This is a piece that I wrote for

href="http://www.thinkhdi.com/publications/supportWorldMagazine/">Support World Magazine, due out in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue – see the request, and

my response below…

 Mobilizing Your Service Desk

When it comes to supporting the IT infrastructure,

IT service personal in the field often have limited or no access to their company’s help desk or CRM applications/systems.  With the onset of mobile

gadgets such as blackberries, cell phones, and other handheld devices, technology is now available that gives these mobile devices the

capacity to connect remotely to service management systems, thus granting deskside support technicians the ability to access and update information on

the spot.

How is technology improving mobile access of service management systems and how does this impact service delivery within IT?

MY RESPONSE:

With the advent and success of mobile email, organizations are now realizing the potential for mobile

applications. Â By implementing a mobile interface, we are able to become proactive in activities such as helpdesk, change control, CRM, and asset

management. Â We can capture data immediately, better reflecting the real metrics of business. Â We can update multiple systems when change events

occur, ensuring all other interfaces to the systems show the most current information. Â Having the most current data translates to a better

understanding of our real performance and SLA’s.

A properly designed mobile interface can be network and hardware agnostic these days. Â Giving

an organization the freedom to use public carrier networks or their own internal network allows for complete communications flexibility. Â The ability

to utilize any major mobile device allows an organization to choose the best device currently available, with the security of knowing that future

devices will remain compatible with their investment in technology.

Installed client device applications provide a greater level of continuity

than session-based systems. Â Having an ability to operate in a disconnected mode as needed – or as designed – will ensure transactional integrity and

security, even in environments where networks are unavailable.  So called “Mobile Middleware” systems make integration painless with quick-start

wizards supporting major integration methods such as SOAP Web Services, XML, and ODBC. Â Drag-and-drop interface design makes developing for the

multitude of mobile devices quick and easy – and all from within unified development environments.  Now more than ever is truly the time to go

mobile!