 Unified CommunicationsThis newsletter is sponsored by Raritan Computer, Inc. Data Center Build outs Simplified Network World's Unified Communications Newsletter, 09/04/07Two pictures of mobile communicationsBy Michael OstermanIn the context of basic communications, such as e-mail and calendaring; as well for unified messaging; there are really two views about the efficacy of mobile communications. The “small” picture for mobile communications is really about making people more productive when they’re away from their desk. As a U.K.-based analyst recently noted, mobile communications is not about unchaining people from their desk, but rather making them more productive when they’re traveling or simply in another part of a building. Mobile communications tools are extremely useful for providing information so that decisions can be made more quickly and so that downtime, such as waiting in an airport, can be much more productive. While I believe this is the “small” picture for mobile communications, this does not mean that it’s insignificant – on the contrary, mobile e-mail, etc. is a critical tool and we expect its use to increase dramatically over the next few years as we will discuss in a soon-to-be-published report on mobile messaging.
However, I believe there is also a “big” picture for mobile messaging, as well, which focuses on driving down business costs simply by not giving people a permanent place to work. Forty-two percent of IBM’s 350,000 employees, for example, do not regularly come into an office, but instead work from home, from the road, etc., saving the company $100 million annually in real estate costs. This translates to a savings of $680 per mobile employee annually. While supporting these types of employees can be more expensive, since they need more tools with which to communicate, the net savings can still be dramatic. At its core, mobile communications (as well as Enterprise 2.0) is not about unchaining people from their desk, but instead selling the desk and getting rid of their office and telling them not to come back without an appointment. Doing so can provide enormous productivity gains and cost savings, but it requires a shift in corporate culture – people need to be evaluated based on what they do, not how and when they do it. Task management and more objective project evaluation criteria become more important than how well someone schmoozes around the water cooler.
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| Contact the author: For webinars or research on messaging, or to join the Osterman Research market research survey panel, go here. Osterman Research helps organizations understand the markets for messaging and directory related offerings. To e-mail Michael, click here. This newsletter is sponsored by Raritan Computer, Inc. Data Center Build outs Simplified ARCHIVEArchive of the Unified Communications Newsletter. BONUS FEATUREIT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICESTo subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007 |
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