Instant Answers

By Susan Nunziata
The demand for real-time access to key business applications is continuing to grow. End users across a wide range of industry verticals are all telling us a similar tale of how their business processes have improved since deploying mobile solutions that give their workforce anywhere, anytime access to key data.

This issue of Mobile Enterprise is abrim with such examples, whether it's a utility company using machine-to-machine communication to manage its fuel resources, as with our cover story subject National Grid, or a restaurant chain looking to manage its employees more effectively, as with the featured case study in our Focus On Field Service report. The latter feature, which begins on page 10, highlights the real-world experiences of a wide range of end-users who are achieving results by equipping their workforces with real-time wireless access to core business apps.

Indeed, as VDC's Peter Crocker tells us in his Open Source column on page 30, the average number of wireless applications supported per enterprise user is expected to double by 2013. Demand for wireless data services is expected to climb accordingly, says Crocker.

Demand for data is giving rise to a range of delivery options, including the concept of cloud computing. But, as our security columnist Ben Halpert cautions in his column on page 8, cloud computing is not without its risks and enterprises would do well to handle with care.

Ensuring a secure wireless data network is crucial. On page 24, Mobile Enterprise Contributing Editor Tim Scannnell explores the latest trends in Network Access Control, which is evolving from simple authentication and prevention to much more sophisticated functionality.

These are just some of the many features you'll find in this issue of Mobile Enterprise. We encourage you to visit our newly re-launched website, www.mobileenterprisemag.com, for an even deeper dive into the world of enterprise mobility. And while you're there, take a minute to sign up for our weekly Mobilizer e-newsletter. We always welcome your feedback; email  Editor@MobileEnterpriseMag.com