What’s a MEAP and who is that in the Picture?

By  Lori Castle
I came across this quote in a blog while doing some research recently, “MEAP’s are going to be the new *aaS. If you don’t understand that statement, consider yourself blessed.” Well, a few weeks ago, I definitely didn’t know what a MEAP was, but in just a short time, I have already become familiar with this acronym and many others in the world of mobility.

If you are reading my name for the first time, I am the new editor of ME, though am not new to our parent company, Edgell Communications. I spent some time covering a single vertical - consumer goods - and multiple technologies (with lots of acronyms of their own) like supply chain, CRM, TPM, NPDI, ERP, analytics and more. I now look forward to working across industries on a single (in theory) discipline. When I think back to my prior work in consumer goods, mobility really wasn’t a hot topic for the enterprise. It’s amazing what’s changed in a few years.

Most recently, I was with the fourth largest licensed eyewear manufacturing company, so I have never left the world of B2B. And, while I didn’t know it at the time, the first-hand enterprise knowledge I gained there would come in handy in my role as editor here.

One of my responsibilities was as a member of the “cross-functional iPad committee" working with IT, sales, executive leadership, marketing, customer service, brand AND an outside partner to develop and deploy a proprietary app  along with the device for field sales to take orders. The app would transform the business, but had to be integrated with an infrastructure that was more than 30 years old. Imagine the fun…

So while I have experienced just a fraction of what you, as mobility leaders in your companies go through, it does help me understand your challenges. My job now is to help you find answers through telling the stories of your peers, connecting you with colleagues outside of your own and solution partners when you need them, as well as letting you know what smart people are thinking. Please always feel free to send me your feedback.