Mobility Solutions

Mobility Solutions
Successful human enterprises of all kinds and in all ages have depended on effective knowledge sharing. The modern discipline of MIS (Management of Information Systems), built on an eclectic blend of science, math and sociological models, dates to the 1940s. It has evolved since then into a major field of management and a key resource for companies and agencies that require fast, reliable information to compete and prosper. In recent decades, a rapid acceleration of electronic information systems has altered the landscape for Information Managers. Increasingly, their job is to optimize the quality and relevance of information being shared (a plethora of data generated by computers can slow, rather than accelerate processes unless it can be effectively channeled), and to help their organizations move faster in a competitive global economy.

Enter MoIS (Mobile Information Systems), the new “mobility” component that is changing the face of MIS. In just a few years, three technology leaps –new and highly portable mobile hardware, better software, and improved cellular data connectivity via WiFi – have converged to catapult MoIS to a new position of relevance for groups that thrive on reliable, real-time information. With excellent cellular data connections available in most major cities and the transportation corridors that connect them, the brick-and-mortar boundaries that tie workers to the office are rapidly disappearing. Today, it is possible to perform many tasks just as efficiently in the field as in the office in all but the most remote rural areas. Soon, newly available broader spectrums will begin to open up those areas, as well.

Its potential to transform the workplace has made MoIS the new frontier for Information Managers. A caveat has been accessibility: like other pioneer technologies, the first mobile systems have been less than user-friendly. In the real world, where workforce members range widely in technical skills and time for training is limited, there is a need for hardware and interfaces built on familiar platforms. The fullness of the MoIS age will not be realized until this challenge has been met.

But when it is conquered, the potential is almost unlimited. Picture field workers with an entire suite of advanced technologies at their fingertips, able to communicate with each other, their home base office, the Web, satellite mapping resources, and every other kind of information technology – no matter where in the world they are operating. Better yet, imagine empowering even the non-techies of the modern workforce with tools that help them do their job on the fly. Suddenly, a virtual office concept seems viable and even requisite for teams involved in surveying (environmental studies teams, research and marketing, inspections and audits, emergency response, asset tracking, etc.) and related tasks that range from verifying locations to documentation to reporting.

As mobility technology progresses, almost every field will benefit. The fully mobilized group can dispatch workers where they are needed most, without downtime and wasted or duplicated effort. In an age of rapidly changing business markets, up-to-the-minute information is critical to good decision-making. This is true not only in the world of commerce; increasingly, government agencies, military units and utilities are challenged by policy, compliance, and operational changes that make flexibility essential. Small workforce groups benefit when they can work faster and more efficiently. For a Fortune 500 company, the technology can be used to consolidate silos of information and to boost mobility. Studies have shown that there is always an improvement, usually more significant than five to ten percent. Imagine the impact of even a five percent on a large organization – truly a competitive edge!