* Mobility focuses on the user, not the platform
I believe that one of the key trends in messaging for 2007 will be mobility. I’m not talking about accessing email and other communications tools via mobile devices, which I believe will grow in importance, but instead the ability for all of us to be completely mobile and have access to our desktop communication tools wherever and whenever we want. In short, mobility focuses on the user, not the platform.
I believe that one of the key trends in messaging for 2007 will be mobility. I’m not talking about accessing e-mail and other communications tools via mobile devices, which I believe will grow in importance, but instead the ability for all of us to be completely mobile and have access to our desktop communication tools wherever and whenever we want. In short, mobility focuses on the user, not the platform.
The form of this ‘mobile messaging desktop’ is simple: everything is provided via a Web browser, with all directory services, data and other capabilities accessible via any computer with simply a Web browser and a network connection. These thin clients have been around for years, but their importance will grow for a couple of reasons.
First, a mobile desktop is extremely useful in the context of disaster recovery. Having lived through the Loma Prieta earthquake back in 1989 and having to work from temporary quarters for a couple of months, I am well aware of the problems that can be caused by not having access to your office – and this was in the days before e-mail was popular. Plus, these thin clients allow users to have complete access to their messaging capabilities while traveling or at home, not just during disasters.
Second, instead of just a cost of doing business, a mobile messaging desktop can actually help messaging contribute to reducing costs for an organization. Instead of providing an office for every information worker, a company can use ‘hoteling’ to provide a generic workstation and a small cubicle for transient workers – such as those who aren’t at a desk very much anyway or those who work primarily from home or the road and come into an office just for meetings or similar functions. This reduces support costs and reduces the overall amount of space required by an organization.
Mobility will become even more important in the coming years as unified communications systems become more popular, since the integration of messaging functions into a single repository/interface will make access to this resource that much more important.
I’d like to get your thoughts on this – please send me an e-mail with your ideas.
