ChannelTrends: Gain Greater Control (and Revenue) From the Road

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." When Jack Kerouac uttered those words, he was inspiring his generation to see the world and enjoy the carefree life, not drawing attention to a thriving mobile workforce. But his comments do reflect the contemporary solution provider’s life, though their time on the road is more often dictated by business necessity than the need to roam the country.

Kerouac’s “beatnik” philosophy may not be as prevalent in 2012 as it was in the early 1960s, but thanks to today’s business environment and demands, the need for travel has flourished. Whether driving to a client site or jetting across the world, solution providers are finding their time away from the office can be just as productive—and more profitable.

Those are reasons why mobility continues to thrive, as companies leverage their workforce to do more with fewer resources. With the help of smartphones and other mobile Web-accessible devices, employees can operate in much the same manner from home or a remote site as they can in the office. For executives and managers, mobility solutions give them access to critical business data and allow them to make informed decisions no matter where they are and regardless of the time of day. That’s real value for any business. Those same benefits extend to solution providers, especially with a plethora of new mobility options that allow them to monitor their business systems and respond to client needs, regardless of their location and time of day.

Why Mobility Matters

By 2015, IDC predicts that the worldwide mobile worker population will reach 1.3 billion, or more than one-third of the total global workforce. The research firm’s recent forecast also points out that North America leads the way with the largest current percentage of mobile employees (75 percent) as of 2010. That shows how strong the trends are, but the reasons why we lead the world are indicative of the greater opportunities for solutions providers—both in mobility support for clients and its implementation in their own businesses.

Mobile computing makes that time away from the office more productive, allowing workers to access the business systems and information needed to successfully complete their assignments. That capability is a key driver of the explosive growth in smartphone and tablet sales, as businesses either supply these devices to their employees or implement a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) strategy that allows them to capitalize on mobile solutions.

Solution providers also are taking advantage of the latest mobility options in their own businesses. Many are leveraging cloud services and a number of channel-specific management applications to improve their effectiveness, whether in the office, at a client site or on a beautiful beach in Waikiki. The mobility revolution is now in full swing, with the introduction of a variety of channel-specific management tools that can be administered from virtually any Web-enabled device.

A number of channel vendors and distributors offer certain aspects of their systems to be managed from smart phones, particularly with iPhones and Android applications. They typically customize the screen format and develop features that leverage a specific mobile operating system, making it easier for field technicians, sales people and executives to accomplish their goals from any location. That also allows solution providers to monitor client systems, access critical account information and manage their business 24 hours a day. That gives them the freedom to perform more offsite visits and take that much needed vacation, while maintaining a strong connection to their business (if and when needed).

These purpose-built mobility applications are particularly useful for MSPs and cloud service providers who need access to reporting and real-time data to ensure compliance with SLAs and round-the-clock client satisfaction. Of course, every solution provider can benefit from this growing list of channel-specific mobile options, including:

1. Professional Services Automation (PSA) platforms: these applications allow solution providers to receive alerts, access account information, update service tickets and manage their services business (from virtually any web-enabled device).


2. Business intelligence tools: access reports and the latest information, at any time.


3. Vendor and distributor partner portals: check the latest promotions, register a deal, and manage critical business relationships with mobile applications.


4. Remote monitoring and management consoles: receive and manage tickets and alerts, remediate issues and escalate issues with team members using these solutions.


5. Email management systems: track system performance and client issues using dashboards and other management programs.


6. Online backup and disaster recovery dashboards: receive process updates and alerts, monitor usage and other critical client information.


7. Unified communications control panels: check network performance and resolve issues remotely.

That’s just a sampling of the mobility solutions available for solution providers, with a continually flow of specially designed smartphone and tablet platforms and applications hitting the channel each week. Based on the feedback of solution providers who have adopted these applications and cloud solutions, we can expect the number of options (and features) to escalate substantially in 2012.

Brian Sherman is founder of Tech Success Communications, specializing in editorial content and consulting for the IT channel. His previous roles include chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and industry alliances director with Autotask. Contact Brian at Bsherman@techsuccesscommunications.com.