Recyclers turn to container tracking systems to improve operational efficiencies
Scrap recycling companies turning to more sophisticated equipment to help improve their bottom lines. Read more
AirClic Marks Breakout Year
Expanded Product Set, Management Team and Market Opportunity Lead to 300% Sales Growth and Record Customer Acquisition. Read more
AirClic Partners with Mobile Operations
Partnerships extend critical business process applications to mobile workers generating additional partner or channel revenue opportunities. Read more
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Mobile success rests on process, not hardware
Everyone loves gadgets. But in the world of mobile technology, as in most business environments, it’s not the coolness of the technology, but what it can do to make the business run better that really counts.
Consulting giant Accenture studied the process-versus-technology issue by analyzing the underlying processes that were improving business performance at their enterprise mobility implementations across several industries. Accenture concluded that the value in enterprise mobility comes from improving business processes—rather than from specific mobile technologies. They found a number of business processes that were particularly well-suited for mobilization and classified them into four categories:
- "Anchor processes" that enhance workflow. These include workforce scheduling and dispatch, and creating, reviewing and updating work orders.
- "Supplemental processes" such as mobile inventory, asset tracking and monitoring, which enhance knowledge and deliver the greatest value when combined with or implemented alongside operational support capabilities.
- "Enabling processes" such as signature capture, alerting or printing that enhance the functionality of another process.
- "Niche processes" that are applicable in specific industry segments and applications. Examples of these include sales pipeline management, account and contact management, and executive dashboards.
Confirming the conclusions of Accenture as they pertain to the operators of private and for-hire truck fleets, is a survey cited in the January 2006 issue of Logistics Management. This survey, conducted by transportation consulting firm Eye for Transport, found that "wireless technology helps improve efficiency, security, and productivity for drivers and equipment when used in such applications as tracking, driver communications, routing and scheduling." Yet "major challenges" to wireless technology were also found to exist. These included "integrating wireless technology with existing systems, training drivers, and managing start-up costs."
A hosted application such as AirClic is ideally suited to meeting these challenges. It can be rapidly developed and deployed within an organization, with a minimum of IT support, and is designed to feed information smoothly to pre-existing back-end systems. That is especially important when IT resources are stretched thin. Training users is less difficult when a device is already familiar and easy to use, such as a mobile phone or Blackberry. Finally, when there is no expensive, proprietary hardware to purchase, the resulting low start-up costs leave the business with more resources to dedicate to process improvement.
At a time when virtually all business processes are being asked to deliver more value, it’s good to have a partner like AirClic, whose gadgets (cool though they are) don’t distract from the important task of drawing the greatest possible value and performance from those business processes.
The best security for handhelds? A tight grip.
It was not long ago, one IT journalist recently observed, that the greatest danger involving mobile technology was that of losing your laptop at the airport. But as mobile devices have grown in both popularity and functionality, so have the dangers. Viruses, worms, and other troublesome creatures, which used to threaten only “full size” computers, are now starting to invade the world of handhelds. So times have changed. But not as much as you might think.
All joking aside, the problem of simply losing a device is still among the most serious security problems for mobile technology. Peter Larsson, the CEO of Pointsec, a leading provider of encryption software for mobile devices, told
Mobile Enterprise magazine that “the biggest risk of getting data into the wrong hands is from losing devices or devices being stolen.” It’s a surprising, even embarrassing problem. But it’s a big problem nonetheless. To illustrate, research conducted by Pointsec (and reported in Information Week) found that, in the city of Chicago alone, travelers left behind an astonishing 85,000 cell phones and 21,000 PDAs in taxicabs in a period of only six months! Most of those, we hope, found their way back to their rightful owners. But some undoubtedly wound up in the wrong hands.
The IT security industry will probably never find a cure for absentmindedness. But passwords, authentication protocols and encryption do help close the security gaps that it opens. In the meantime, the industry is taking steps to address the more malicious security threats. The February 20, 2006 issue of Information Week observed that, “While security threats to mobile devices are in the early stages, they’re likely to become a bigger problem as the devices proliferate, as faster wireless data network speeds let people download files faster, and as mobile hackers become more sophisticated.” That’s why providers like McAfee and Symantec have introduced a range of security systems for mobile devices and plan to expand their offerings.
AirClic is also in the forefront of mobile security. All AirClic devices are password protected, and information is transmitted from them to AirClic servers over a secure wireless network. In addition, because the AirClic scanning device is physically attached to a mobile phone, that means there is one less device for a worker in the field to carry and consequently, fewer chances that the device will be lost or mislaid.
In the never-ending battle for data security, it’s nice to know that the good guys are doing what’s necessary to keep the upper hand. It’s also instructive that sometimes the most simple design features are those that offer the greatest advantages.
Wessin Transport
With thousands of deliveries to keep track of each day, Wessin Transport, an independent transportation company serving the Midwest and East coast, demanded quite a lot when it was choosing a mobile information system.
Wessin experimented with various GPS solutions to track packages through the shipping process, but they didn’t provide confirmation of delivery. Then they looked at traditional scanning technology. But it was lacking in functionality, and didn’t allow the home office or customers to track packages in real time. So Wessin turned to AirClic. AirClic offered a comprehensive solution that automated the company’s proof-of-delivery process, enabled it to track packages individually, and provided the benefits of GPS technology.
"The AirClic solution was easy to implement and mapped to our existing process," said Alan Schostag, manager of information systems at Wessin Transport. "Our drivers were able to get up and running with only 15 minutes of training, and AirClic helped us eliminate errors in the delivery process, which saved us time and money. More importantly, we have seen our business grow as a direct result of offering real-time tracking and proof-of-delivery services."
Wessin now has a proof-of-delivery system that can track 15,000 to 30,000 daily deliveries in real time – significantly reducing the number and costs of lost packages and improving customer service for clients.