MoMoDetroit Presents: How to Tame the Mobile Beast in Your Company; Mobile IT in the Workplace

Nov. 15, 2010 - PRLog -- DETROIT, MI – Has managing mobile technology in your organization become the unmanageable beast that no one wants to talk about and no one knows how to deal with? Is your company evaluating the options between corporate-liable (company-owned) and personal-liable (employee-owned) mobile technology? Do you have a clear understanding of how issues such as security, budget, wireless lifecycle, and technical support needs will impact your decision? If your company's mobile technology is a beast that you need to start taming, this is definitely a meeting you should attend!

Mobile Monday Detroit will offer presenters and displays to help your firm understand the issues involved in deciding the best way to manage your firm’s mobile technology needs.  Discussions will include:

•   Security; how to protect your firm’s data, as well as your investment in the mobile equipment.  Who manages which employees have access to various types of company data?  What happens when an employee leaves?
•   Budget; what are the ramifications of electing to provide mobile equipment to employees, or alternately, allowing them to use their own equipment?
•   Wireless lifecycle; how often does mobile technology (hardware and software) need to be updated?
•   Technical support; who takes care of mobile technical issues – you, the manufacturer, the carrier, the employee?  Who answers the employee’s questions and trains them to effectively utilize the equipment and the software? Who insures that employees have consistent versions of the software they need to perform efficiently for your company?
•   Mobile software and applications; what’s available to help your firm increase communication and productivity?

Presenters for the evening will include: Nick Pike, representing Nick Pick Consulting and VOX Mobile and Randy Nunez, a Senior Network Engineer at Ford Motor Company.

Pike will be speaking about the diverse nature of the current wireless horizon; Blackberry, Droid, i-Phone, i-Pad, Windows, Palm devices - how to securely manage these various platforms across the Enterprise, plus how to manage the wireless lifecycle by creating control, increasing visibility, achieving 20%-30% savings, and implementing a technical help desk and support for your mobile program.

Nick Pike was a member of the European Professional Golfers Association (PGA) and played in the British Open. After leaving the tour, in 1983 he founded Regency Golf, a leading European manufacturer and distributor of golf clubs, and grew the enterprise into a chain of retail golf stores. After years of traversing continents, he chose to reside in the United States, and in 2003, he joined a major wireless carrier as a sales executive representing strategic enterprise accounts where he recognized the need for customized wireless applications and was integral in the development of that carrier’s Business Solutions Partners sales channel. In 2005 Pike co-founded Integrated Mobile, and led the Company’s business development efforts that took sales to $10 million within 3 years.  Pike sold the business in 2009.

In 2010, Pike formed a consulting firm providing small and large businesses with a wide range of wireless expertise that enables them to control, gain visibility, and secure and support their wireless environment. Unique partnerships with VOX MOBILE, who provides platform support, and KII Buying Consortium, were formed and integrated into the firm’s service offerings.

The evening’s other presenter, Randy Nunez, works in Ford's Enterprise Technology-Research organization as the technical lead for the mobile computing work-stream, where he is responsible for researching mobile computing technology trends, executing proofs-of-concept for technology prove-out, publishing internal technical briefs, and delivering technology presentations to all levels of IT.

Nunez will discuss a number of trends that are causing companies to look more closely at the use of individual-liable (employee-owned) SmartPhones for business purposes. His presentation will discuss Ford's journey in using employee-owned devices in the enterprise, and will include the reasons behind the effort, key highlights of the journey, a description of the current program, and his recommendations for companies seeking to ‘tame the mobile beast’.

The Mobile Monday Detroit event will be held on Monday, December 13th from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Compuware Building located at One Campus Martius in Detroit.  Attendance is Free, though space is limited.  Those interested in attending may register at http://meetup.com/Mobile-Monday-Detroit. Parking will be validated for attendees who utilize Compuware’s parking deck.  Sponsors for the event are:  Mobile Monday Michigan, Compuware, and the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan.

The networking portion of the meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. with presentations beginning at approximately 6:20 p.m.  During the networking portion of the event, displays and information will be available from Sprint and other national organizations who offer a variety of mobile business solutions.

For more information about this event, please contact the group’s founder, Linda Daichendt at Linda@MobileMondayMichigan.org.

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MobileMonday (MoMo) is an open community of mobile industry visionaries, developers, influential individuals, and users fostering cooperation and cross-company business development through virtual and live networking events. The groups programs are designed to facilitate idea sharing, best practices development, trends identification, and Mobile Industry growth locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The Michigan branch executes on these objectives, thru its Ann Arbor and Detroit chapters, by delivering a balanced approach of business and technical content from within the Michigan business community, as well as beyond our State, in order to insure the Michigan community is made aware of developments taking place outside our area that can aid local businesses. Those interested in learning more about MoMoDetroit can find the group’s website at http://MobileMondayDetroit.org ; and information about the International organization can be found at http://MobileMonday.net.