The world is converging on the mobile space

This is where the last limits to access and productivity are disappearing. The latest developments in mobility are overcoming the last barriers of compatibility and connectivity – but there’s a touch of old school about one of them as well.

Mobile applications get down to business

The world of mobile applications is not just about cute games and handy navigation devices. Your smartphone can provide you with a wealth of essential business resources, from CRM functions to business continuity and ERP. They can all be delivered securely between the server and the device using the existing, AES–encrypted MDS layer.

LAN2LAN has developed secure bespoke mobile applications for our clients, which can reside on smartphones. They allow users to work with the business resources they need even when there is no connection available. The native applications and network–based systems simply update each other the next time a connection is made.

For example, sales people on the road can update their CRM systems between appointments without having to wait for a connection. When they move back into range, the entries are automatically transmitted back to the corporate system. At the same time, any relevant changes to the central databases are pushed out to the right individuals, so that their smartphone records are always up–to–date.

Call us on 0870 787 4001 to talk about a bespoke application for your organisation.

Digital pen for BlackBerry®: the future is old school

The wonders of new technology can sometimes blind us to the fact that some far more traditional systems still have their uses. The latest digital pens are giving an increasing number of LAN2LAN customers the best of the old school and the next generation, by bringing mobile technology together with the simple paper and pen.

Actually, the paper and pen are not quite so simple, because the pen in question incorporates a Bluetooth connection to your BlackBerry and the paper carries the ingenious Anoto pattern. This allows every page to be read as a unique item by the pen.

You can use the pen and paper in exactly the same way as an ordinary notepad. Your writing does not need to be an immaculate copperplate, and you can even make sketches and diagrams. When you have finished, you can send the document via the BlackBerry transport layer to a hosted or enterprise server, where it can be stored as a PDF or Word file. If necessary, your content can be used automatically to activate workflow processes through XML or other languages.

The system is particularly useful when you have procedures that are reliant on pre-printed forms. Surveyors, loss assessors, financial advisors, engineers on site – there are countless scenarios where it is easiest to capture handwritten data and then convert it for the digital world. You can have specialist forms created with the Anoto pattern, making life easier for people on the move, while accelerating the process of getting the data into your corporate systems.

Find out more – click here to see a case study.

Reduce Mobile Spend with Mobile VOIP

As companies continue to support an increasingly virtual workforce, mobile communications are taking centre stage. Employees expect to be able to work from anywhere, and more and more are expecting to use BYOD (bring you own device) smart phones and tablets to access corporate applications and communications.

Many organisations are therefore reviewing their overall Mobility strategy to include smart phones and tablets whilst combating operator costs.

When it comes to Fixed Mobile Convergence, Mobile Voice over IP (Mobile VoIP, or mVoIP) can play a significant role in that effort by leveraging Wi-Fi networks to help enterprises lower communications costs without any disruption in quality or services; users who would ordinarily spend hundreds of pounds on international mobile calls or roaming charges can essentially make all those calls for free.

Mobile VoIP also enables smoother, more effective communications for Head Office staff who nevertheless frequently work away from their desk phone.

LAN2LAN is an Authorised Partner for ShoreTel’s Unified Communications (UC) and Mobility solutions. ShoreTel Mobility extends the full power of a desk phone and UC capabilities to a mobile and sets users free to communicate from any location (office, home, hotspots) by enabling access via any network (mobile or Wi-Fi), simply and cost effectively.

ShoreTel Mobility is designed to reduce mobile costs with the ability to automatically select the most cost-effective method of routing calls. This user-driven and location-based presence information helps customers and employees reach key contacts exactly when and where they need to.

Purpose-built for IP, this open, highly reliable platform, fits right in with your existing infrastructure, and works with your business applications and processes to make integrated business communication easy to deploy and manage.

The ShoreTel UC system scales easily and is ideal for multi-site companies because it behaves and appears as a single, unified system with full PBX, voicemail, and automated attendant functions.

In summary, the ShoreTel Mobility solution can dramatically reduce the most expensive mobile bills by effectively shifting mobile minutes to Wi-Fi minutes, by leveraging dual-mode smart phones and WLAN networks in a viable way to reduce enterprise mobility and communications spend.

For more information about how to reduce your Mobility costs, contact us today on 0870 787 4001 or email info@lan2lan.com