fi as a service provides immense opportunities to solution providers. Deployment is faster and uptime is better, as there is no danger of a physical wire being cut or disconnected. Wi-Fi is a great tool for retailers, too, as it ensures some amount of stickiness for their customers.” Doshi is also of the view that Wi-Fi helps enterprises bring down the overall cost of ownership. “Wi-Fi is widely perceived to be less secure than a physical cable link,” says Doshi, “but those concerns are being addressed as better methods of encryption and signalling are being introduced. However, concerns remain and security continues to be the single largest reason why Wi-Fi is not implemented in enterprises on a large scale.” Besides the perception on security, there are some other challenges faced by SIs while deploying Wi-Fi solutions. According to Timbadia, “Sustainability issues, complicated terrain, issues with power backup, and failed Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are some of the key concerns that we face during Wi-Fi installations.”
What the future holds The projections on Wi-Fi in India are quite aggressive. However, a lot will depend on how the government cleans up its act on broadband access and whether the security concerns and other challenges of vendors and solution providers are taken care of in a significant measure. For channel partners, there is some cautionary advice from Nareshchandra Singh, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner: “Do not sell Wi-Fi as a commodity sale. Start looking at Wi-Fi from a project-based perspective rather than take a reselling view. Link the business benefits and encourage companies to go for wireless infrastructure.” n charu.khera@9dot9.in
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
16
APRIL 2010
sales force automation
EMPOWERMENT ON THE
GO Accessibility of SFA on handhelds not only makes the best use of the application but it also provides tangible ROI to businesses investing in it SOMA TAH
A
s organisations reel under selling pressure to stay competitive in the marketplace, they have started looking for different ways to manage their diversified sales resources, reduce the sales cycle and maximise customer retention through the process. Building up an effective and productive sales force in an increasingly mobile environment is also another emerging challenge for organisations. A few of them, who have already invested heavily in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Sales Force Automation (SFA) projects, are now seeking to leverage those investments by providing an easy accessibility of the features over mobile phones, PDA or other hand-held devices. This would give them a faster and certainly better Return On Investment (ROI). A well designed and integrated mobile SFA application can offer a great value to the field sales representatives. By providing an immediate access and high usability, not only does it unleash the true potential of CRM/SFA, but also ensure comparatively low costs of customer acquisitions, and increased revenue growth as well.
Adoption across Indian organisations Mobile SFA in India, although currently in its nascent stage, has excellent potential to be widely adopted in India, because of the rapidly growing mobile user base with an addition of 6 million users per month. A high amount of interest has been recorded among some specific business verticals like manufacturing and BFSI companies that deploy a large Feet On Street (FOS) agents, who may not necessarily own a laptop/PC, but can easily make their updates using mobile based CRM interface. “Mobile SFA also has significant utility in the micro finance industry, where the agents frequently travel to remote villages to “bank the unbanked” and do not have traditional internet connectivity for extended periods of time. Similarly, there is good potential in the pharma industry, which also employs a large FOS force, which may not be computer savvy, but can use their mobile devices for making updates or pulling required information,” says Indraneel Fuke, Director - Strategy and Management of Bhea Knowledge Technologies.
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
17
APRIL 2010
sales force automation SMB: a sweet spot “Mobility is essentially a key agenda in every discussion we are having with the SMB prospects in India. But there is certainly a lack of awareness on cloud computing product lines among the SMB customers in India,” says Jeremy Cooper, Vice President - Marketing, APAC, Salesforce.com. There is a useful monthly subscription model for SMBs to avoid the cost and complexity, as they cannot afford to deploy an in-house CRM application and the associated overhead costs. The integrated SMS based update features
Benefits of Mobile SFA n Faster deployment and high
usability of CRM/SFA across organisational workforce. n Faster return on investment: low costs of customer acquisitions and increased revenue growth. n Provides increased productivity and mobility to sales force: It allows a sales person to send quotations to prospects from his mobile. n Reduces the sales cycle by facilitating real time sales lead tracking, contact management, product knowledge, order management, inventory control and tracking of customer interactions. n A sales agent can pull out relevant information from the central CRM repository and can also process it quickly, anytime and anywhere. n The management can easily push relevant information to all the sales agents instantaneously. n Quicker decision making through analyzing sales performance and creating sales forecast: management can always be on top of the sales funnel based on frequent data logged by the sales agents. n Integrated SMS features for providing information and alert on basic handsets.
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
18
APRIL 2010
are also available for those organisations, as they can’t afford to equip their sales force with high end mobile phones, PDA and smart clients. “In the context of a larger CRM deployment, mobile SFA is certainly useful for senior management of SMBs because they can always be on top of what is going on in the business. It may not be necessarily so for junior resources, who may not have a smart phone at their disposal always,” says Fuke.
Revenue for channel “The commission and margin structure is extremely flexible and there is more than one revenue option for the partners to choose from. The resellers can earn a referral fee of 5-8 per cent on passing the leads to the vendor. They can also earn a margin of 10-12 per cent from software licensing and licensing management, which is another revenue option for the partners. On the other hand, the VARs, implementation and development partners can even earn a greater amount of revenue, ranging from 30-40 per cent by generating lead, taking up the sales and implementation tasks, and signing further servicing contracts. However, this depends on the type of partnership and also the solution,” says Bama Suresh, DGM, Nelito Systems Ltd.
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL to capture the sales data.” However, he points out that if an organisation is ready to incorporate a cultural change in its policies, the challenges can be tackled.
What the future holds
JEREMY COOPER, VICE PRESIDENT MARKETING, APAC, SALESFORCE.COM
“I BELIEVE MOBILE SFA WILL EVOLVE AS STANDARD BUSINESS APPLICATION IN FUTURE AND THE DESKTOP SFA VERSION WILL ESSENTIALLY BE AN EXTENSION TO IT.”
Challenges However, there is a huge gap between the awareness and adoption due to some key challenges in implementation. Despite a high rate of mobile penetration in India, majority of the organisational workforce are still using very basic instruments that are not particularly suited for mobile SFA. As Suresh points out, “Though the business awareness on the mobile SFA solution is fairly present in India, yet very few clients actually ask for the mobile add-on features with a full-fledged web-based SFA suite due to the non availability of common mobile application platforms, as well as the cost of high end mobile devices.” Pointing out another crucial aspect, Fuke says, “Customer education on the data security aspects of mobile SFA is also important. Several traditional businesses still view web-based CRMs with certain suspicion, and it is more so for mobile SFA.” According to Kumar Siddhartha, CEO of Greytrix, a partner of Sage Software, says, “Sales professionals still like to make voice calls rather than log on and input data. The biggest problem is how
INDRANEEL FUKE, DIRECTOR STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT, BHEA KNOWLEDGE TECHNOLOGIES
“In the context of a larger CRM deployment, mobile SFA is certainly useful for senior management of SMBs. It may not be necessarily so for junior resources.”
Though mobile SFA has certainly evolved as a complementary solution to a full-fledged CRM/SFA so far, but it certainly has merit to evolve as standalone solution for the Indian users sooner or later. “The acceptance of mobile Internet in the next five years is certainly going to get bigger than the desktop Internet worldwide, including India. In fact, I believe mobile SFA will evolve as standard business application in future and the desktop SFA version will essentially be an extension to it,” says Cooper. Mobile SFA is good for contact management and basic interaction with the CRM database. But, there are certain things, like dashboards, reporting/analyzing, and, user administration, which are best done from a full-fledged CRM/SFA. However, the smaller screen size of mobile devices does put in certain restrictions on the usability. The interface has to be optimised for smaller screens, which may compromise on some features of a full web-based SFA. Several CRM companies offer excellent mobile interfaces for devices like Blackberry, iPhone, and most other smartphones. In addition, certain browsers like Opera Mini are especially good at optimising the regular web-based interface for smaller mobile devices. “But things might change once 3G comes into the picture. Sales people are generally provided with a laptop, wireless net connection and a mobile phone for them to perform all sales related tasks, even on the go. But, once 3G become available on mobile phones, these three devices can be replaced with a single 3G enabled high end phone, which significantly reduces the cost of deploying a new sales person and maintaining his IT requirements. Furthermore, 3G enabled mobile devices will provide a much richer and faster SFA interface,” says Fuke. As mobility is emerging as a key tool for collaboration, mobile SFA will certainly see an increasing adoption across the organisational workforce. All that is required to give it a final push is an effective data plan and an affordable hardware that supports critical business applications. n soma.tah@9dot9.in
mobility and SMBs
RARING TO GO MOBILE Enterprise mobility is showing a lot of promise – but it is yet to turn into a reality for most SMBs TAMANNA AHUJA
G
lobally, the mobile applications space is exploding in terms of innovations and market size. Multinational companies are using the power of mobiles to automate their sales force or doing real-time tracking of goods and products. As a matter of fact, many companies are marrying RFID-based applications with cellular technology, and making them more effective. Even the Asia Pacific market is increasing quite dramatically. According to estimates, the mobile enterprise market is currently estimated to be worth around $25 billion and would grow to around $30 billion by the end of this year. Much of the action, though, is happening in our neighborhood. China alone accounts for around 50% of this market, with the manufacturing sector using mobile applications
extensively. A lot of it is also driven by MNCs which bring along applications that have been developed in the US and Europe. Australia and Korea also account for quite a percentage in terms of market share. In contrast, the Indian mobile enterprise market was only around Rs600 crore. The good news: it’s pegged to grow at a CAGR of 30%. However, while the potential of enterprise mobility is unquestioned, the hype cycle hasn’t been converted into adoption as yet. According to a report by Frost & Sullivan, the penetration of enterprise mobility in India is currently less than 15%, and that is mostly concentrated in big organisations. However, it is the potential that is exciting. Close to 40% of organisations are showing some interest in going for enterprise mobility. That is a
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
19
APRIL 2010
mobility and SMBs huge chunk, and it is the SMB segment that is showing the maximum promise.
the better it can work for an organisation.
The challenges
The middle rung
As per a Forrester report on enterprise mobility, having a well-mobilized workforce can save an organisation up to 40% of its valuable man hours, and can result in a consolidated increase in the overall efficiency of employees. There are enough studies which also prove that enterprise mobility can help reduce costs of an organisation by at least 20%. The benefits of mobility, in fact, are becoming clearer by the day. As per Ramesh Sundararaman, Business Manager, Mobile Computing Division, Motorola Enterprise Mobility, “The advantages of enterprise mobility are clearer than ever. The organisations know how well it can work for them. But there are still some implementation challenges.” Devices like smartphones come at a cost, and the initial costs act as a hurdle for many mid-size organisations. But with the price points of smartphones taking a huge dip, there is a lot of excitement around e-mail and other applications. Their proliferation also has shown a spurt. As per IDC, smartphones registered a growth of more
Though most of the analysts hold the view that it is the big organisations that are giving the mobility vendors their bread and butter, some mid-size enterprises are indeed hopping on the mobility bandwagon. Take the case of Madras Cements, a company that recently implemented a mobile solution. According to Muthukrishnan G, DGM, IT, Madras Cements, theirs is the first company within the cement industry to have implemented enterprise mobility. Through this mobile platform, the company employees can have information like hourly status updates, information about important parameters and other vital figures, all in their palms. The company embarked on the mobile journey six months back and is already using its mobility platform for vital things like order booking. Repco bank is another company that is busy experimenting with enterprise mobility. According to R Rajagopal, GM, Repco Bank, under this project, every field employee is being given a handheld device with GPRS connectiv-
Benefits of Mobile SFA
Mapping Mobility • According to market estimates, the market for mobile enterprise applications in India is close to Rs600 crore. • It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30-35% up to 2012. • Major players in the application space include Mobiquest, ValueFirst, Obopay, Mospay, CanvasM, Mindtree, Spice Digital (earlier Cellebrum), Telenity, Netxcell, among others. • While retail and BFSI have conventionally driven the market for enterprise mobility, other verticals like defense, aviation, energy, utility and telecom are also entering the race. Healthcare is being seen as the most potential sector for enterprise mobility. • The government too has emerged as a big buyer of mobility solutions. • The number of players in this segment has almost doubled in the last two years • Although the trend as of now is that of in-house models, it is expected to take a shift towards hosted and SaaS in the coming years. • During the slowdown, there was a clear shift from capex- to opexbased models. This might be good news for mid-level enterprises that have been looking to adopt mobility, but they have not been able to transgress the cost barriers. than 65% in the past year. According to Sundararaman, it is the capability of the device and its features that make all the difference. The more rugged it is, the sounder its architectural stability, and
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
20
APRIL 2010
ity. Rajagopal says that they are trying their best to leverage the mobile for better efficiency. Although there are many instances of mobility adoption among the M of
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
AS PER A FORRESTER REPORT ON ENTERPRISE MOBILITY, HAVING A WELLMOBILIZED WORKFORCE CAN SAVE AN ORGANISATION UP TO 40% OF ITS VALUABLE MAN HOURS, AND CAN RESULT IN A CONSOLIDATED INCREASE IN THE OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF EMPLOYEES.
One of the barriers keeping smaller organisations from going mobile is that there are not often many options available for them when it comes to making a purchase, since vendors are mostly catering to the biggies. Costly handheld devices are another big concern.
SMBs, the smaller enterprises still have to get themselves placed on the mobility map. Small organisations typically mean companies that have less than 250 employees or revenue not exceeding Rs5 crore. Says Prashant Ahuja, Production Manager of Piya Pharma, a small scale manufacturing unit, “We wanted to go for enterprise mobility, for it would have given us a first-mover advantage in many bids. But the cost and solutions available were just not in our bracket.” While cost is an obvious barrier, there are other considerations as well that are keeping small businesses (and many mid-size too) from going mobile. One of them is that there are not often many options available for them when it comes to making a purchase, since vendors are mostly catering to the biggies. Costly handheld devices are another big concern. Add to that the fact that data plans offered by operators in India are still not within the affordability bracket for most people.
Maturity curve Until a few years back, mobility applications largely included sending out bulk SMSes. However, we have now moved on to what is called as the e-mail stage. As Vadiraj, VP and head of mobile application business for MindTree, notes, “A major chunk of enterprise mobility in India right now is mobile e-mail. Right now, it garners at least 40-50% of the mobile enterprise market.” While moving from messages to e-mail is a progress in itself, we are still far from the western definition of enterprise mobility that encompasses everything from the integration of cell phones into a corporate PBX system to vertically oriented solutions. The biggest challenge in the way of enterprise mobility is the security of the data being transferred. After all, the data being transmitted can contain sensitive and crucial information and companies need to ensure that it is not going beyond their network. However, vendors insist that security is nothing that can’t be taken care of through solutions that are available in the market. But, despite all the assurances, the mobility growth curve has been far below general expectations. Clearly, there are things that need to be acknowledged and looked into, before we blow the mobility trumpet any louder. n editor@digitchannelconnect.com
mobile imperatives
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
On the
MOVE
Multiple benefits and newer platforms make enterprise mobility a must-have for organisations VADIRAJ ARALAPPANAVAR
“SALES FORCE MOBILITY APPS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME ON RUGGEDISED HANDHELDS HAVE NOW STARTED MOVING ONTO SMARTPHONE PLATFORMS TOO.”
“From an Indian perspective, Blackberry has gained good acceptability as a platform of choice because of the existing company investments in the enterprise and the functionality that RIM provides in terms of mobile e-mail, security and remote device management.”
E
nterprises have been waiting for technologies to reach high functional standards and want to understand how mobility can impact their business processes. So far, it’s mostly been a few early adopters that have been deploying mobility solutions, with mobile e-mail leading the way. However, this is set to change over the next few years, with mobility growing from just a good-to-have factor to an essential part of the IT infrastructure. Companies have now started to focus on mobility solutions to achieve larger business benefits like productivity increase or customer service improvements. Firms continue to use mobile invest-
ments to enhance the productivity of employees who are truly mobile, such as sales professionals, field service professionals, and logistics personnel. Then there are also categories of employees who work out of their desks. There are mobile applications that can serve this category, as well for productivity improvements. Mobile applications are also being used by some companies to maintain and improve customer relationships and satisfaction levels. The applications in this area can range from mobile CRM solutions and mobile inventory management solutions to mobile asset management solutions that can provide real-time data to the
employees and in turn the customers. This has resulted in significantly decreased calls from field reps to the customer care team, allowing the customer care reps to focus on addressing complex customer issues. As per a sur vey conducted by Forrester, mobile Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems are on the radar of the companies and 25% of them are either piloting or using some kind of mobile SFA systems. Another 23% appear to be considering mobile SFA in some manner in the coming year. This indicates that there is a tremendous interest in this mobile line of business application compared to rest of the mobile applications that can be deployed in an enterprise context. Mobile SFA solutions have existed for quite some years now in different forms. Earlier, they were deployed on the rugged proprietary handheld devices. However, certain smartphones are now gaining acceptance as a device option for field forces, in part because they offer higher functionalities for a relatively lower cost. These smartphones are typically the ones based on newer versions of operating systems that are open to third-party application development. Their mass market availability has created a wide variety of affordable form factors that span the continuum of voice and datacentric features. Enterprises are evaluating smartphones as the main device for certain types of field workers for three reasons: n They have an always-connected status n They have the ability to act as a user’s primary communication terminal n They can be the platform for mobilising enterprise applications RIM’s Blackberry has been a favourite smartphone device of choice for most of the enterprises and enjoys a leadership and early-entry advantage in this segment. However, Apple has been making strides by tuning its technology to enable the iPhone for more number of enterprise applications. Fr o m a n I n d i a n p e r s p e c t ive, Blackberry has gained good acceptability as a platform of choice because of the existing company investments in the enterprise and the functionality that RIM provides in terms of mobile e-mail, security and remote device management. However, companies are also evaluating lower-cost solutions and even homegrown solutions that can meet their specific enterprise mobility needs. n Vadiraj Aralappanavar is Head - Mobile Applications, MindTree.
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
21
APRIL 2010
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
wireless LAN
Creating the
WIRELESS ENTERPRISE The next generation of wireless technology can tackle a growing number of mobile users, proliferation of devices, and convergence of voice and data SRIDEVI KONERU
I
n less than a decade, wireless LANs have evolved from an interesting idea to an indispensable technology for millions of businesses and consumers. IDC recently stated that the number of mobile workers worldwide will exceed 1 billion in 2011. And by 2011, as per Gartner, more than 50% of Fortune 500 companies will interact directly with their customers via mobile devices. Mobility has become the need of the hour. The device boundaries between PDAs, laptops, handheld tools, smartphones, etc are getting increasingly blurred with wireless convergence. Moreover, consumer behaviour attracts people to own cool devices. There is an inherent expectation that these devices will work for employees both in their personal lives as well as their professional lives, and logically, employees would prefer not to carry around two or more devices. As a result, the enterprise must now contend with increasingly complex communication environments, featuring a wide array of communication methods. Employees, business partners, customers, and geographies communicate with one another through infinite combinations of wired, wireless, and mobile phones; voice messaging; e-mail; fax; mobile clients; and rich-media conferencing. And most often, employees are away from the office, working from hotels, their own homes, and even from their clients’ offices. Hence, the demand for mobility in the organisation
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
22
APRIL 2010
has been growing dramatically and users have made it clear that they prefer to be untethered. So, as the line between consumer and enterprise mobility gets thinner, enterprise IT needs to embrace the productivity enhancements that mobility provides. Most enterprises are already fast making wireless technology a “must have”, as well as a critical part of their overall network strategy. Enterprises have begun deploying wireless throughout their organisations- and not simply for business travellers and in-building mobile workers, but for the entire organisation. However, while adopting new trends, maintaining wireless network security and preventing unauthorised access to sensitive corporate systems is a serious, ongoing challenge. It is then imperative to have the highest levels of security built into a wireless network. As this technology continues to evolve, the latest generation of high-speed wireless LAN solutions, based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Draft 802.11n standard, are now available. It offers several advantages over previous wireless LAN technologies. n Greater reliability: Multiple Input Multiple Output technology (MIMO) allows 802.11n networks to provide a more robust wireless service that supports more concurrent connections. With the ability to communicate over multiple antennas and eliminate dead spots, 802.11n networks can maintain optimal performance at greater distances
SRIDEVI KONERU
“IDC RECENTLY STATED THAT THE NUMBER OF MOBILE WORKERS WORLDWIDE WILL EXCEED 1 BILLION IN 2011. AND BY 2011, AS PER GARTNER, MORE THAN 50% OF FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES WILL INTERACT DIRECTLY WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS VIA MOBILE DEVICES.”
“As the line between consumer and enterprise mobility gets thinner and lighter, enterprise IT needs to embrace the productivity enhancements that mobility provides. Enterprises have begun deploying wireless throughout their organisations - and not simply for business travellers and in-building mobile workers, but for the entire organisation.”
and provide an improved user experience for high-bandwidth voice and video applications. n Greater throughput: The combination of MIMO, channel bonding, and packet aggregation allow 802.11n networks to achieve data rates as high as 600 Mbps, which is nine times greater than the maximum available with 802.11a/g. 802.11n access points also enhance the performance of wireless clients built under previous standards. n In mixed environments, 802.11a/g clients delay 802.11n client communications and reduce overall system performance. New Cisco ClientLink technology offers performance improvements to 802.11a/g clients in mixed-mode environments. n Greater coverage predictability: Enterprises are designing wireless networks for performance and MIMO provides greater throughput, resulting in more predictable coverage throughout the facility. Applications that will benefit most from the additional throughput, reliability, and predictable coverage of 802.11n wireless LANs include: n Environments and applications that require sharing of large files, including anything from advanced design and engineering applications to users in a conference room collaborating on a large Microsoft PowerPoint presentation n Voice and video applications that demand high-quality transmissions, such as video conferencing and IPTV services that use multiple streams of high-definition video n Facilities with challenging RF characteristics, including warehouses, manufacturing floors and retail locations n Disaster recovery, backup, and storage applications Looking ahead, the next generation of wireless technology promises to deliver many of the attributes necessary to address the increasing number of users, the proliferation of various client devices, the convergence of voice, data and video on the wireless LAN, the increase in mission-critical applications over the wireless network, and the trend towards deploying wireless in more challenging environments. It’s time we embraced emerging technologies and devices that are going to dramatically change the way we live, work, learn and play. n Sridevi Koneru is Director/Head,
mobility directions
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
WHAT NEXT?
of business to enable cost and time efficiencies, and make the complete process value chain more productive. This trend is more prevalent in labourintensive industries such as manufacturing, retail, distribution/logistics, insurance and healthcare.
Staying connected through multiple devices and technologies is in vogue NUPUR SINGH ANDLEY
Market growth NUPUR SINGH ANDLEY
“WITH ORGANIZATIONS MOVING TOWARDS MODERNIZING OPERATIONS, ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN ALTERING BUSINESS DYNAMICS AND IMPACTING THE WAY INDIVIDUALS COMMUNICATE.”
A
couple of years back, the concept of enterprise m o b i l i t y ga i n e d w i d e acceptance across developed markets like the USA and Europe. However, other markets, particularly from the developing parts of the world such as Asia Pacific, did not jump on the bandwagon. The main reasons that hindered this region’s uptake were concerns regarding data/network security and resistance to change from risk-averse and process-driven organisations. For these enterprises, the idea of integrating business-critical applications with employees’ personal communication devices created security issues. Furthermore, concerns about network security and data transfer over a wireless connection inhibited large-scale adoption of mobility solutions. This led to an initial slowdown in the adoption of enterprise mobility in the region. Now, with the growing emphasis on productivity enhancement and increased awareness of
mobility applications as a secure platform for remote access, the market has changed its mobility perceptions. For businesses, the value derived from a mobile workforce is compelling enough to justify the investments associated with integrating mobility with legacy systems. As such, businesses are proactively looking to leverage their existing IT investments by joining their employees’ communication devices with business systems. By doing so, business managers can achieve higher efficiencies, both from the system and from mobile employees. However, total cost of ownership continues to inhibit aggressive, large-scale adoption among small and mid-market (SME), even as the segment begins to consider mobility as an essential tool. After mobility’s success among the executive business level, focus is now moving towards the lower strata of organisations. Both solutions vendors and enterprises are realizing the importance of mobilising this area
“According to Springboard Research estimates, in 2009, the market for enterprise mobility applications in Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) amassed revenues of US$2 billion, which is estimated to reach US$3.7 billion in 2012. Furthermore, enterprise mobility subscribers are forecasted to grow from 40.5 million in 2010 to 66.6 million by 2012.”
According to Springboard Research estimates, in 2009, the market for enterprise mobility applications in Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) amassed revenues of US$2 billion, which is estimated to reach US$3.7 billion in 2012. Furthermore, enterprise mobility subscribers are forecasted to grow from 40.5 million in 2010 to 66.6 million by 2012. India is fast emerging as a hub for application development in the region. With its robust economy nurtured by a strong influx of FDI, India has emerged as a healthy market. Although SMS continues to be the messaging medium of choice in most countries, instant messaging is fast catching up. Other applications such as business solutions and conferencing are also expected to grow strongly. Due to Voice over IP (VoIP) service restrictions in certain countries like India and China, convergence of voice with mobility applications is limited and its true potential is yet to be realized. Over time, various applications have been developed for the mobile platform to serve the specific business requirements of clients. For instance, mobile Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions are being increasingly integrated into the business environment to enable service organisations to cater to their customers more efficiently. Sales Force Automation (SFA) has proved to be of high value to businesses where real-time information transfer is critical and where the majority of the workforce is in the field most of the time. In order to mobilise their field staff, organisations are deploying Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions on the mobile, especially in the distribution and logistics industry, where inventory management is of critical importance. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is also being widely used in tandem with other business applications to capture real-time data regarding the status of inventory, both in-house and in-transit. n Nupur Singh Andley is Associate Research Manager - Connectivity, Springboard Research.
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
23
APRIL 2010
mobile workers
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
EFFICIENCY with MOBILE APPS By becoming mobile enterprises, businesses can vastly increase their efficiency and agility while reducing costs SATHYA NARAYANASWAMY
I
nformation is present-day capital and managing it has become a key challenge. Access to the right information at the right time goes a long way in solving a problem. A great example of technology being leveraged towards this end is a smartphone, which aids decision support systems, provides quicker access to information, improves workflows and reduces wait times, enabling a true ‘information-atfingertips’ mode of business. Imagine you are a regional manager for a chain of retail stores, on the road every day visiting these stores. You start in the morning, print all the sales reports you need or download them to the laptop. At one store, you notice a newly introduced brand selling below projections, but your reports cannot identify the cause. And your laptop is unable to access additional reports. You make a note to analyse this discrepancy and take corrective action on your next trip, which might be a fortnight or a month later. During that time, the sales of the brand continue to remain below average. Instead, smart companies are deploying mobile applications to smartphones—such as a Blackberry, iPhone and Android—that allow immediate access to the company’s Business Intelligence (BI) reporting systems. As soon as the problem is identified, you access and view a report showing how this brand’s performance is correlated with other store factors. By identifying the factors missing at this store, you make a decision on the spot and initiate corrective action. Such scenarios are frequent, as enterprises become information-centric businesses. All workers are becoming
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
24
APRIL 2010
information workers – they generate, consume, and process information to make business decisions and perform business transactions. Using technologies such as mobile applications, mobile web, and SMS, workers on the move access the information required to make decisions in the field, update information on the company’s systems, and fully participate in a business transaction from wherever they are. Mobile enterprise systems enable real-time data exchanges that are absolutely essential for information workers. Applications such as Mobile CRM (Customer Relationship Management), order creation and management for sales, field force applications for support teams, reporting dashboards for executives and managers are some such examples of mobile enterprise applications.
Tacking assets on the move Besides mobile workers, an enterprise also includes mobile assets, which include everything from trucks, shipments, and pallets, to goods, products, and documents—things that move physically. Auto-ID technologies including RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification), and barcodes can be attached to assets to track their movement, even with Global Positioning System (GPS) where necessary. For example, many businesses manage multiple warehouses to store, process, ship and receive goods and products. High volumes of transactions take place and are often recorded on paper, and reconciled at the end of the day with the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and inventory management applications. Manual paperwork is
SATHYA NARAYANASWAMY
“A SMARTPHONE AIDS DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS, PROVIDES QUICKER ACCESS TO INFORMATION, IMPROVES WORKFLOWS AND REDUCES WAIT TIMES, ENABLING A TRUE ‘INFORMATION-ATFINGERTIPS’ MODE OF BUSINESS.” “As enterprises become information-centric, all workers are becoming information workers – they generate, consume, and process information to make business decisions and perform business transactions.”
error-prone – shipments are loaded on the wrong trucks, incoming raw materials are not checked into the system and remain unused, correct quantities may not be checked out, and so on. Such errors result in increased costs through unused materials, customer claims due to wrong shipments, and extra quantities in orders. Mobile technologies can and are indeed being used to reduce these operating costs. Individual items or pallets are tagged with RFID tags or barcodes containing information that is relevant to the item, including category, serial number, date of manufacture, purchase order, and customer ID. Automated RFID or barcode readers are setup at docks or the warehouse personnel are equipped with handheld mobile computers to scan RFID tags or barcodes. These mobile devices are connected to the ERP, inventory and ordering systems for real-time information exchange. As goods are loaded on a truck, the tags on the items are read and matched with the shipment and ordering information for the end customer. Errors such as wrong products and incorrect quantity are prevented, as the shipment accuracy is monitored real-time. With real-time inventory updates, supply chain efficiency increases. With shipment information also being updated automatically, customers are notified early about delivery of goods, resulting in increased customer satisfaction. Similarly, many applications can be enabled based on real-time visibility into an asset’s location. Anti-counterfeiting measures in pharmaceuticals, highvalue medical equipment tracking in hospitals, parts tracking in airlines, assembly line product tracking in manufacturing are among the many possibilities. Mobile technologies such as smartphones, handheld computing devices, 3G networks, GPS, Auto-ID (RFID, Barcodes) are having a profound impact on business competitiveness. Smart businesses are deploying mobile technologies to increase the speed of decision-making and decrease the time taken for any transaction. For a successful mobile enterprise, enterprise business processes and technology architecture should be analysed on how they can be re-architected to maximise the efficiencies that mobile technologies can bring. n Sathya Narayanaswamy is Director, Mobile Centre of Excellence, Cognizant.
telecommuting
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL muting penetration is highest among professional businesses, followed by manufacturing units, due to their remote production facilities and specific service needs. However, in the medium business segment, the penetration is highest in the banking and finance sector, as they have agents and brokers working from remote locations. But, like in other technology deployment, the concept cannot be rolled out without a proper thought out enterprise strategy for telecommuting. Says Deepak Shikarpur of Computer Society of India: “Telecommuting is possible wherever there is clarity in the role, and data security is in place.”
Security and performance
WORKING FROM HOME
Telecommuting employees can deliver big gains only if enterprises adopt robust technologies and right policy measures PRAGYA SINGH
W
ork is something we do, not something we travel to. While this is not yet a catch phrase in Indian organisations, it seems well on its way getting there. With urban centres getting more congested, the corporate sector is presenting its employees flexible work options that enable them to cut travel time and boost productivity. A recent survey conducted by IDC revealed that 81% of executives polled across the Asia-Pacific region strongly agreed that telecommuting improves productivity. With the world changing into a global village, employees find telecommuting
the best option to deal with deadlines and spend quality time at home. For a rising number of businesses, telecommuting has proved to be favourable for both employers and employees. A c c o r d i n g t o Ka lya n B a n ga , Research Analyst at AMI Partners, “Telecommuting penetration is on the rise across Indian enterprises, particularly amongst the SMBs. While it has increased from 3% in 2006 to 11% in 2008 amongst the smaller companies, it has jumped from 8% to 27% amongst the medium level enterprises. These figures point out the importance of telecommuting among Indian SMBs.” Among small businesses, telecom-
A RECENT SURVEY CONDUCTED BY IDC REVEALED THAT 81% OF EXECUTIVES POLLED ACROSS THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION STRONGLY AGREED THAT TELECOMMUTING IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY. IN 2005, ONLY 61% THOUGHT SO. While telecommuting can offer a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee, IT managers need to tackle issues to prepare their organisations for extending this facility.
Security becomes a major issue in telecommuting. Adopting measures such as secured access to business data, phone systems, applications and other resources via secured, wireless and fast Internet connections can go a long way in making remote functioning possible. For long-term benefit, it is important for an organisation to put in place a clear-cut security policy as well as a performance measurement tool for such employees.
Hurdles and benefits Although the advantages of this facility, such as increase in number of productive hours, better professional and personal life balance, and, more importantly, reduction in carbon footprint outweigh the negatives, the proportion of organisations adopting telecommuting is still small. Asian managers are said to be more comfortable managing employees in the office environment and feel a loss of control with telecommuting employees. For instance, many employers have difficulty in breaking free from the ‘keeping an eye’ mindset and evaluating the employees on the basis of their physical presence, rather than their performance. However, providing flexible working options does enable organisations to retain the best talent. Says Rajesh A R, Vice-President (temporary staffing) at TeamLease Services: “The concept can bring in potentially large gains in productivity and substantial savings in time and cost. It also offers good work-life balance to the telecommuting workforce. But, these benefits would take place when companies have excellent performance management systems in place.” n editor@digitchannelconnect.com
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
25
APRIL 2010
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
vendor speak
WE STARTED 160BY2 IN 2007 BECAUSE THERE WAS A HUGE NEED OF FREE SMSes BOTH BY END USERS AND ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS TO SEND ADVERTISEMENTS WITHOUT INTRUDING INTO PRIVACY. DND WAS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS.”
“WE DO NOT PLAN TO COMPETE WITH FACEBOOK AND TWITTER” —Satya Kalyan Yerramsetti, Founder and CEO, SMS Country
Nilabh Jha talks to Yerramsetti to know more about how companies are utilising SMSes to further their business goals. Excerpts: DCC: What are the services that you offer to your enterprise customers?
We provide tools and platforms to send bulk messages, or SMS alerts for various enterprises. For instance, when you book a ticket or do some transaction on your credit card, you receive a message (alert). This is something which we enable. Though we are also into SMS advertising, it is not our core focus area. Also, we do offer free SMS service which enables users to send free SMSes of 80 characters and the rest 80 characters are used to send sponsored messages. We started 160by2 in 2007 because there was a huge need of free SMSes both by end users and enterprise customers to send advertisements without intruding into privacy. DND was one of the main reasons. So we thought of this platform,
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
26
APRIL 2010
which helps us create obtained data base for enterprise customers. The idea is you send a message for which you don’t need to pay. So, 80 characters are free for you while the rest is advertisement, which is also contextual and these SMSes can be so contextual that if you send a message like ‘Congratulations’, the advertisement will be from Cadbury saying, ‘kuch meetha ho jaye’. DCC: What are the business segments that use your service the most and what is the share of SME clients in that?
Our major clientele includes mainly financial sector for SMS alerts. In the SME segment also, financial sector forms the biggest chunk; besides, stock brokers and insurance agents use our services. Retail is another big segment that uses
“We plan to add social networking feature in the 160by2 website. This will improve stickiness. Messaging will remain core of the website, but with added functionalities, group messaging will be easier.” “OUR MAJOR CLIENTELE INCLUDES MAINLY FINANCIAL SECTOR FOR SMS ALERTS. IN THE SME SEGMENT ALSO, FINANCIAL SECTOR FORMS THE BIGGEST CHUNK; BESIDES, STOCK BROKERS AND INSURANCE AGENTS USE OUR SERVICES.”
S E L E C T
S E R I E S
our services for their loyalty programs, discount alerts etc. SME segment is very lucrative and we plan to expand our base in this segment, but awareness levels among SMBs are low which is a cause of concern for us and we are addressing that. 160by2 is beneficial for SMEs as it helps them in reaching target customers in a specific geography, and at a very affordable price. DCC: How are you planning to tap Indian enterprises?
We plan to expand to 40 cities compared to current 10, this year, which would help us reach out to them. Besides, we plan to increase our manpower strength to 400 in our sales team to take our service to this segment. SMEs have been demanding Voice SMS and local language SMSes, as their customers are at times illiterate or don’t understand English or Hindi. Launching our services in local languages is in the pipeline, which will be another step in broadening our reach. We are also expanding in Middle East GCC countries to target in the Indian diaspora and local population as well. DCC: There is increasing competition in SMS marketing segment. How do you plan to differentiate you services?
We plan to add social networking feature in the 160by2 website. This will improve stickiness. Messaging will remain core of the website, but with added functionalities, group messaging will be easier. It will be somewhat similar to Facebook and Twitter, but we do not plan to become competition to them. We already have a team which is developing these features. The idea is to increase the SMS traffic and thereby increasing user base, which will help advertisers target more audience. DCC: In an era of cheap messaging service by telecom operators, how do you sustain your business?
We were surprised that even now, we see an increase of 15-16% in our traffic on 160by2. I think it’s the convenience of computers that’s driving the usage and bulk SMSes is another reason. In the festive season, traffic really peaks, the primary reason being that discounted tariffs do not apply at that time and more over, people send bulk SMSes and this makes it easier and cheaper for them. However, we are not competing with operators; they are in fact now partnering with us. n editor@digitchannelconnect.com
mobility trends
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
The Way
Forward
An insight into the current market trends in the space of enterprise mobility and the factors that are fuelling its growth PD SREENIVASAN
T
he competitive edge of the modern day workforce depends on their access to the corporate information anytime, anywhere, which plays a key role in critical decision making. Mobile-enabled business processes can improve ROI to organisations and optimise their productivity, logistics operations, customer relationships and supply chains, among other benefits. Enterprise mobility adoption and the proliferation of smartphones: The rate at which the organisations have been adopting enterprise mobility has seen a paradigm shift over a span of the past few years. A report (surveyed from 90% of Fortune 1000 companies) from Aberdeen Group, states that 84% of the companies have a mobile device initiative already in place. From 2006 through the present, the percentage of enterprises that have had mobility initia-
tive in place increased 42%, while the percentage of those that had no plans for mobility decreased by 93%. The top two drivers for mobility adoption reported by enterprises were to improve productivity (69%) and to improve timeliness of information delivery (45%). Mobile-enabling line of business applications: As enterprise mobility has evolved over a period of time, functional areas like sales, logistics and manufacturing have stood out as the prime areas that mandate the need for mobility. The sales force, field force, workers in ware houses and production floors have been the early adopters of mobility as the use cases involved in these functions demand mobility. Seeking customer information, order booking, invoice printing, inventory check, verification of order status, picking, put away, monitoring the machinery and production values at various stages of
“THE ADVENT OF SMARTPHONES, COUPLED WITH MULTIPLE BUSINESS BENEFITS IN THE CONSUMER MARKET, HAS GONE A LONG WAY IN INCREASING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY. THIS HAS IN TURN LED TO THE PROLIFERATION OF EMPLOYEE OWNED DEVICES BEING CONNECTED TO THE ENTERPRISE INFRASTRUCTURE.” “As organisations implement enterprise mobility, data is quite vulnerable as it gets exposed at multiple levels like device, network, application and the point of entry/access to the corporate network.”
production are some of the prominent use cases in these functions. The data for these entire set of mobile-act-onfunctions have to be enabled from the core line of business applications such as CRM, SCM and ERP applications implemented by the respective organisations. Demand for improvement in operational efficiencies and productivity have acted as catalysts to mobile enable the line of business applications. Mobile device management: Supporting multiple mobile devices currently available and extending support to all the mobile devices that may get introduced in future is among the key challenges to be considered while mobile-enabling the workforce. Forrester expects that by 2012, there will be 397 million mobile workers, representing 73% of the enterprise workforce. As Forrester concluded, enterprises must “get smart about managing and securing mobile devices -- now.” Effective support would need an effective mobile device management tool which caters to all the device management needs of the enterprise. Data security: As organisations implement enterprise mobility, data is quite vulnerable as it gets exposed at multiple levels. Https or http with encryption can be used to protect the data in the transport layer. Data encryption and best coding practices can be used effectively to protect the data at the device and the application layers. Effective session management can be used to protect the data at the point of entry to the corporate network. Ability to lock/wipe a device if lost, single sign on authentication, mobile VPN, two-factor authentication and governance to ensure adherence to the organisation’s security policies are a few other security considerations. Industry-specific mobile solutions: Solutions such as warehouse management systems and asset management solutions have added their part to foster the growth of enterprise mobility. Such solutions demand the mobility investments and the enterprises have seen the value of the same over a period of time, and today, it is a proven fact that these mobility solutions cannot be isolated from the overall solution. Mobility use cases have been realised by enterprises at various points of time, depending upon various business needs and the same have gradually become a part of the overall solution in the respective domains. n PD Sreenivasan is Delivery Manager with Endeavour Software Technologies.
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
27
APRIL 2010
ENTERPRISE MOBILITY SPECIAL
mobile apps
ACCESS EVERYWHERE Mobile-enabling business applications is a non-trivial task, requiring data identification, security assessment and device authentication R VENKATESWARAN
W
ith the ubiquitous availability of mobile packet data services (2.5G/GPRS/EDGE) and the affordability of smartphones (according to a recent study, about 42% of the US subscribers use smartphones today), enterprise employees are now driving the IT departments to adopt their personal smartphones into the enterprise fold. There has been a steep rise (a recent Forrester report mentions 30% growth in the US in such numbers from 2008 to 2009) in this trend in the last couple of years. CIOs are encouraging this trend because of the cost-savings (device cost being passed on to the employees) as well as tax benefits (in certain countries like the US, companyprovided smartphones fall into the taxable perquisites category and are liable to taxation). The flip-side of this advantage is that this trend poses a huge risk to the enterprises due to device management and security issues that need to be adequately addressed. Further, managing the telecom expenses becomes the need of the hour, as these personal smartphones are used for personal as well as official purposes. Some enterprises are leveraging the Wi-Fi access of the smartphones to provide a FixedMobile Converged (FMC) solution to reduce the telecom expenses. However, the WiFi-enabled smart-
DIGIT CHANNEL CONNECT
28
APRIL 2010
phones are still to make a big impact in the market. A recent Forrester study reports that 42% of enterprises today have already enabled mobile access to commonly used enterprise applications such as e-mail, address books and calendars. In the Indian context, a recent Frost & Sullivan repor t indicates that the enterprise mobility market has grown 30-40% in three years and is currently pegged at around Rs350 crore. This growth is fuelled partly due to smartphones becoming more powerful (in processing power and memory capacity) and having a better form-factor (larger screens, QWERTY keyboards).
Different approaches Currently, most enterprise deployments of CRM or ERP applications are not ready for immediate mobile enablement. Providing a web interface alone may not be sufficient for mobile access, given that these applications have been designed primarily for access from a PC inside the enterprise network – expecting a large screen, high-bandwidth for data exchange and reasonably low latency to ensure a rich user experience. Mobile enabling these applications is a non-trivial task. One needs to identify the data that can/should be exposed, assess the security risks, support device authentication and
R VENKATESWARAN
“PROVIDING A WEB INTERFACE ALONE MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT FOR MOBILE ACCESS, GIVEN THAT BUSINESS APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR ACCESS FROM A PC INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE NETWORK – EXPECTING A LARGE SCREEN, HIGHBANDWIDTH FOR DATA EXCHANGE AND REASONABLY LOW LATENCY TO ENSURE A RICH USER EXPERIENCE.”
“Enterprise mobility cannot happen in isolation by the developer of the enterprise application. These developers must work closely with the device manufacturers, the operators, the cloud providers and other such ecosystem players to ensure success of mobile-enabling the applications.”
even minimize the message exchanges (protocols) to reduce the airtime charges. T h e r e a r e t wo a r c h i t e c t u r a l approaches of enabling mobility for the above enterprise applications. Operator-agnostic approach: In this approach, the operator plays the sole role of a conduit/channel for the enterprise data to reach the mobile users. There is an obvious benefit that such solutions work across various handsets spanning different operators. Further, enterprises can rollout these applications without prolonged discussions and arrangements (that can get inordinately delayed) with a mobile operator. However, the key disadvantage is the heavy dependency on the operators’ network and lack of control over the Quality of Service (QoS) and the end user experience. Operator-aware approach: In this solution, a server side entity (appliance, gateway, etc) is installed/deployed in the operator’s network to facilitate mobility of the enterprise application. This entity customizes the message exchange between a mobile application installed on the end users’ smartphones and the enterprise CRM/ERP server, using as many features of the server “out-of-the-box”. Further, data and session/workflow state can be stored/cached at the entity to provide low latencies and quick response time, which result in a more controlled and enriching end-user experience. This operator entity also provides a contextawareness to the application usage. For example, it can leverage the users’ location, the users’ “presence” (such as available, busy, do not disturb) and the network parameters (bandwidth, coverage, signal strength) to adapt the applications towards enhancing the end-user experience. The operator could also leverage their networks to offer a “managed service” over a cloud infrastructure and efficiently monetize their services by offering differentiated services to different subscribers. Enterprise mobility cannot happen in isolation by the developer of the enterprise application. These developers must work closely with the device manufacturers, the operators, the cloud providers and other such ecosystem players to ensure success of mobile-enabling the applications. n R Venkateswaran is Head - Telecom Business Unit, Persistent Systems. The views expressed here are personal.