The future lies in always-on mobility but firms need to build applications on an IP base and ensure they can be delivered
WEARY COMMUTERS worldwide finally have cause to rejoice. The mobile workforce has nearly arrived - at least according to key vendors in the sector.
While employees at many businesses remain desk-bound, a series of innovations has significantly pared down the number of jobs that still require workers to be on company premises. Most firms in the developed world now have the most essential element for mobility in place - broadband access.
But this access must be portable and ubiquitous for a workforce to be truly mobile, and users should have 'all of their corporate data and communication services at their fingertips, wherever they are', said Ben Cardwell, director, system engineering for Asia-Pacific at communications firm Andrew Corporation,
Always-on access is being pushed by Cisco Systems, which builds Wi-fi-enabled local area networks (WLANs) for businesses and now offers solutions such as the structured aware wireless network that imbue traditional networks with wireless features, extending their reach to laptops and handheld computers.
But networks alone do not a truly mobile company make - businesses must also build the applications they use on an internet protocol base and ensure they can be utilised and delivered through a range of devices.
