Best Practices

Blackberry message tracking

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Corporate governance and regulatory compliance require, in many cases, that we capture calls and communications made to or from employees. The problem, so far, is that it's been nearly impossible to capture those calls if made from a Blackberry that's part of the corporate mobile infrastructure. Now, though, software from Guava will allow voice calls and text messages made to or from corporate Blackberrys to be tracked with the same efficiency and effectiveness as calls made from desktop phone instruments. Employees who want to sneak information around will have to start looking for new means of communication.

For more on Guava's software:
- Read the new-product article at IT World

Mobile phone chat slows freeway traffic

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:57 -0500

So your employees have told you about the importance of cell phone use while they're on the road. They've run through the safety speeches and tried to convince you that they're perfectly safe while computing on the go. This is going to shock you, but they aren't quite as safe as they think they are. The most recent studies show that drivers who are talking on a cell phone clog traffic because they're driving more slowly (and reacting much more slowly) than drivers who take the radical path of paying attention to their driving. It doesn't matter much whether the talking happens with a phone held to the ear, or through a speaker-phone--it's all distracting to the driver. Try to keep this in mind when the users ask for more mobility in their cell plans.

For more on the cell-phone rolling roadblock:
- Read the report (but not while you're driving) at CIO-Today

CIO looking for network skills

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:56 -0400

CIOs have a lot of things on their minds, and recruiting talented staff members is near the top of the list. Finding expertise in specialized areas ranging from security to VoIP is a critical piece of the overall technology management job. According to a new Robert Half Technology study, fourteen percent of CIOs say they're looking to hire new staff in the fourth quarter--and networking skills are at the top of their list of needs.

For more on CIO hiring plans:
- read the job skills report at eWeek

How to help users avoid device-related ailments

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 19:01:37 -0500

It may seem a bit silly, but the increasing use of handheld mobile devices, such as BlackBerrys and other PDAs, could prove a liability and workman compensation headache for enterprises who don't pay attention to physical ailments that PDA overuse can cause. The repetitive nature of emailing and scrolling on small devices can have a detrimental impact and tech leaders would be smart to implement proper use policies to avoid legal issues. Medical experts say extended use is causing thumb injuries as well as hand damage. According to experts, good company insight on how best to hold the devices and encouraging users to send shorter emails and take breaks from PDA use are best practices that should be implemented. Article

Getting the most out of laptop batteries

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 20:01:36 -0400

The news of laptops exploding and catching fire thanks to battery issues should have the attention of every IT manager who has deployed mobile PCs to their enterprise workforce. A good understanding of what's happening with the batteries, and why the overheating is happening, is the subject of a two-part series at PC World. The first part centers on battery operation and explains why the devices can catch fire. The second part offers up insight and advice on how to get the most out of batteries and details best practices for maintenance and care of the power element. It also explains why alternative power products aren't "catching fire" with product makers.

How to bullet-proof your wireless infrastructure

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Everyone has a disaster recovery plan in place, but not everyone has incorporated their wireless infrastructure into the plan, and that could prove to be a huge mistake the next time a natural or man-made disaster hits home. As one expert relates, wireless networking is a mandate for business every day and can prove invaluable during a disaster event. The key is making sure the environment stays up, robust and secure. Read this article about five specific best practices for making sure the critical wireless system you've put in place is ready for anything. Article

Editor's Corner

Sun, 16 Jul 2006 20:01:40 -0400

Publisher's Note

As you know, information technology is transforming the healthcare industry and swallowing more and more healthcare spending -- $40 billion by 2008. To help hospital CIOs and healthcare administrators maximize ROI on their IT investments, FierceMarkets today launched a new newsletter called FierceHealthIT. In one email per week, FierceHealthIT delivers a time-saving briefing on the latest trends, case studies, and best practices related to healthcare IT. Check it out at www.fiercehealthit.com and be sure to sign up for a complementary subscription, particularly if you work in the healthcare industry.

As FierceMarkets continues to grow, I want to express my appreciation for your support. Your readership and attention mean a lot to us, and we take your feedback seriously. With the launch of FierceHealthIT, we now have 15 total publications and 375,000 total subscribers. Earlier this month, we launched a daily newsletter covering the videogame industry, FierceGameBiz. Next on our list is FierceBioResearcher, a weekly update for biopharma researchers which we will launch early next month. So much for a relaxing summer! For a complete list of our publications, visit www.fiercemarkets.com/newsletters. Thanks again for your support.

Jeff Giesea
Publisher

p.s. As always, feel free to email me any rants, raves, or questions at jeff@fiercemarket.com

Best practices for rolling out mobile field technologies

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Enterprises already know that mobile field deployments have a big pay off. Aberdeen Research has documented out the benefits in a recent report: a 27% increase in worker productivity, 19% boost in customer retention and 17% jump in profitability. But all those benefits are directly tied to making the project a success, and that's hard to do unless you investigate all the ins and outs. An informative starting place is a free report from Aberdeen Research that lists out over a dozen best practices to follow. The best practices come directly from companies that have deployed mobile field technologies.

Nine ways to secure mobile devices

Sun, 11 Jun 2006 20:01:38 -0400

Given all the continuing news and warnings about the insecurity of wireless and mobile devices, it is comforting to find that there are some substantial things enterprises can do to secure mobile technologies. Not surprisingly, the first step, as with any type of computing security initiate, is to educate today's mobile device users about security issues, best practices and their role in the security chain of command. On the IT side of the equation, security leaders have to build a solid mobile management system, decide access rights to critical and valuable files and networks, and enable lock-down or "kill" features in the event a laptop or handheld data device goes missing. Those are just four of nine good security practices organizations can use to keep mobile computing and wireless connectivity secure. Article

A checklist for deploying mobile wireless applications

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Every wireless application integration effort poses some obstacles and comes with some pitfalls. But knowing what needs to be done before anything is initiated can pay off big. The key is having a checklist that provides a step-by-step approach featuring best practices for deployment. That's exactly what the BlackBerry Resource Center provides with its learning guide on mobile deployment.