Mobile take-up growing but patchy

Mobile working may be catching on in manufacturing faster than many realise. According to research by enterprise networking company Omnetica more than 90% of businesses currently have an operational mobile environment. Omnetica strategy director Alex Black concedes that figure is “slightly higher” than in general manufacturing. But he adds that if the automotive and high tech sectors are a good yardstick, it is coming – both for sales people on the move and for factory and production managers needing to be on the shopfloor. His concern is that no fewer than 60% of organisations embark on mobile technology without having worked out a business case or gauged their return o investment. “They’re doing it tactically by stealth, not thinking strategically,” he says. Nevertheless, the key drivers cited are to reduce costs, improve efficiency, effectiveness and productivity – and also improve the environment for business continuity. “Our research shows that companies with a mobile environment beyond email are more flexible and responsive simply because the information they need is more readily accessible.” Currently, however, security remains the biggest barrier to uptake. Black agrees that is a serious issue, but suggests that, as long as it is considered carefully, “the technology is there to handle it.” As for key advice, on the client side, he suggests that if the requirement is sales orientated, then laptops, notebooks and PDAs make sense, while in the production environment, wireless-enabled PDAs are seeing most growth – although if email alerts are all that’s required, he suggests devices like the Blackberry. Meanwhile, at the server end, if the corporate network infrastructure has been designed well, there won’t be a lot of impact.