Don't Let BYOD Stifle Enterprise Innovation

BYOD has gotten a lot of positive press, often highlighting the decreased costs associated with allowing employees to bring their personal mobile devices into the workplace.  It makes sense when we use mobile devices to access common enterprise services like mail, contacts and calendar; but beyond that, things start to get challenging.

Mobile devices are already being used for much more than email.  About half of Solstice's business is redefining/transforming our clients' internal business processes to leverage the contextual power of mobile. That means we're writing custom software for the mobile platform, many times replacing (or at a minimum, augmenting) current web-based assets.

This is where BYOD becomes a bit of a problem.  Having to support a myriad of different devices for internal use becomes expensive.  And as much as the HTML5 pundits would like to claim you can write once and run everywhere; developing HTML5 apps is not the holy grail.  There still is a significant overhead cost in tweaking code for different OSs, testing across different OS versions and supporting users on different platforms. Also the HTML5 experience is not as good as the native experience, it's just not; and if the app you are building requires a differentiating user experience then native should be in the mix.  BYOD makes native development much more costly.

Folks often cite BYOD as the solution to carrying both a personal and a work device.  The reason folks carried around two devices a couple years ago, is they didn't want to use a crappy corporate assigned Blackberry in their personal lives.  If companies give their employees a modern Android or iDevice, chances are MOST of them will be happy with using that single device.  That means companies would need to be willing to personally enable corporate devices; which most MDMs support.

I'm not claiming you should throw out your BYOD strategy, but don't let it be a roadblock to innovating internally. Many of your core enterprise systems will be ported to smartphone/tablet OSs in the next 12-24 months.  You need to acknowledge and get ahead of that.

Mobile in the enterprise isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.  Consider a hybrid strategy, where (for example) you support BYOD email for the organization at large, but standardize on a corporate device for departments that are using mobile as a competitive advantage (i.e. front office, field service, point of service workers, etc.).  The cost of the hardware/data/maintenance will likely be less than the software costs of supporting multiple platforms in the long run.   With access to native technologies behind the firewall, you can also take advantage of the significant returns contextual technologies and native experiences can produce for your organization.

As always, alternative view points in the comments below are welcome.

-J

Enterprise Mobile Innovation: Bullets over Cannonballs

We are in the midst of an enterprise software re-platforming; not unlike the move from mainframe to client-server applications; or from client-server to web applications.  Contextual-aware devices with natural user interfaces are going to dramatically change the way we work over the next few years.  This can be daunting to CIOs and enterprise application owners, but it doesn't have to be.  

When asked "where to get started" an initial lightweight mobile strategy (think weeks not months) should be put in place to highlight where the mobile moments are in the business, as well as what the underlying architecture of the mobile channel should look like. This is not too incredulous of a task.  Many patterns have been identified and proven, it's a matter of picking the right ones for your organization.

But on the heels of that strategy, it's time to get started.  And getting started doesn't necessarily mean "boiling the ocean" or re-platforming the entire enterprise in one foul swoop. It also doesn't mean firing a "me too" app out into the app store and claiming "we're mobile!".  It means, as a stakeholder, it is your responsibility to aim carefully and take a shot at redefining how a portion of your business operates. I like the analogy of starting with a few well-aimed bullets vs. firing a massive cannonball at your mobile transformation. The following diagram illustrates one approach to identify game changing opportunities in your organization.

The items on the left are examples of corporate strategic initiatives: Improving the supply chain; Shortening the order-to-cash process; Increasing sales to current customers, etc. These are not technology initiatives, they are business initiatives that have been outlined by your board, your executive committee or your CEO.  

The items in the middle are a quick inventory of the enterprise technology assets you already have and that you plan to continue to expand in the foreseeable future.  These are investments you have already made in your organization and you are going to USE them and collect on some dividends!

The items on the right (Contextual Awareness platforms, Internet of Things platforms, Natural User Interfaces) are some examples of innovative and emerging technologies that can help you "change the game" for your organization or industry. These technologies are fundamentally changing how humans interact with computers and they have (and will continue) to disrupt industries.

The next step is to connect the dots, starting at the left and branching off to the right, figuring out which bullet to fire first.  Identify how you can solve the corporate strategic initiatives by delivering existing enterprise technologies in new and more meaningful ways.

One, well aimed bullet can change the game for an organization or industry.  Companies like Uber and Square have completely disrupted their respective industries (taxi cabs and cash registers) by taking advantage of the contextual capabilities of mobile. It's your turn to make the same impact in your industry.  It's time to take the shot.

-J

Skate To Where The Puck Is Going To Be

"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been" - Wayne Gretzky

When investing in the digital channel, businesses need to consider investing in the mobile channel first, and the big browser second (vs. the historic view point of the other way around).  Customers and employees are picking up their mobile devices first, when they want information or an answer to a question.  If they can't conveniently get that information from their smartphones and tablets, they are retreating to legacy desktops and laptops for their information.  In other words, mobile is becoming the user's "first screen". This change in human behavior parallels the rise in smartphone and tablet adoption (now over 51%).  Mobile is fundamentally changing how the human race receives information.  While the PC Revolution brought computing power to 100s of millions of people, the Contextual Revolution will bring that same power to billions.  The big browser still has a very important role in human information consumption, but it should be in support of the mobile channel experience, vs. the other way around.

"We understand that the new rule is mobile first. Mobile first in everything. Mobile first in terms of applications. Most first in terms of the way people use things. And it means … that we have a role now to inform, to educate through all these devices." - Eric Schmidt, Google

Enterprise Contextual Computing: From Google Now to Enterprise Now!

Over the last 30 years, our society has been on a technological journey:

If I had to put my finger on where we are on this journey, I'd say we're somewhere between the tail-end of Mobile Computing and the beginning of Contextual Computing.  Contextual Computing is computing in context of a user's environment.  More specifically, it's linking changes in a user's environment with a computer system or app, making it more convenient to interact with.  As sensors in our phones and other connected devices around us become more prevalent, we can infer more about a user's context, things such as: location, motion, direction, sound, visual cues (image recognition), weather, traffic, previous user behavior, social preferences and of course, time.

All of this information can be used to provide more valuable information about what information a user might want to know right now. This allows us to start complementing the traditional mobile computing pull mechanism, "Please answer my question" to more of a push mechanism, "Proactively tell me information that is relevant to me right now".

We often hear lots of cool contextual computing examples in the consumer context:

• Wake me up early if it snowed last night
• Suggest I leave for my next meeting sooner if there is lots of traffic
• Turn down the temperature in my house to save energy if I have not been there awhile

Technologies such as Google now are enabling this (and also why my next phone will be an Android).  But what about at work?  I think there are actually more enterprise opportunities than consumer opportunities.

Contextual computing allows us to improve business processes and streamline workflows based on knowledge of a user's environment and their past behaviors.  Here are a few examples.

• Field Service:  tell me my relevant work orders based on my geo-fenced location
• MRO:  proactively tell me about specific products that I need to reorder based on what store I am currently in and past purchase history
• Smart Office: show me quickly which conference rooms are currently unoccupied (physically, not by calendar) for the impromptu meeting/conversation I need to have
• Project Management:  bring up relevant past action items/to dos (across all my meetings) based on who is in the room with me right now
• Financial Advisor:  while I'm out visiting clients, show me relevant financial news based on which customer's office I am in and their portfolio's current holdings
• Government:  optimize snow removal routes based on snow fall levels, past plow patterns (of the entire fleet) and current traffic
• Healthcare: Remind me (patient) to take my pills when I get home.  Tell me (doctor) if my patient hasn't refilled his prescription in the required timeframe

These are just a handful of ideas but the opportunities are everywhere, across every industry and every line of business within those industries.  The real power of mobile is just starting to be tapped as we enter the era of contextual computing. Thankfully, the technology required to power these opportunities is available today, and we don't have to use Google Now.  We can build these services right into the enterprise data center; in fact we're already implementing many of these solutions.

I'll talk more about ubiquitous computing concepts as time goes on, as the realization of that era is not far off; but for now, let's focus on unlocking the power of our enterprise mobile channel by utilizing all the great information available about our users' environment.  Let's create Enterprise Now!

Let The Product Lead

In Agile project delivery, there is an important principle referred to as "Let The Product Lead".

That means we set personal agendas aside, to ensure that every action we take is in the best interest of the Product.  We defer to the Product's needs over our own career agenda, our department's political agenda and (as a service provider) our company's financial agenda.   Let me give you some examples.

A friend recently told me about an mCommerce project which needed to include analytics in their application.  John, the IT lead, insisted on leveraging a home-grown system they had developed to capture user/performance analytics.  Freely available analytics packages were actually more comprehensive than the home-grown solution John's team had developed, but John wanted to use the home-grown framework because it helped solidify IT's role in the project.  Although this was in the best interest of John's team, this was not in the best interest of the Product.  As a result, the Product suffered over time, because it didn't deliver the comprehensive feedback the Product Owner needed to help guide the Product's maturation.

In another example; we had a project awhile back where a strong Product Owner (PO) wasn't identified by our customer.  Instead they assigned the role to Tim, who was not familiar with the PO role.   Instead of taking responsibility of coaching Tim, we offered up one of our own POs to fill the role.  This was not effective for the long term; since ultimately, the PO needs to have a communication line to executive leadership to guide The Product effectively.  Although providing a temporary PO in the short term served our needs for the project, it did not serve the needs of The Product.  That was a bad decision on our  part.  We didn't let The Product lead.

Large enterprise projects often require the involvement from many different parts of an organization.  It's important that when working on a project we all have a common understanding of the Product's goals and align our actions with those goals.  Doing so will ensure more successful projects and ultimately, a happier work environment.

Responsive Web Design - Not The Holy Grail

Responsive Web Design (RWD) is increasingly becoming legacy web designers' answer to solving usability for mobile devices. While responsive design may make sense in some instances, in a majority of cases, it simply doesn't.

 First a quick Wikipedia explanation of Responsive Web Design:

Responsive Web Design indicates that a web site is crafted to use  fluid proportion-based grids, to adapt the layout to the viewing environment, and also use flexible images. As a result, users across a broad range of devices and browsers will have access to a single source of content, laid out so as to be easy to read and navigate with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling.

This sounds great in theory.  A single front end code base to cover all screen sizes: big browser, tablet and smartphone.  This paradigm may work well for content-focused sites (i.e. a marketing campaign landing page or a blog) but it's applicability doesn't extend much beyond that.

Think Tasks Not Content

Most sites aren't made to simply consume content; they provide self-service capabilities, user and social interactions and integrated feedback mechanisms. In these cases RWD patterns fall down. The tasks users expect to complete in the mobile channel will often be decidedly different than in the big browser.  Users are often looking to do a subset of their normal tasks on a mobile device, or a different set of (mobile only) tasks all together.  They will also expect to perform these tasks in a more streamlined manner.  Responsive Web Design may address changes in page layout but it doesn't address significant changes in a site's information architecture, or the workflow a user may follow to perform a particular function.  Take a look at the difference in American Airlines big browser and mobile web layouts for example:

The design of the mobile site (information architecture, features and workflow) are considerably different than the big browser site.  Even the tasks are different (i.e. Mobile Boarding Pass).  RWD only addresses a small part of this equation. Using a RWD pattern in this case would actually require quite a bit more development than managing separate front-end code bases for the two channels.

The Native App Channel

Responsive Web Design patterns also do not effectively address the native app equation.  Whether or not a company is looking to invest in native apps now, eventually they will need to.  If they want to save money, companies need to think about native apps while they are laying down the architecture for their mobile web channel.

The best way to lay the groundwork for native is by building a mobile site that utilizes an ajax-enabled mobile web framework (i.e. JQuery Mobile or Sencha Touch) that integrates with back-end content and services via web services (typically JSON).  Sites that utilize an asynchronous web service interaction model can reuse their mobile web services in the native channel.  This gives you the flexibility to build fully native applications in the future without incurring additional server-side development cost.  This pattern also sets the stage for integration with future human-computer interfaces like augmented reality devices and the internet of things.

There is a place for RWD,  but its functions are limited to content-focused sites. Arguably, even in those cases the cost savings will quickly diminish as the features and user experience of the two different channels inevitably diverge.

Be careful of web designers pedaling legacy web techniques to solve future platform problems. We need to utilize next generation patterns and technologies to take advantage of next generation opportunities.

J's Interview on the Future of Enterprise Mobility

I had a chance to sit down with CEO Intronet last week and chat about the future of mobility. Here's a video of the conversation.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts on what the future holds for enterprise mobility in the comments below.
-J

From Smart Phone to Smart Office

Mobile computing goes further than smartphones and tablets.  At Solstice Mobile, we think about more than the device delivering content. We consider where the device is being used, what kind of content is being delivered, what other actions are in play when content is being accessed/delivered, and how the surrounding physical environment should inform the experience.  Here at Solstice Mobile, we talk about contextual computing.

Contextual computing is about computing in the physical world, away from the desk, in ways that make our live's more efficient and enjoyable.  Sometimes that computing task is facilitated via a smartphone or a tablet, but not always.  Sometimes it is facilitated by something connected to the Internet of Things: Like a WiFi enabled digital pen, or an I-Pass reader on the tollway; or a Speedpass at a McDonald's cash register; or a redbox kiosk; or a Nest thermostat.  Mobile is about computing in context of who you are, where you are and most importantly, how you want to interact with our global, interconnected, eco-system. 

Outside of our client projects, we're starting to incorporate these concepts into our offices in Chicago's Haymarket Square with our Smartoffice Program.  Our innovation roadmap already includes:

• Wireless video streaming of any laptop, smartphone or tablet to any flat panel display in the office. 
• Live Tweets of what conference rooms are open/occupied 
• Status of what in-suite bathrooms are available (seems odd, I know, but there is some quantifiable opportunity for operational efficiency here)
• Installation of smartphone enabled/lockable thermostats (a useful enhancement to correct one of the few downsides of having our offices in a 100+ year old timber loft building, we mess with the thermostat a lot, too much in some cases)
• Contextual QR Code scans around the office to trigger reorder requests for printer paper, paper towels, office supplies, food, beverages and the like
• A Stinky Fridge Button (button near the fridge, when pressed, sends out a floor-wide email notification of an impeding 48 hour fridge dump)
• Conference room body motion sensors to allow for 3D gesture control of any video streamed apps (CNN style)

These are a just a few of the initial low-hanging fruit ideas we'll be incorporating in the coming months.  Got any other ideas for our Smart Office program?  We'd love to hear them in the comments below.

-J

A Daily Splash of Star Talent

I was fortunate enough to have a recent article picked up in the Sun Times' Daily Splash.  The piece focused on our involvement with the excellent local NFP, i.c. stars. Since 1999, i.c.stars has been identifying, training and jump-starting technology careers for Chicago-area low-income young adults who demonstrate extraordinary potential for success. The program puts talented young adults through three-month technology boot camps, while partnering with Chicago tech firms to provide real-world experience.

We've been a sponsor of i.c. stars for a number of years and, thanks to our continued growth, have been able to increase our involvement with the organization.  A couple stars, Lance Andrews and Alphonso Scales recently partnered with our team to complete a mobile project for the State of Illinois.  They have now moved on to work on the next release of our MiTeam app.  As they work through their internship they are coming up to speed quickly on next-generation HTML5 technologies and have been a great addition to our team.

It's been a great partnership with the stars. The leadership team over there are really making a difference and we wish them continued success.  Their upcoming TechBash event is always a great time, if you haven't been to one, you should check it out.   

-J

The Pizza Button, Nest Thermostats and the Internet of Things

Did you know somewhere in the world, there is a magnet on someone's fridge, and when they press it, a pizza arrives at their door 30 minutes later?

Neither did I until I attended trendwatching.com's Consumer Trend Watching seminar today at the Sax Hotel in Chicago.  Henry Mason unleashed a firehose of information on consumer trends.  Here's one of his nuggets that I'm lining up behind.

There is a relatively new concept called the Internet of Things.  The idea is with the pervasiveness of Wi-Fi, Cellular networks, Bluetooth and NFC, many of ordinarily offline devices can now be online, and therefore, smarter.

The Nest Thermostat is a great example.  Developed by the same guy that designed the iPod, Nest is a thermostat that connects to the internet to pick up local weather patterns, and combines that information with your coming-and-going patterns to lower your heating and cooling bills.  It also looks sweet.

At last week's GigaOM Mobilize conference there was an entire session on the 'Connected Car Experience'.  A myriad of use cases were given; such as your car running over a pothole and automatically sending a message to the Streets and Sanitation Department with the precise GPS location they need to ignore (I kid, I kid).

Rich Miner talked about a prototype being developed of an Android computer in the shape of a lightbulb that could screw into any lamp; and project the "screen" onto the surface below the lamp. 

So what does this all mean?  Mobile is more than smartphones and tablets.  It's anywhere, everywhere computing.  It's living in a world of connected devices; devices on us and around us.  It's technology that is truly ubiquitous.  As Mark Weiser so eloquently stated (almost 25 years ago):

"The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it."

We're almost there, Mark.  Oh and that Pizza button thing?  It's for real. . . and I want one.

Hold on to your hats folks, this mobile party is just getting started.