AS IS CUSTOMARY TO DO AT THE beginning of the year, I have been thinking a lot about where the growth opportunities are for PHONE+ and its readers. There are many opportunities like VoIP that are top of mind, but I keep coming back to mobility. I don’t mean cell phones. Yes, cellular phones and networks are part of it, but only one part of a bigger initiative to enable seamless mobility for consumers and businesses, especially businesses.
This means enabling users to go from one environment — home, car, office, hotel, etc. — to another without losing functionality. Notice, I didn’t say using the same device or the same network. These environments all have their own networks (Wi-Fi, cellular, VoIP, hotspot, etc.) and devices (cell phones, desk phones, PDAs, etc.) that to some extent have been proved to work well. So, it’s a matter of figuring out how to roam from one to the other as your needs dictate. This is a utopian view and an overly simplistic explanation of the possibility.
Of course, both of these instances facilitate voice and basic messaging capabilities, which both consumers and businesses need. On the enterprise side, however, the capabilities to mobilize internal applications are compelling. You already are aware of companies that provide their sales forces with remote access to inventory and ordering systems from the field. These systems long have been expensive and proprietary, but now are possible with standard devices and hooks into ERP, CRM, SFA and other enterprise-wide systems. I am not saying that it’s not without integration challenges, but the accessibility of these kinds of innovative services is only going to grow to include an ever-wider net of companies.
Your company already may be a part of this revolution in communications. If not, now is the time to start looking into it further. One of the things that PHONE+ is doing to help is offering its channel readers — resellers and agents — information on services they can rebrand (see Page 24) or sell (see Page 48). We also are devoting considerable time to this topic at our upcoming Channel Partners Conference & Expo with a Wireless Dealer Track and Pavilion (see Page 16). As mobile communications offers become more complex, the channel must change to serve more sophisticated clientele. Companies that already are serving the B2B space are in a great position to become these next-generation wireless dealers. I encourage you to check out our program and to meet us in Las Vegas.
See you there.
KHALI HENDERSON
group editor
| Links |
| Channel Partners Conference & Expo www.phoneplusmag.com/channelpartners/vegas2006 |
