the top 5 best practices for

FIELD SERVICE MOBILITY eBook

the top 5 best practices for

FIELD SERVICE MOBILITY eBook

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Many organizations today are facing an ever-growing field service workforce. And the ubiquity of wireless networks and improved wireless devices creates opportunities for these organizations to maximize the efficiency and productivity of their field force, keeping them remotely connected and in the field for further service calls, less time traveled into the office, and more time focused on the customer.

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Create a Secure, Seamless User Experience

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Control Mobile Device Use

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Visibility into Usage Patterns and Problems

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Enforce Device Security

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Manage Mobile Devices Remotely

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MOBILITY OF VITAL IMPORTANCE

In a recent survey conducted by the Aberdeen Group, 83% of companies reported that implementing fully connected mobility (real-time access) was either extremely or very important to them. Among the reasons cited were: Worker productivity (60%) Faster service resolution (41%) Cost control and reduction (32%) Better resource visibility (24%) Revenue opportunities (21%)

INTRODUCTIONThere are many challenges to building a successful mobile deployment. How do you ensure continued connectivity to your intranet while workers are traveling from location to location? How do you ensure mobile devices accessing your network via cellular or wifi networks are secure? How do you get insight into what field workers are accessing over your network? What applications?

There are best practices to follow and tools available now to help overcome all of these challenges. These tools become the lynch-pin of a successfully managed mobile deployment where field workers are more productive and happy, and IT managers have granular insight and control into all mobile device activity.

60%

41%

32%24%21%

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CREATE A SECURE, SEAMLESS USER EXPERIENCEThe most common reason for failed mobile deployments is lack of user acceptance. If field tools are cumbersome or difficult to use, your workers will not embrace them. As many organizations have discovered, connectivity problems are the most common source of frustrations, especially when connectivity to company networks or applications is essential for them to do their job. Workers often lose connections and need to re-log in; and when applications are running during those interruptions they often crash, requiring workers to not only log in again, but re-enter the data they lost.

SOLUTION? Traditional virtual private network (VPN) software was not built for the wireless environment. Invest in a mobile VPN that is built to ensure persistent connectivity no matter where workers roam, including creating a ‘pause’ mode when disconnected so that when automatically re-connected, the data transfers pick up right where they left off. There is no data loss or crashing.

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SOLUTION?

Per the previous best practice, A MOBILE VPN CAN DO MORE THAN JUST PROVIDE A CONNECTION. It can also provide a manage-ment interface that allows IT teams and field managers to:

Set and enforce policies to manage user and device access to networks. Improve security and protect users from inadvertently taking action that bogs down devices or connections. Set rules to limit access to specific applicat- ions, prohibit web browsing, or restrict access to intranets or specific sites. Enforce restrictions based on connection speed or time-of-day. Prioritize users by line-of-business applicat- ions, so critical traffic has the highest priority.

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CONTROL MOBILE DEVICE USEManaging mobile devices across a dispersed workforce is a challenge, and more so in large deployments.

IT MANAGERS RARELY HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTROL DEVICES IN THE FIELD.

This can create misuse of corporate networks, lack of band-width for critical applications, and un-secure devices accessing your network.

COX COMMUNICATIONS SAVES $500,000 ANNUALLY IN MANAGEMENT COSTSEvery year, Cox Communication’s 3,500 field technicians handle more than six million work orders accessed through an online system, with reliable connectivity ensured by Mobility XE mobile VPN software.

In addition to productivity increases estimated at 10% in some instances, the ability to deploy and update software remotely delivers IT savings estimated at a half million dollars a year.

case study: cox communications

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Case Study

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VISIBILITY INTO USAGE PATTERNS AND PROBLEMS

Monitoring performance across multiple networks is a challenge, especially when networks are outside of IT’s direct control, including public cellular networks. This can create unnecessary drops in the field, lack of visibility into coverage areas, and no way to track wireless performance.

SOLUTION?

Having the ability to assess public cellu-lar network performance is becoming a requirement for organizations to get the most out of their wireless and mobile deployment investments. Cellular networks have arguably become as important as your corporate network.

So look to invest in cellular network perfor-mance management software. This type of software provides visibility into your cellular deployment and the business intelligence tools needed to ensure that mobile field workers and IT support staff are operating at their highest productivity.

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ENFORCE DEVICE SECURITYWithout having visibility into mobile devices, many infected devices could be accessing your intranet and back office applications. This could potentially create the spread of system viruses and malware.

SOLUTION? Good mobile VPN software provides the interface to control which devices can access your network via Network Access Control (NAC). A mobile VPN verifies that devices have required security precautions in place – such as patches, operating system updates, and active antivirus with current signatures – before allowing a connection. Depending on the severity of the issue, administrators may choose from a variety of actions, ranging from simply warning the user, to requiring immediate remediation, to quarantining the device. This gives administrators the flexibility they need to protect the corporate network without hampering worker productivity.

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MOBILITY XE ALLOWED THE COMPANY TO TAP REAL-TIME DATA TO IMPROVE SERVICE AND RECOUP 1.1 MILLION PRODUCTIVE HOURS TO DEVOTE TO SALES EFFORTS!

US FOODS RECOUPS 1.1 MILLION PRODUCTIVE HOURS USING MOBILE VPNOne of the largest food distributors in America, US Foods serves more than 250,000 customers. The company’s sales force of 5,000 territory managers visits these customers to share promotion information, take orders and submit them for fulfillment. To give the managers reliable, real-time connectivity from customer sites, U.S. Foods adopted the Mobility XE mobile VPN.

case study: us foods

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Case StudyCase Study

MANAGE MOBILE DEVICES REMOTELYSINCE THEY’RE NOT ENTIRELY VISIBLE WITHOUT THE RIGHT SOFTWARE, MANY MOBILE DEVICES ARE NOT MANAGED CORRECTLY.

They could be carrying outdated software or patches required by IT. And since so many workers are remote, it requires them coming into the office and turning over their device to IT in order to complete necessary upgrades.

SOLUTION?

Again, good mobile VPN software provides IT managers the ability to manage mobile devices remotely, as easily as they manage desktops and laptops on the wired corporate network. Application updates and patches may be “pushed” out while the unit is still in the field, but when users aren’t actively logged on, between shifts. This eliminates the need to dock a unit or wait for a wired connection and can provide significant labor and cost savings for IT staff.

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CONCLUSION

Mobile initiatives have great promise for organizations. Harnessing the capabilities of the ever-increasing wireless world allows you to do more with less, reach more customers, and improve field worker productivity – all savings to your bottom line. By deploying a mobile VPN and cellular network management software built for the wireless world, you can realize the full benefits of your mobile deployment investment. This includes delivering secure, reliable network connections, promoting user acceptance, and gaining management visibility and control.

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To learn more about best practices for field service mobility or to recieve a more detailed version of this eBook visit NetMotionWireless.com.

Or Contact Us at: 1.866.262.7626 info@netmotiowireless.com

ABOUT NETMOTION WIRELESS

NetMotion Wireless develops software to manage and secure wireless data deployments for organizations with mobile field workers. Their products address the unique challenges introduced by the use of wireless, enabling customers to maximize the return on investment in workforce automation. More than 2,000 of the world’s most respected organizations across multiple industries including utilities, healthcare, telecommunications, public safety, government, insurance, manufacturing, and many others use NetMotion Wireless products. Founded in 2001, the company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

© 2012 NetMotion Wireless, Inc. All rights reserved.