Finally, BoxTone sees itself as an umbrella company in the mobility space, with the resources and reach to subcontract any of the smaller mobility vendors to serve highly specialized needs that an organization might have, not unlike industry behemoths such as IBM and Microsoft have done in the past with other computing solutions.
"The interesting thing is that Microsoft, CA, HP, and all those guys who are the traditional systems management vendors of choice for the large enterprise are asleep at the wheel. They're doing nothing for mobility, so this creates a tremendous opportunity for a company like BoxTone and the others who are plowing into this category to really establish a leadership base," said Reed.
Defining Your Organization's Needs
Obviously, BoxTone would like nothing more than for every medium-sized business and enterprise to run out and embrace a comprehensive solution. In theory, it makes sense to build the same level of systems management into mobility that IT has implemented across organizational servers and computers for years, but is there really that urgent of a need? Below are some counterpoints to consider before implementing this type of solution:
- Cost. I don't doubt that BoxTone's solutions will save money for some enterprises that have inefficiencies in the mobile structure, but for most companies it will mean a significant investment. The BoxTone modules (five in all) cost about $15-20 per user per device each (plus $35 for the base suite). (Editor's Note: I initially had this cost factored as a monthly fee, not as a one-time fee. I apologize for the error.)
- Saturation. What percentage of employees in your company have a company-owned smartphone? Is it 5, 10, or 20 percent? If your organization still has a relatively low adoption of devices, it doesn't make much sense to implement a comprehensive solution.
- Usage level. How frequently do your employees that do have company-owned smartphones use them? Are they constantly on the road and completely dependent on the devices, or are they more of a 'nice-to-have' that's really only essential once or twice a year when they're off at a big tradeshow or on vacation? The more indispensible smartphones are to your employees, the more important it is that you implement a large-scale solution.
I have no trouble agreeing that BoxTone's MSM is perfect for aggressive, type-A organizations where rock star executives and account managers demand always-on connectivity and support for their smartphones, but what about for the more typical enterprise? Has mobility reached such a fever pitch that it's just as important as your computer network? Only you can decide.
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