There's no doubt that the skyrocketing sales of hand-held devices have forced the software industry to sit up and take notice of a potentially massive market emerging in the wireless enterprise space. While analysts stress that the network infrastructure still has a long way to go to comfortably support enterprise-class applications for mobile devices, the projected demand for wireless data in coming years makes it imperative for companies to begin planning a coherent mobile strategy now to reap the expected benefits of pervasive computing. The first hosted wireless auction sites and marketplaces are now up and running and companies are exploring ways to extend enterprise information systems to smart phones, PDAs, two-way pagers and palmtop computers. Things certainly seem to be moving in the right direction. While horizontal applications such as e-mail and messaging have led the way in mobile data transactions, the emerging wave of mobile applications promises greater specialization for specific industry needs.
Information is power.
With wireless, workers can do virtually anything, whether they're in the office or out. If this sounds like a classic case of vendor overenthusiasm, it might be, but the reality is that early adopters are already reaping the benefits from wireless applications in industries such as financial services, health care, insurance, public safety and government services. The company's field sales representatives visit computer retail stores to collect client-specific sales and marketing information. The data is then transferred upstream to a central database and reports are automatically generated and available to clients through a password-protected Web page. The move to wireless has completely eliminated the cost of creating, printing and overnight mailing customized paper forms.