Midmarket Clan Chat: Deploying Mobile in the Midmarket

Looking forward to the live blog!

@Awilliams wow! a street hustler once told me that ATM machines were one of the biggest detriments to what they do.. "I have no cash on me.. have to go to the ATM"...

Thanks all for joining in.  Feel free to carry on, but I am headed for food.

I must hop off as well. Hope to see you in the live blog at 2, pals. Thanks for coming to the chat today.

@AW.  Maybe they could carry a QR tag, allowing you to put money in their PayPal just by pointing your device.

Yes come check out the live blog at 2, if you're free! http://www.internetevolution.com/messages.asp?piddl_msgthreadid=241746

During one period of my life I was a frequent flyer between London and New York. That's how I read Proust (true).

I suddenly wonder how the rise of electronic wallets is going to affect people asking you for money on the subway

Probably going to jump off at 1.50 guys, so I can make a picnic for live blogging Eric Schmidt at the Senate.  Should be fun.  Apparently he's going to claim Google search is threatened by Bing (the search engine which can't find anything.)

I used to find the same peaceful reading time during a bus commute.

Sad, Kim. :(

Good for you, jwallace!

Some of my commute is above ground.  :(

The main reason I love the subway is that there's no cell reception.

@Kim Thanks to the NYC subway, I finished several books cover to cover including "Brief History of Time".. can't say I understood half of the book but I read it!

AW, the subway is a place for quiet reading.

what would be the benefit of data connections avail everywhere? and @Kim, good point, chatter everywhere would be quite disturbing.. as if feeling like a sardine during peak hours isn't already.

I agree with Nicole, there is a trend for consumerization of the workplace, and it doesn't look like it'll stop

That's a deeper problem, Nicole.  IT as the adversary.

Obviously the subway is for making new friends and having great conversation with the wonderful characters

I do think part of the problem here, going back to the original discussion point, is that IT has a contentious relationship with end users and is hardly ever willing to conceded to what users claim their demands are.

j.wallace, I hope you don't disturb other passengers with your phone calls.

including tunnels.

I mean providing internet access (even at a cost) is just sooooo difficult underground.

I so like intermittent access and losing connections. so much for ubiquitous computing.

Quite true, Kim!

Some subway systems have this, don't they?  Not New York.  We scarcely have trains, favoring floods and power outages instead.

Subway data links seem unnecessary and insecure. I've started to avoid any WiFi. This might be even more wobbly.

Same OS for Chromebook, Android, desktops.  Would help enormously with support.  Microsoft is into something (if it works).  And if Bing is optional.

Seems unnecessary.

@Nicole yes so people on the trains (subway) can use their phones, ipads, laptops etc..

@Kim: I think Alan told me once the Chrome has big potential. Of course, the OS needs work, I think.

I cannot wait until everthing is on the cloud. Including a snapshot of my machine (all apps and what I was doing in them including this text in this textbox) before shutdown.

data connections on the subway?

@jwallace not sure about data connections, but check out here http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/217034/20110920/mta-on-the-go-travel-station-subway-nyc-touch-screen-kiosk.htm

Ah, Alan has a great excuse!

did someone mention data connections on the subway?

I don't know, Kim. It's based on Android, right, the least secure OS?

@Mary I think you can buy external keyboards for some tablets. But they're not part of the product package.

then again have you seen that the new york subway is now going to be installing touch screens everywhere?

Do we think the Chrome Book will see  big uptake by the enterprise?

Welcome, jwallace.

Suddenly I forgot the meaning of the word ad-hoc. I often used the phrase adhoc pessimistic.

Alan Reiter is actually on one of our sister sites right now sharing his brilliance with them.

That's too many amendments to the hardware, if you ask me, Awilliams.

Where is Alan Reiter?

idk a tablet with a wireless keyboard could be sweet. Just give it a little kickstand

Some tablets I believe allow for external keyboards.

Nicole? Do you know whether tablets come with integral keyboards?

@Mary.  Could you write 1000 words on a touchscreen keyboard?  Maybe it's a matter of getting used to it.

Right.  But can you?

@Kim: I was thinking more along the lines of tablets having integral keyboard capabilities.

Once you start attaching a keyboard to a tablet, I wonder why you're bothering. Use a netbook or a small laptop.

@Mary, do you mean attaching a keyboard?  I can't imagine using a touch-screen keyboard for extended work.

After all, Apple has to charge its 30% commission and take the subscriber data, doesn't it?

@Kim: Aren't tablets workable for those of us who are keyboard and mouse dependent?

Yes I think you're right, Awilliams. I know that's the case on the iPhone, at least, so I assume the iPad as well.

I'm fairly certain that most tablets (it seems most devices) come with some preinstalled stuff you can't rid of

That's OK, Awilliams, I was wondering if you used a tablet and had the answer to Kim's question.

Tablets look cute, but I am so keyboard dependent I couldn't justify one.

@Kim, not while telecommuting.

@Nicole I'm here was distracted for a bit

Sales people like to look cutting edge and thus are creating a huge demand for keeping up with product innovation

No tablet for me. Is Awilliams still here?

Are you usually connected wirelessly, Mary?

Shocked to learn from John Myers that MySpace is a common pre-installed app on smartphones.

It is interesting that I use my actual landline less and less for work.

Are pre-installed apps common on tablets?  (I don't know if we have any tablet users here.)

Sorry guys!

Like someone might steal tomorrow's blog.

Thus exposing us to manifold security risks.

It just makes sense from a productivity standpoint for IT to consider user needs here. I find the BlackBerry functionless and even though I have one for work purposes, I use my personal iPhone when I really need to get something done outside of the office.

Common sense on the individual level, I agree Mary.  Not impossible, surely, to pull this together as an enterprise plan.

I'd love a tablet! But I don't travel enough to justify one. See, there are criteria I would already set for mobile gear all by myself. Why wouldn't IT do that?

I'm also thinking about the virtual office.  Beyond just telecommuting, there's the possibility of meeting, collaborating on documents, doing business from anywhere using mobile and the cloud.  It's not a distant prospect.

Big "if", Kimbo.

Many are using them to give product demos now, it seems.

I am thinking about Windows8 at this point.  An OS which is agnostic about devices could be a boon, if Microsoft can pull it off in an unbuggy, moderately secure way.

I've definitely noticed a lot of salespeople toting tablets at conferences.

Tablets for marketers on the road - good for presentations.

So, what might be some of the choices? Blackberrys versus cheaper Android phones for sales? iPhones for creative marketers?

Of course, measuring ROI is difficult.

The response from a smart midtier enterprise shouldn't be, oh no, another IT problem, too difficult for this week.

I agree, regarding security. That has to be the #1 concern.

One thing I perhaps didn't emphasize enough is the business value of strategizing for mobile.  Increased efficiency and productivity.

Surely one reason mobile must be managed is security.  Per John Myers' blog.  Just giving up on security is not a good idea.

But it might be nice if everyone agreed on a common smartphone.

It was interesting talking to Matt Conner, our inhouse producer, on video editing for tablets.  Not yet, but he can see it coming.

Yes. My point is that many enterprises can't even keep up with the needs of employees when it comes to internal IT, so managing the ever-evolving world of mobile may be a lot to ask for.

@Awilliams: Well, going with the sales and executive flow might be one way of achieving what Kim is endorsing.

@Nicole.  Surely mobile is changing much faster than internal IT systems and desktops?

Roles change.  Devices change.  Security concerns change.  These all need to be fed into the plan.

I agree Mary. But the same goes for regular hardware. Like, different users have different requirements in terms of computer speed and inbox size.

There are several moving parts here.  But still not rocket science.

From what I hear most enterprises are finding that employees (particularly mobile ones like sales) want thier own device and are essentially dictacting this policy to the company. Doesn't hurt that executives want the same thing

Seems to me that getting the most detailed information possible about user requirements is a "must."

The ad hoc approach would be a valued employer saying "I need this" and the response being, well he/she knows best, here you go. 

I know that our company is still sticking to BlackBerry.

Hello all.  I wonder if enterprises are really thinking seriously about this yet.  Any experiences to share?

Hello Awilliams, welcome to the chat!

Thanks for the introduction, Kim.

Awilliams! Hello!

I think the profiling of employee smartphone requirements is important. Key, in fact. I can't understand why a firm would do otherwise.

Hi all!

Right. There are so many options now and enterprises need to evaluate which makes the most sense for their purposes.

As Kim notes, just throwing a smartphone at the problem is a losing proposition.

I think the issue of ad hoc deployment of mobile comms is pretty significant. A lot of money can be wasted if companies take a scattershot approach.

Mobile in the midmarket. Important topic.

Hey Nicole!

Hey Mary!

Hi everyone!