Today’s column brought to you by airport security

We interrupt our regularly scheduled newsletter (a wrap-up on the IP call center series of stories) because airport security ate Larry’s homework.

Well, it didn’t actually “eat” the homework – just sent the computer containing this week’s column on a very long trip without Larry.

While Larry’s shoes and belt buckle were examined by the magic wand, the security screener x-rayed two identical Dell laptops. One belonged to Larry, who was traveling to Atlanta, the other to a salesman traveling to Portland, Ore. The agent, trying to be helpful, placed these identical laptops in their carrying cases.

Larry, a savvy traveler, always makes sure he gets his own case and that his laptop is in the case before leaving security. Checklist completed, and on the way to Atlanta. Except for one little thing. Larry’s laptop is in the salesman’s case on the way to Portland, and the salesman’s laptop in Larry’s case traveling to Atlanta.

The good news is that laptops do require login passwords, so some limited information protection is afforded. Also, Larry reached the salesman in Portland and both will meet later to reunite the laptops with their rightful owners.

Now for the convergence angle. If Larry and the salesman had relied on hosted applications, hosted data, and hosted directories, then life would have been much easier for Larry. And our subscribers would be reading about IP call centers and not airport security.

Maybe it’s time for Larry and the salesman from Portland to turn in their eight pounds of “mobile” data and computing resources in exchange for a wireless notepad and a hosted service.