Tips, Insights & Tactics How to Keep Your Business Mobile Today’s business mobility is expanding at warp speed. To make your business run more efficiently, and your employees more productive, you need a strategy for your mobile capabilities. This tip sheet outlines key areas to explore as your strategy develops. Planning Your business communicates with employees, customers, suppliers and partners. Each of these groups may also contain subgroups. For example, your outside sales or service team has different needs than office-based employees, who occasionally travel. Your mobile strategy should comprehend key stakeholder groups’ unique needs. Talk with a representative sample of each group, business owners of companies with similar needs, or hire a consultant to help craft your strategy, and an implementation plan that balances costs and benefits. As you begin, focus on business needs, prioritizing what’s essential and which processes can be streamlined. Keep these end results in mind as you research solutions. They’ll help you avoid becoming sidetracked by the hundreds of options available, that don’t necessarily solve your core challenges. Wireless Network Many business offices still compute entirely on a wired network. If you rely exclusively on cell phone data plans for wireless communication, the next step in your mobile strategy may be to upgrade your office to a wireless network. Wireless connectivity can replace or complement an existing wired network, but without one, your office is likely losing productivity, and the competitive edge that operational efficiency delivers. Tips, Insights & Tactics How to Keep Your Business Mobile Wireless Connectivity Paper Conversion Businesses need reliable, always-on wireless connectivity to access email, the internet, cloud services, etc. The four major players in North America are AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. The transformation of paper documents to digital has been a slow migration, but is gaining speed due in large part to mobile technology. Access to the information contained in digital documents, in native file formats, is a key requirement for mobile workers. So while print is declining, the need for scanning continues to grow. A multifunction printer may offer the best overall value, but low cost scanners can also serve your needs. You can even add scanning capability to your smartphone or tablet with apps like Genius Scan, Scanner Pro or JotNot Scanner Pro. Security A VPN connection provides secure, remote access to a private network over a public network, such as the Internet. VPN technology allows employees to log in to their company’s network and provide near-onsite work capabilities from a remote location. Providers include VyperVPN, MiTopia and StrongVPN. BYOD Printing The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend, inextricably links home and business life. The challenge for IT, is the loss of control. Develop a list of recommended mobile devices for your company, perhaps with an incentive through your company, or a discount through a local supplier. Even in the digital world, mobile workers need to print. There are numerous solutions available. Ask yourself where you need to print when you’re wireless: at the office, at your home office, on the road, at customer locations? Your answers will help you determine which solution(s) work best (see the mobile print solutions in the sidebar on the next page). Cloud Computing Marketing File storage, data backup and software services in the Cloud provide centralized access to business critical information and applications on-demand. Services like Dropbox, Basecamp and Google Drive are free to try with limited storage; which can be increased as needed, for a monthly fee. Every major social network is mobile-ready, thanks to their crossplatform mobile apps. But consider mobile access when designing email campaigns and websites. More and more customers are viewing your communications while on the move, rather than seated in front of a computer monitor. Collaboration Instant Messaging Cloud services are ideal for collaboration. A central repository enables superior version control and even allows simultaneous editing of the same document. Leaders include Google Drive and Office 365. And there are plenty of others such as Zoho Projects, OpenText and SkyDox, to name only a few. Sometimes described as digital notes, instant messaging is useful for a short exchange in real-time, such as fact checking, or a simple confirmation of a colleague’s whereabouts—on or offline. It can also be useful for short, discrete exchanges during a meeting or video conference. Video Conferencing Wireless Bridge Services like Skype and Google Hangouts began as personal video conferencing services. But they soon added features that allow you to share your desktop and deliver presentations, to appeal to business users, and places them in the competitive space with services like industry leader Cisco WebEx, and Global Meet. Specialization In addition to horizontal services that appeal to virtually any business, there are a wide range of verticals designed for specific markets and needs. A few examples include Salesforce.com, Shoeboxed (travel receipts) and OfficeTime (time tracking/billing). A small hardware add-on device that creates a wireless connection to a wireless network for wired devices. Converting a wired device into a wireless one allows you to easily reposition it without having to reroute cables, for relatively little cost. It also provides instant connectivity for mobile devices with access to its network. Tips, Insights & Tactics How to Keep Your Business Mobile Accessories Add-on accessories are available to add functionality and convenience to mobile devices. A few examples: Adapters to convert your car’s cigarette lighter into a power source, bluetooth or plug-in headsets, and speakerphone docks. Training Change is always more successful when it’s easy. Make it easy for your team to go mobile. Include training in your mobile strategy. Once people see firsthand how mobility improves their productivity, they’ll take it from there. Related Tips: • 27 Business Critical Apps Xerox® Mobile Print Solution • Best Smartphone Apps xerox.com/tips Simple, convenient, secure wireless printing to any EIP-enabled MFP inside your company firewall, from any email-enabled mobile device, without installation of any additional client software. xerox.com/mobile Related Templates: Xerox® PrintBack • Planners • Presentation Templates A free app that allows you to print to the default printer at your office or home from iOS- and Android-based mobile devices, through any web-based email or cloud-storage service. xerox.com/printback xerox.com/templates Xerox® Mobile Express Driver® • Favorite Health and Relaxation Apps • Calendars A free print driver that enables mobile workers to print in any new location they visit, from a laptop computer. xerox.com/drivers Free Lifetime Service Coverage Ask your Xerox® provider about free lifetime service coverage* through the Xerox eConcierge® program. xerox.com/eConcierge Visit us on the web or ask your local Xerox provider about our comprehensive line of printers and multifunction printers. xerox.com/office Share on: *After 30 days and your second supplies order through the program, Xerox will provide free extended service coverage over the normal supported life of eligible Xerox® products, as long as you continuously place your supplies orders through the Xerox eConcierge service. The average cost of extended service coverage for four years when purchased separately is $1,280. Prices vary per model. The coverage will be the same as what was provided when the device originally shipped—quick exchange, depot repair or onsite. Xerox reserves the right to discontinue the service reward for a specific model at any time. ©2014 Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved. Xerox®, Xerox and Design®, Xerox Mobile Express Driver® and Xerox eConcierge® are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Xerox Canada Ltd. is a licensee of all Xerox trademarks. BR7583 XOAFL-28UA Genuine Xerox® Rewards Get rewarded for buying genuine Xerox® supplies. Join the Genuine Xerox® Rewards program online at xerox.com/rewards