Mobile Computing

I. Mobile computing
a. Definition
b. Advantages
c. Requirements
II. Devices
a. Laptops
b. Netbooks
c. Handheld devices
III. Programs
a. Logmein
b. Rensselaer
c. TerraSync
IV. Problems
a. Internet
b. Slowness
c. Too many users
V. Conclusion
a. Timesaving
b. Cost effective
c. Employee flexibility

Abstract:
Mobile computing is the way of the future. It allows for people to work independently from home saving time and resources of a company. It allows an employee to feel trusted that they will work and the company to move into the future.

Mobile computing is a term used to describe the ability to use technology to connect wirelessly to centrally located information and/or applications software (Haag & Cummings, 2010). There are many advantages to having the ability to work from home or elsewhere for the benefit of the company. There are many advantages to having employees mobile to be able to sign on to information at distance for the benefit of consumers, employees and ultimately the company. There are several questions that need to be answered to know what the requirements are of the mobile computing of the office. “Who will need to access IT services through mobile devices (employees, customers, suppliers, partners)? What are user requirements and expectations for mobile computing? How do employees want to use mobile computing to improve productivity, increase customer satisfaction, and increase sales? What IT services do the users need to access (email, CRM, ERP, etc.)? What devices should be supported? Should more focus be placed on smartphones or tablets? What platforms should be supported? Is it truly necessary to support ios, Android, Windows Mobile, etc? Should employees be issued a smartphone or should they provide their own? Should employees be provided an allowance to encourage adoption? If the devices are owned by corporate, what are the applicable asset management policies? What security policies and mechanisms need to be in place to protect data and services? How will IT provide user support for issues such as bugs correction, data integration, security administration, governance, change management, and operations management? Which applications need to be mobilized? Which should receive priority? How will corporate branding and user experience issues be addressed in application design?” (Parker, 2012). The company needs to decide what kind of services it requires to be set up in order to appropriately maintain the connection. Also the company needs to consider the types of services that are needed for employees to be able to work away from the office. Not just programming needs to be decided but what devices are going to be needed to link up. If the company goes with the software link through the internet then any device can connect if the employee has the sign in codes to do so. It will be possible to not only sign in to the system with a laptop computer but also handheld devices like a smartphone or a net book. There are also tablets that would be able to access the network. The company needs to decide the limits of the access and the employees need to abide by that. There are several programs that you can choose in order to get the services you need dependent on the type of services you need. Logmein is a good program if you only need to access your main computer that it is set up for (About LogmeIn). It will let you log directly to the computer it is set up for on at the office but it only goes to one computer not the main frame, but if you can access the main frame from the computer in your office that is all you need. Rensselaer Services allows for mainframe access but for only specifically accessible for education and for certain programs (Mobile Computing Program). TerraSync software is available for GPS specific software that