04-20-2005, 11:00 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Mobile Device Support in the Enterprise - Quite Frankly, There Is None...
"I�ve tangled with complex CRM projects and delivered the goods. With steely determination, I�ve stared down the barrel of enterprise content management projects that have literally made grown men weep. Years after leaving a company, I have responded coolly to panicked calls from former colleagues, quoting seemingly long-forgotten command-line incantations like poetry to help them out of a jam. Tonight, though, I�m tangling with a system so critical that it�s practically an extension of myself. The problem is decidedly unglamorous -- my handheld (a Treo 650) is endlessly rebooting, and I�m off the communications grid. No phone and no PDA means no productivity."
Chad Dickerson, InfoWorld columnist, magnifies a truth that I think most IS departments don't want to face yet. Each new generation of mobile devices (handheld, mobile phone, mobile convergence device) becomes more and more like miniature PCs in our pockets and yet, most IS shops want to treat it like old cellphone technology (i.e. - "it just works"). Likely, it's going to require some high-ranking executive to go through what Chad Dickerson went through before proper attention is paid to mobile device support. Do you guys see the same level of nonchalance at your company?
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04-20-2005, 11:17 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 24
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company antiquity
I work for an entity that must have real time information to efficiently perform. I purchased a ppc at my own expense when the HP iPaq 6315 came out last year. This is the future.
I had to purchase Netfront so I could access the internet email because Microsofts Internet Explorer (Lite version, I suppose) would not do the job. Shortly thereafter, IBM modified the Lotus Notes internet access so it doesn't recognize Netfront as an "authorized" browser. WTF? does that mean? Our computer support says that wireless access is not in the contract so there is no solution until someone important asks for it.
Anyway, I still laugh at our region manager. He carries a work cellphone, a personal cellphone, a pager, and a laptop. Like you said, until the managers [who don't very well know how to turn on a computer] wake up and make some automation decisions the computer support people will manage everything....and they would like to be back in the blue screen and more simple day.....so they are going to resist suggesting anything new.
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04-21-2005, 02:09 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 40
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Corporate nightmare
PDAs pose a real problem for IT support for most organizations. They are almost by definition non-standard. Each model and brand comes with different capabilites, software, and hardware. In my setting, wireless, IRDA, audio recording, and cameras are banned. We have to physically disable these features for each device thus voiding the warranty. Many organizations don't want "foreign" hardware attached to their networks.
Most of us PPC enthusiasts want the latest-and-greatest, while IT support folks want something that is tried and true. I think that there should be a corporate standard out there for PDAs, but it is wishful thinking.
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04-21-2005, 02:26 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 172
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The execs at the company I work for (400 people) would say 'this is not working well enough for me,' IT would say 'it is the best technology there is for now OR the fix is cost prohibitive,' and that would end the discussion.
I do have pity on the IT staff trying to keep up with changing technology and equipment and software that doesn't really behave as it is supposed to, but none of these problems are ever going away until the execs get savvy and knowledgeable enough to work with IT in finding and forcing solutions. I'm not holding my breath on it.
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04-21-2005, 03:18 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 171
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I can understand IT has the impossible task of keeping up to date with each and every version. But that doesn't make support impossible. Most IT guys know more in their little finger than I will ever know and if they would at least HELP, that would make me happy. I had to set up an application to allow my emails to be forwarded to my PDA and while my domain name is "easy", it's not something I use everyday in my job. If the IT guys were willing to stop by and help, he could have set the thing up in 5 minutes. I spent half the day. Plus, it pisses me off no end when I ask, "can you help" and I'm told, "no, that's not a supported device." Then when I walk by their desk...they have the same device!!
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04-21-2005, 05:46 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 16
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Well, I'm responsible for the wireless unit in my government agency. We are currently running about 550 lines going from crappy TDMA devices (phasing out) to the newest CDMA Blackberry 7250.
It's nuts.... the idea of providing support is next to impossible. I'm going through new handsets every six months. Forget support, try keeping the things in STOCK! That's why so many IT shops are going with RIM devices. They are NOT the best units out there. But they ARE the most stable (relatively speaking).
I personally own a Sprint Treo 650 that I converted to work on Verizon. I would NEVER attempt to deploy that for my users. It would be almost impossible to support in any large scale deployment. So instead we deploy the 7250 and some 7290's and use BES 4.0. It's the best thing out there.
I would like to work with Good's offering, but in truth, there's not a considerable difference in functionality (in an enterprise deployment).
Heck, most of the people I have to give our latest and greatest phones don't even know what to do with them. They're more eye candy than anything else.
Smartphone technology, with the exception of RIM devices, is not ready ofr large scale deployment's.... at least not in my experience.
For the individual, well, that's different. There's a lot of nice equipment out there and a lot of good services being offered. But then you are your own tech support.
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04-21-2005, 06:50 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 360
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It for the mobile enterprise.
The question at hand is "does the company you work for support mobile devices"...
I have to say that my company %100 supports all mobile devices with the best technology out there!!!! Now admittedly that is because I work for (arguably) the best mobile solutions provider out there. I am a Verizon Wireless Employee. I am very proud of my company and the technology that we use as well as sell. And now that I am in the Business Channel I see what solutions we can offer to our customers, and part of that is just the knowledge of specialists who can get as technical as any IT department, and are instrumental in setting up Enterprise based mobile solutions.
I am in no way trying to sound like a commercial or a VZW Drone as I am neither. I am a loyal employee, but I also have a mind of my own. I am not here to start an arguement or take a bashing as I am just one Employee among over 50,000. I am just saying that there are companies out there emplementing Mobile Enterprise Solutions. And Verzin has employees and solutions there for any one to use, but many companies do not realize that there are those resources available. I know statics that would annoy and astound the PPC community, but I will not disclose those. Suffice it to say that as a techy I find the general lack of knowledge that exists in business as far as mobile solutions goes is just mind boggling.
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04-21-2005, 09:31 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 56
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Our company allows you to use the devices so long as you buy your own device. What they then offer is a Lotus Notes sync solution that gets the corporate e-mail and calendar onto your device - but you have to promise that you will not sync at home any more as this could expose corporate information. It also removes activesync from your PC at the office. There is zero support for the rolled out solution - if it fails you have to hard reset and re-install.
That isn't a good solution in my book, so I manually update my calendar and contacts and book an hour to a non-productive tag each week.
Surprisingly, outside of the IT department (about 1900 of us 8O ) there is very little PDA use. Even in the department there are only about 100 users.
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04-21-2005, 11:27 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 601
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Our sales force was issued -supported- PPCs for sales call data entry and nothing else. The proprietary software is so fat there's too little room to use the PPC as a true PIM. Can't use the Calendar, no voice recording, no Pocket Word or Pocket Excel. We just leave them home on our desks and enter data on our laptops at night. Oh, you have to have them cradled to sync every night. :roll: I own a personal PPC they can't control.
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04-21-2005, 02:59 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,520
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by bkerrins
I can understand IT has the impossible task of keeping up to date with each and every version. But that doesn't make support impossible. Most IT guys know more in their little finger than I will ever know and if they would at least HELP, that would make me happy. I had to set up an application to allow my emails to be forwarded to my PDA and while my domain name is "easy", it's not something I use everyday in my job. If the IT guys were willing to stop by and help, he could have set the thing up in 5 minutes. I spent half the day. Plus, it pisses me off no end when I ask, "can you help" and I'm told, "no, that's not a supported device." Then when I walk by their desk...they have the same device!!
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I work in IT but not in operations. So while I don't provide desktop or device support, I can understand the reluctance of IT or an individual IT guy to offer support for a "rogue" device.
I support software/ business applications that I develop. Its well, known that once you offer support for something that is unofficial, you own support for that device. Then if someone else comes up with one, maybe by word of mouth it only grows. Where does it end?
The IT department has to consider the big picture. Of course this in no way discounts the possibility that your particular IT guy is just being a jerk. 
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Linear Mode
