Mobilize Your Data
By Cheryl Currid
Your employees are increasingly mobile—working on PDAs while they commute or checking email messages with their cell phones. Knowing this, it's in your best interest to design corporate data for easy access.
Salespeople have always been on the road, but today they aren't the only ones who work away from the office. A tight job market has nudged employers to offer telecommuting privileges to staffers who would rather spend Mondays working from their living rooms, or their backyards. These people need the same access to office files as employees who are tucked neatly in their cubes. Keeping informed about mobile-device technology—Pocket PCs, PDAs, and cell phones—will make you better aware of your workers' needs and how to meet them. (For a debriefing on tools for mobile workers, check out the URLs in "
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While road warriors get airtime from frequent flyer organizations, few get mind-share from their own companies. It's time to look at mobility as a key component to business.
Obstacle Course
Mobile workers are already beset with technology-induced problems. Pocket PCs, PDAs, and cell phones need better batteries, settled hardware platforms, and more bandwidth. Frequent travelers are often annoyed by the need to stock or recharge batteries. Consider the person who carries a notebook computer, cellular phone, digital camera, electronic book, and PDA.
