From the dWb website

Mobile phone business asset

Although the roots of the mobile phone were as a pure business device it has transformed into a consumer device.

It can take digital photographs, play your favourite music, send short messages, let you listen to FM radio and even, when you have nothing else to do, make a phone call.

With a top-of-the-line device it is possible, with some functionality constraints, to interact with business systems. It is not yet a normal part of the business information management fabric. To become this the consumer and business requirements need to be handled differently.

To become a business asset the consumer mobile must be stripped of many of the consumer features and given a corporate facelift. It must acquire comprehensive PDA capabilities enhanced by the phone networking. It must become easier to use, easier to interact with and focused upon the business environment.

The marketplace has identified this and 2006 will be the year when the mobile phone market will diverge into consumer and business devices.

Feature Article

Mobile Turning Point

The mobile phone world is finally splitting into consumer and business devices. The mobile phone has evolved from the heavy brick with questionable reception - "say that again", "WHAT!", "Hello, is anybody there?" - to a highly sophisticated dependable communication device (most of the time). On the way it has collected a impressive array of features including digital camera, FM radio and e-mail.

Whilst this has been going on, the PDA marketplace has also evolved from a pocket calculator to a mobile PC extension with office tools, e-Mail and even networking capabilities. In the middle of this has been the Blackberry which attempted to bridge the gap.

Unfortunately the gap is getting ever larger. The extended mobile phone features have been consumer-led and unwanted by businesses. Whilst the corporate features have been too weak to meet the business requirements especially the lack of manageability. A parting of the ways has become inevitable.

In the business world e-mail is still the killer application but it has to be as easy to use and comprehensive as the office system. It must be able to handle all types of attachments, annotation and links. The business mobile also has to securely integrate into the corporate infrastructure including providing sharing of information, applications and productivity tools - it must become a truly mobile extension to the business.

The technology challenge is going to be standardisation. The leading protagonists are using proprietary solutions or are creating hybrid devices. As the market grows the economies of scale that have driven the consumer market will be able to focus on the business requirements.

Another technology challenge will be management. As the dependency on the business mobile increases so will the need to manage. The IT department must wake up NOW!! This is not a facilities management role to handle the billing, it is a device that requires the same effort and processes as any other IT provided platform. It is the beginning of the mobile phone becoming a business asset and not just a communication accessory.