Strategic Social Networking - Archive

Kroll Annual Forecast Predicts Trouble

December 27th, 2011 | Posted by admin in business process | mobility | Privacy | security - (0 Comments)

It seems mobile security is getting worse before it gets better. Business Insurance’s, “Mobile Technology Changes Making Cyber Security More Difficult: Kroll” reports on the results of Kroll Inc.’s annual security forecast. The upshot: businesses and organizations are having trouble keeping up. The article specifies:

“Discussing mobile technology security threats, Kroll said mobile technologies ‘are changing so rapidly that in some organizations the demand and pressure to deploy new technologies (e.g. tablet computers) will outstrip the organization’s existing capabilities to secure them. This unfortunate dynamic is no secret to thieves who are ready and waiting with highly targeted malware and attacks employing mobile applications.’”

Writer Judy Greenwald notes some other important points from the forecast. For example, corporate use of social media will bring small businesses under increased cyber-attack, and the growth of cloud services will bring its own risks. Also, cooperation between business and government will be crucial; other countries are expected to be more nimble than the US in their response. Furthermore, the forecast predicts that privacy concerns about geolocation tech will become more of an issue. Yes, I imagine so.

It’s true that mobile security is a big concern. Keep your social networking safe.

Cynthia Murrell, December 27, 2011

Safety First?

December 22nd, 2011 | Posted by admin in guidelines | mobility | News | smartphone - (0 Comments)

Suggesting a middle-of-the-road approach, The Times Leader maintains, “Wholesale Ban on Mobile Devices in Cars Unlikely to Succeed.” Writer Nick DeLorenzo recognizes that mobile device distraction behind the wheel is a serious problem, but insists that human nature will hinder attempts to make it universally illegal. Besides, new cars are coming equipped with interactive devices; the more of these wired wheels that make it onto the roads, the more difficult it will be to ban their gadgets.

Instead of waging that battle, DeLorenzo proposes a compromise of sorts. The write up explains:

“Many new cars have systems that can detect driving conditions — traffic around the car, speed, location and more. If the vehicle is exceeding a certain speed, road conditions are unsafe, there is heavy traffic, the area has a high rate of accidents or driving becomes erratic, begin disabling features, starting with hands-free calling.

“Make this function optional, allow it to be disabled, and work with insurance companies to ensure penalties if an accident takes place and the system is disabled.”

Interesting suggestion; it may be too reasonable to get anywhere, though.

We have a hard time seeing our tech dependent readers giving up mobile devices in standstill traffic but, for our longevity, please be safe with your tech. With or without the regulations.

Cynthia Murrell, December 22, 2011

Marketing Love in a Time of Mobile Apps

December 20th, 2011 | Posted by admin in marketing | mobility | Privacy | smartphone - (0 Comments)

As holiday shopping hits a crescendo this week retailers are examining how to increase sales, analyze shopper data more efficiently and strengthen mobile advertising all in one fell swoop. The article, Malls, retailers focus on mobile phones to reach shoppers, boost sales and study consumers, on http://www.cleveland.com/, explores some controversial mobile app and Smartphone technologies retailers are employing this holiday season.

Although the Federal Trade Commission and several consumer watchdog groups have put a nix to several Big-Brother-esque programs put in place by malls and large retailers to monitor shopper activity and behavior due to privacy violations, some programs are alive and thriving. Many complain that the programs are all one sided, in favor of the retailer, but that is not necessarily the case. In most instances consumers receive a nice reward for their privacy being violated.

As the article explains of the relationship between retailer and consumer,

“With traditional retailers fighting online competition from companies from Amazon to Zappos.com, the retail industry must give consumers a reason to choose brick-and-mortar. Online retailers collect data about shoppers and use that information to tailor advertising and suggest purchases. Now stores and shopping-center landlords see cell phones as a path to influencing what people buy, how long they shop and how much they spend.”

Before condemning retailers for utilizing scores of data mines waltzing in and out of their stores every day, consumers should examine their habits and devotion to mobile apps. Without consumer usage these app-utilizing marketing campaigns would be a waste of time. If one doesn’t want to be exploited by a retailer, turn off the phone.

Catherine Lamsfuss, December 20, 2011

Growing Businesses Struggling to Maintain Brand Loyalty in the Mobile Age

Brand Dossier’s recent article on the increasing presence of social media and mobile devices, “Social media, mobile devices creating brand loyalty challenges for mid-size businesses” deals with new concerns business have in dealing with brand loyalty.

The growth of both social media and mobile devices has lead to a new type of consumer, who can easily compare products and prices, which is making it harder for companies to build up brand loyalty, a new IBM study says. This global study of mid-market chief marketing officers reveals a number of facts about the concerns of CMOs in an increasingly mobile marketplace. According to the study, 72% feel unprepared to “effectively build” brand loyalty, with 70% seemingly placing this unease on the wide availability of consumer-oriented data.

“Mobile commerce is expected to reach $31 billion by 2016, yet 62 per cent of mid-market CMOs report being underprepared to deal with the proliferation of channels and devices. This increase in the mobile shopping trend further increases marketing challenges, complicates data collection and analysis, and threatens both customer service and customer retention.”

In order to deal with the influx of consumer blogs, social media sites, and other sources of information about consumer products, retailers are focusing on marketing analytics in order to more effectively target consumers. The hope is that computers can analyze marketing data and buying decisions more efficiently and more accurately, allowing companies to reach new customers who will stay with the brand, instead of endlessly seeking to save a few cents on their next purchase.

Jody Barnes, December 15, 2011

Advances in BYOD Require Shift of Focus

December 14th, 2011 | Posted by admin in business process | Knowledge management | mobility | smartphone - (0 Comments)

BYOD Brings New Opportunities, a piece by Leyland Brown of Hewlett Packard, discusses a growing trend among small and medium businesses. This trend, which has grown along with the rise of personal digital devices is “Bring Your Own Device,” or BYOD: instead of relying upon a work computer, many workers are using their personal hand-held devices to deal with their daily business.

“Currently, according to Gartner, approximately 10 billion devices are connected to the Internet, and the number will grow to about 20 billion devices in 2021; by 2014, more than three billion of the world’s adult population will be able to transact electronically via mobile or Internet technology. Gartner also forecasts that media tablet sales will top 326 million units in 2015.”

These new trends in mobile computing require a new way of thinking about the way in which businesses provide information, not just for customers, but for employees as well. Brown emphasizes a strategy of “thinking beyond the device,” that is, working with all aspects of the systems which utilize these devices. Making sure both customers and employees have easy access to these new systems and the various data available are of utmost importance in the current technology-driven marketplace. For Brown, this means “shifting the focus from the devices to the content” in order to ensure that customers and businesses are on the same page when it comes to the use of the new generation of personal computing devices.

Jody Barnes, December 14, 2011

With Mobile Workforce, It’s iPhone over Blackberry

Once the mobile workforce’s darling, Blackberry has lost its appeal, having been trumped by Apple’s iPhone. Red Orbit’s “iPhone Tops Blackberry as Top Enterprise Phone” details iPass Inc.’s quarterly Mobile Workforce Report that charts the device’s downfall.

“Among mobile employees, the iPhone has captured 45 percent of the market share and overall business smartphone usage has increased to 91 percent. “ “The report discusses the emotional attachment that workers have toward their smartphones, 59 percent would feel disoriented, distraught or lonely without their smartphone for even a week. “ “According to iPass, Blackberry usage is on the decline with their market share dropping from 35 percent in 2010 down to 32 percent today. Android usage has doubled year over year and jumping into the number three spot with 21 percent market share.”

The results aren’t exactly a surprise, particularly given that the good iPhone news is coming from iPass. While Blackberry’s slide to technological irrelevance continues, the rise in android usage is noteworthy. Almost half of the smartphones AT&T sold in the third quarter of 2011 were androids. The mobile workforce technology market is now a two-horse race.

Rita Safranek, December 9, 2011

Mobile Strategies Call for Solid Planning

December 8th, 2011 | Posted by admin in business process | mobility | News - (0 Comments)

Now more than ever, smart businesses strategize about mobile applications with a holistic approach. Sustainable Business Forum acknowledges the new reality in “Mobile Brings Both Risks and Opportunities. Is Your Company’s Strategy Optimized?”

Mobile technical advances are changing the way we live our lives, not to mention the way we do business; ignoring the metamorphosis is not an option. But how to adapt to the ever-shifting landscape while avoiding pitfalls? Writer Norman Marks comments:

A balance needs to be struck so that the organization can take advantage of the new technology, but not at the cost of lost confidential information or an IT infrastructure that is unmanageable. How can IT be expected to support five versions of essentially the same application but from different vendors (not all of which may be in business next year), running on every imaginable mobile device and operating system – that everybody wants connected to the corporate network?

The Aberdeen Group, whose research Marks recommends checking out regularly, has published a report that could shed some light on the subject. Enterprise B2E Mobile App Strategies: Design, Build, Deploy, Manage and Support examines traits of the “best-in-class” companies. They found that such companies tend to: have custom mobile software for employee use, with a strong focus on mobile app development; IT standards for mobile software deployment; and, perhaps most importantly, executive-level support for software initiatives.

See the write up for more information.

Cynthia Murrel, December 08, 2011

Lack of Awareness Leads to Mobile Security Problems

December 6th, 2011 | Posted by admin in mobility | News | security | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Along with the many perks and ease-of-use benefits of mobile devices there are also corporate security issues associated that appear to be difficult to resolve. A recent survey by Deloitte “Deloitte Survey: Inadequate Internal Awareness Toward Mobile Security” outlines this concern. According to the survey, almost half of employees surveyed were not aware of any mobile security measures being practiced in their organization.

The article states:

Devices like tablets, PDAs and smartphones have become ubiquitous over the past few years as people increasingly purchase them as tools to enhance their productivity at work and at home,” said JR Regan, principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP and innovation leader to Deloitte’s federal practice. “Despite the benefit of these new devices, they also present increased security threats for organizations which now must be wary of security threats originating from new channels.

A very high percentage of respondents voiced concern, when made aware of the possible security problems associated with using mobile devices in the workplace. They were aware that without the proper security policies in place, companies could fall prey to many unanticipated operational and legal problems.

Sandy McIntosh, December xx, 2011