Wireless devices are proliferating throughout the marketplace faster than Tribbles. Corporate customers that I speak with identify wireless computing as a critical technology solution for their business needs. On the one hand, wireless devices such as mobile phones and PDAs are much simpler devices than personal computers and workstations. Yet they're only truly valuable to a business if they're an integral part of the business's overall computing solution.

There are many questions to be answered before a company can safely dive into the mobile world. What's the use of having state-of-the-art Palm devices for your mobile workforce if they can't synchronize their local data with the corporate database? How do you choose the most appropriate wireless devices for your team from the humongous buffet of products that are on the market? One solution to this complex problem is to find the right partner to guide you through the wireless morass.

I recently sat down with Dan Elliott, vice president of CompuCom's Mobile Business Solutions division, at CompuCom's Paulsboro, New Jersey, development center. CompuCom is a $2.7-billion infrastructure solutions provider with more than 5,000 associates across the U.S.

CompuCom provides a portfolio of four different types of solutions: Workplace Outsourcing, Business Process Outsourcing, Information Technology Consulting, and Mobile Business Services. CompuCom can handle all of the custom configuration management for your information technology needs, and they offer a world-class mass-customization capability. They can completely customize an entire LAN (complete with routers, desktop computers, servers, and software) at their facilities - and then install the fully functional network at your place of business.

The CompuCom facility in Paulsboro is a wonder to behold - over 100,000-square feet of computers, servers, and LANs. CompuCom configures these systems according to the individual customer's rigorous requirements, right down to the inventory tags on boxes. If you get the chance to visit the Paulsboro facility I would highly recommend it. You'll get new insight into the meaning of the phrase "mass customization."

On the heels of their success in the personal computer and server marketplace, CompuCom has formed a practice around mobile computing. This is a natural extension of CompuCom's core businesses. Mobile computing devices are truly valuable only when they're tightly integrated into your company's data infrastructure. It makes perfect sense to synchronize the development and deployment of your mobile devices with your notebook computers, desktops, networks, and LANs. In fact, the mobile devices and solutions that you adopt should take into account the existing infrastructure that you already have in place.

CompuCom has a six-part solution to this problem called the Addvent Methodology that's packaged under their ConvergeMobile brand. From my perspective this phrase describes the exact path that businesses need to follow when they consider wireless solutions. Any mobile solution that you embrace must converge with your existing business requirements and technology infrastructure. Mobile computing has to solve a business problem (profitability, productivity, cost reduction, etc.) in order to be a worthwhile pursuit. Furthermore, it has to be integrated with the existing technologies that you already have in place.

This idea of convergence is what impressed me most about CompuCom's approach. The first phase of Addvent is an assessment phase, which is probably the most important part of the entire project. Before you embark on a wireless project you need to ask yourself some tough questions:

How do I get my people trained?

Once the needs have been assessed, the CompuCom team builds a high-level project plan that includes estimated costs and resources. From the mobile device perspective, this is where the real fun begins.

Dan Elliot's Mobile Business Solutions team has taken CompuCom's disciplined approach to personal computer configuration to the mobile world. During the planning and design phases it becomes critical to choose the right solution for your business needs. The ConvergeMobile lab has an incredible array of wireless devices of every type and brand, from PalmOS to Windows CE - and all of the associated software that goes along with it. CompuCom calls this the ConvergeMobile Business Workshop. Clients can work with all of the different mobile devices on an interactive basis. CompuCom's engineers will configure custom hardware and software solutions - so you can test-drive any number of solutions and configurations. Once they've designed a solution that will meet your needs, the final three phases of the Addvent process begin - testing, implementation, and support.

CompuCom can configure and test the complete solution before it even goes out the door. Once the system is thoroughly tested to your specifications, the project is rolled out to your business. Your end users will receive their mobile devices in a fully configured state - with their data and security information already in place. This way, your users can hit the ground running with a true mobile solution, a solution that neatly connects to their existing technology infrastructure.

CompuCom can even provide complete support for the entire environment - hardware and software. Each computer, server, and mobile device is tagged with a "birth certificate" by the CompuCom team. Should a device break down or become lost, they can ship a completely recustomized replacement device to the user immediately. CompuCom has installed racks of device cradles into the ConvergeMobile lab so that they can pump out thousands of fully customized PDAs per day.

Mobile solutions have the potential to offer businesses a whole new range of weapons in the battle for profitability, productivity, and cost-savings. However, the wide array of devices, operating systems, and associated back-office integration challenges may completely derail the benefits if we're not careful. Consider taking a more enlightened approach to mobile computing by making these new devices an integral part of the business solution from the outset. The team at CompuCom is waiting to help.

CompuCom
717 Forest Lane
Dallas, TX 75230
Phone: 972.856.3600
Fax: 972.856.3200
www.compucom.com

Published Aug. 22, 2001— Reads 14,086
Copyright © 2008 SYS-CON Media. All Rights Reserved.

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About Jim Milbery
Jim Milbery is a Vice President with William Blair Capital Partners, a venture capital firm based in Chicago. He has over 19 years of experience in application development and relational databases. He is the former applications editor for "Wireless Business and Technology", the past product reviews editor for Java Developer Journal and the author of "Making the Technical Sale". Jim can be reached at jmilbery@williamblair.com, or via the company web site at http://www.wbcapitalpartners.com

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