echnology managers are responsible for far-flung, distributed computing-work that takes place in hotel rooms at midnight, at customer sites across the country, and in airplanes flying at 35,000 feet.
Unfortunately, there are few management tools to help. As a result, companies with large numbers of mobile employees have learned that managing the remote arm of the corporate network is less about technology and more about common sense. The new rules: Offer extensive training before the first remote user goes live; provide standard desktops that are easy to use; and always have a well-versed,
readily available help desk. "Don't underestimate the amount of support you'll need," says Joe Albrecht, new technologies administrator at Chiron Vision Corp., a Claremont, Calif., maker of ophthalmology devices. "Otherwise, you'll end up with a $5,000 paperweight."
For the last year, Chiron Vision has been developing a sales-force automation program that will involve nearly 100 mobile users. Most of the applications use E-mail, file transfer, and an inventory application that uses bar-code scanners plugged into the notebooks. "When we're finished, it will all be mission-critical," Albrecht says.
Mobile computing isn't cheap. The equipment, telecommunications links, training, and extended help desks can cost twice as much as supporting a LAN, say industry analysts. "Remote desktops are more expensive," says John Minnick, manager of corporate MIS technologies at Siemens Energy & Automation Inc., an Alpharetta, Ga., maker of electrical products. But they're worth it. "For us, the return on investment h
as been realized in the last six months," Minnick says of his 18-month project. The work initially set out to support 350 users, but has grown to nearly 2,000. Now that Siemens' mobile forces can get information electronically, there's no need to mail out packages of paper or diskettes. "We expect to save $1 million a year," Minnick says.
Mobile computing also lets companies improve customer relations. Says the project manager of a leading banking and mortgage company: "We made the decision to give our loan officers laptops and push them out of the offices so they can get as close to the customer as much as possible."
IT managers realize the importance of their companies' mobile workforce. Keith Gilbert, IS manager at Labor Ready Inc., a Tacoma, Wash., temporary employment agency, has 280 remote sites and 100 roving managers across the country. "The people on those laptops are the ones making the money," he says.
Keeping track of assets is probably the most difficult aspect of managing mobile work
ers. The likelihood that an IT department's asset information on its mobile computers is correct at any given time is low, analysts say. Many companies use informal systems that require administrators to input information-including serial number, memory capacity, and purchase price-into a database at the corporate site. Because the mobile computer isn't found in the confines of the company, the task is unwieldy. Also, the lack of management tools requires IT departments to set ground rules early on. Most importantly: Make the mobile computer easy to use-but difficult to change.
A good mobile computing project also means keeping a supply of spare notebooks that can be shipped to users within 24 hours. Every time Chiron Vision's mobile workers dial in to the corporate network, their systems are automatically backed up. "We can restore their system to exactly as it looked the last time they called in," Albrecht says.
Equally important, IT managers say, is ease of use. For HBO & Co., an Atlanta software
and services provider, that meant designing a common user interface, says Ed Hunkin, an associate applications programmer. The interface is a window with six buttons (for connect, hang-up, mail, the company phone book, accounting, and Windows Explorer) and four tabs (for business applications, Microsoft tools, subscriber lists, and utilities). Standard user interfaces also make it easier for the help desk to assist mobile workers, Hunkin says.
Well-equipped support centers are another must. According to Michael Howard, president of Infonetics Research Inc., a consulting firm in San Jose, Calif., mobile workers spend an average of six hours a month on installation, configuration, and problem solving. "Some of it is unavoidable," he says. "But six hours a month means those people are wasting time messing with remote access when they should be doing their jobs."
Ideally, a help desk should be available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. But that can be extremely expensive. Instead, many companies run he
lp desks in shifts or use pager systems with support personnel rotating on call. Others, such as HBO, outsource help-desk operations.
Training is also vital. Unfortunately, it's often overlooked, experts say. "The more training you do," says Albrecht, "the fewer help desk calls you'll get."
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echnology managers are responsible for far-flung, distributed computing-work that takes place in hotel rooms at midnight, at customer sites across the country, and in airplanes flying at 35,000 feet.
