Governing High-Tech

Whether you're aware of it or not, your local and state governments play a big role in your daily life by providing valuable services such as police and fire protection, garbage collection, water and sewage services, road maintenance and repair, snowplowing and more. As time and technology move forward, governments are looking at ways to provide those services in the most efficient manner possible. Whether it's to speed up meter-reading efforts or to more quickly locate and repair damaged street signs, towns and states are turning to mobile technology solutions to meet their needs. In this month's cover story, contributing writer Tim Scannell takes a look at how governments are putting mobile technology to use to improve the quality of our lives.

One essential tool of the field worker is ruggedized equipment that's built to weather the weather and other extreme conditions. Executive Editor Michelle Maisto takes a look at the best options out there and the features decision-makers should consider before purchasing rugged hardware.

Our third feature this month dives into the critical notion of up-time and how service level agreements help mobile enterprises get the most from their hardware, software and services vendors.

On a personal level, this marks my last issue as Mobile Enterprise's editor-in-chief. Michelle Maisto has been promoted to this position. Congratulations, Michelle. I know you'll serve Mobile Enterprise well. Lastly, I'd like to thank the great team of people I've worked with over the years to make this magazine a success. Ed, Michelle, Jeff and Jessica, it's been a pleasure. Thanks.