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Developing a custom solution in-house requires a great deal of investment, company resources and management time, and will imply high associated costs such as research & development costs, building the IT infrastructure, implementation & application costs, user training costs, and host server & storage costs. The ongoing cost for support, including software updates and maintenance, is the most costly part of developing a custom solution in-house, and according to Gartner, Inc., five years of maintenance and support can result in costs as high as, or higher than, the original license fees for software products such as CMO COMPLIANCE™.

The price of CMO COMPLIANCE™, the Leading Audit & Inspection Compliance Software solution, includes configuration, implementation, maintenance, support & training, and hence enables organisations to significantly reduce costs associated with these aspects in comparison to developing a custom solution in-house.

CMO COMPLIANCE™ will add value instantly to your organisation in terms of the complete solution that it brings - something that would require a great amount of resources/investment for organisations to replicate.

According to IBM, developing in-house custom solutions can involve a high level of risk, since they are new solutions and hence have not been previously tested, making them more difficult to manage and typically will not evolve with global best practise.

Food safety compliance has become an increasingly important issue in the Food Services Industry, reflected by a significant increase in media and regulatory attention, and associated penalties for targeted organisations.Companies in the food services industry all process, use and sell food in different ways, however, food safety and compliance issues all remain the same.

A recent investigation by The Independent into the hygiene standards of Britain's top ten food chains has revealed some shocking facts about our favourite restaurants. As local authorities rated the food safety of restaurants, an alarming number failed to meet the legal standards regarding basic hygiene and safety principles, including popular restaurants such as Yo! Sushi, Pizza Hut and Pizza Express.

Under British law, restaurants need to be inspected by environmental health officers every two years, who then rate the restaurants by giving out stars ranging from zero to five. Restaurants with a low star rating have very poor food safety standards, as well as incurring an increased risk of food poisoning. The results of the star ratings showed that take away restaurants scored the lowest star average of 2.4 stars, while pubs came second place with 2.7 stars and restaurants third on 2.8 stars. Schools and hospitals proved to boast Britain's cleanest kitchens, scoring an average of 4 out of 5 stars.

The results of The Independent investigation were released at the start of Britain's Food Safety week as the nation is becoming more and more aware of the importance of maintaining high food safety and quality standards. Britain's Health Protection Agency estimates that about 4.5 million restaurant-goers in England and Wales alone suffer food poisoning each year, an alarming figure which has prompted the Food Standards Agency to embark on a campaign highlighting the importance of food safety.

The use of mobile devices is growing rapidly as companies look for more ways to support a workforce that requires easy, remote and wireless access to the Internet, e-mail, and other applications within the workplace. Many companies have already implemented mobility solutions to address specific business requirements, and to keep in touch with their business anytime, anywhere. As the functionality of mobile devices increases, companies want to expand their use of this technology from supporting niche applications to delivering enterprise-wide solutions.

Myths about Wireless & mobility technology

To successfully plan, deploy, and manage wireless networks, many first have to relinquish old myths and misconceptions. Mobility is a hot topic within the IT community, and as such has its fair share of myths and misconceptions. Below are four common myths about the risks associated with mobility.

Myth #1: Wireless connectivity is not secure

The most commonly cited myth is that wireless networks are not as secure as a wired network. In reality, technology exists today to make data transmission over a wireless network as safe as a wired network. The real issue is not about lack of security, but rather about making the right technology choices to secure wireless solutions from the various threats. Companies need to establish proactive security policies and administration processes, but must also insure minimal disruption to the end-user. It is crucial to provide data encryption, password protection, user authentication, and the ability to remotely lock down devices to keep your wireless network secure. In order to successfully develop and implement these procedures, IT needs to achieve the right balance between the user experience, automation, and the need to protect sensitive data.

Myth #2: Wireless coverage is not widely accessible to support a mobile workforce

Wireless technology is actually only one component of mobility. The emergence of 3G and higher bandwidth cellular networks is a much needed trend and one that is on the horizon, with extensive 3G networks now available in Europe and the Asia Pacific. Companies need to select network coverage that best meets the voice and data needs of their mobile workforce, and the right devices capable of connecting to multiple networks. Capabilities like OpenRoaming enable devices to seamlessly switch between these networks without dropping the connection or requiring the user to re-authenticate on the corporate network, thereby providing a seamless mobile user experience and giving the user a wide scope of coverage.

Myth #3: Mobility is expensive

Costs are always an important factor when considering new technology but so is Return on Investment (ROI). By choosing mobility projects based on their ability to generate targeted, measurable business benefits-such as increased customer service and satisfaction, improved worker productivity and increased revenue, companies can build mobile strategies knowing that their ROI will be real and quantifiable and have a significantly positive impact on their corporate financial goals. Utilizing ROI tools and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models will also help quantify the positive results of wireless deployments.

Consider a company of a field service force utilizing a paper-based process. By adopting a mobile electronic process, service personnel can react more quickly to customer emergencies, or have more information about customer issues prior to making a service call.

This may enable them either to reduce the amount of time spent at that customer site, or eliminate the need to revisit that site because they didn't have the tools or information necessary to fix the issue in the first instance. ROI can now be delivered by reduced costs associated with fewer return visits, an increase in the customer visits per representative on a weekly basis, reduction in the cost of travel and expense associated with return visits and the cost of internal scheduling support, customer support calls and not least, increased customer satisfaction-all have quantifiable business and cost benefits that can be tracked and validated.

Myth #4: Mobility can be difficult to set up, support, and manage

It is true that finding the right wireless solutions with the right capabilities for your size business can be a challenge. In order to make the process easier and more cost-effective, vendors offer services to help companies examine their options and implement wireless solutions faster, with less risk and less disruption. When evaluating the management of wireless networks, companies should consider vendors who offer design tools and capabilities, remote network monitoring, rogue access point detection, and secure remote access technologies. Device management vendors should provide over-the-air updates and data encryption, the ability to provide software patches and upgrades without user intervention, and centralized user administration and reporting.

Companies need to take a holistic approach to implementing a mobile enterprise by looking at all facets of the mobile value chain, including the devices, security, network, infrastructure, applications, and access points. They will need a mobile system that can deliver the management and support for the total work environment, supporting a mobile infrastructure across the enterprise.

Where does IT fit into mobile implementation and support?

Around the world, companies are becoming more geographically dispersed. The shift from a physical office environment to global mobile workplace necessitates a change in technology, and an IT department willing and ready to address the needs of employees wherever they may be.

In many cases, managing an enterprise-wide mobility solution requires additional personnel or the acquisition of new skill sets. Additionally, IT departments may experience an increase in administrative burdens for device management and procurement, help desk and remote support on already overextended IT resources.

Companies should consciously decide if they wish to add staff or outsource the mobile environment to a company, such as CMO Global that is well versed in deploying new technologies and supporting mobility infrastructures and end user

Conclusion

Corporations limit the introduction of mobile technology due to a lack of imagination and understanding. They have become too focused on the components and costs and are missing the bigger picture. Mobility right now is like the Internet was in 1996; then, everyone discounted the Internet, or worried that it would just encourage employees to waste time. Now, companies understand that the Internet is a tremendous resource for accessing and exchanging information, and a powerful platform for commerce.

Companies need to embrace mobility instead of being afraid of it. The business justifications for mobile implementations have been proven; all that's needed is thoughtful implementation. Companies have to implement mobility carefully and use good partners in order to achieve maximum ROI results.

Mobilising your Workforce can have significant benefits for most enterprises, hence needs to be considered very carefully. Many believe that device selection is the highest priority, however it is contended that you need to start by understanding the requirements of your workforce and your enterprises long-term mobile goals

When Mobilising your workforce, device selection should actually rank lower on the list of priorities than you might think. It is tempting to start with the device, because ultimately the success of your mobilization project could hinge on how well you match your employees with the right equipment. However before you begin evaluating the latest PDAs, tablets and smartphones, you first need to understand the varying requirements of your different employee groups as well as your long term enterprise mobility goals.

Here are nine key questions that should be considered before you begin the device selection process for your enterprise.

1.	Who are your user groups?
The needs of Mobile workers can vary dramatically from one enterprise or division to another, so breaking your enterprises mobile workforce into logical groups is a sound first step. This will allow device selections to be tailored based on the needs of each group whilst balancing IT infrastructure and financial considerations. Examples of different user groups include: field support or field service; field sales staff; transportation and logistics; warehouse (both central and decentralized); executive management; and office or campus based mobile users (such as mobile case workers, healthcare workers, security and rapid response personnel). Once logical groupings are established, the needs of each group can be more easily profiled. The group's environment and how a mobile solution can improve the productivity of the group, or help solve the group's problems then becomes the focal point.
2.	What geographic areas do your user groups cover?
While the word "mobility" often suggests a wide range of locations, mobile workers tend not to roam across vast areas. Typically, the majority of mobile activity is conducted in a well-defined region-within a one-hour drive from the office, or in a specific city or multi-state region. Geographic factors affect the connectivity method. Systems such as cellular provide wide-area coverage, but data coverage is not always available outside major urban markets. For remote coverage needs, satellite systems may be needed. And if mobile users have access to fixed-line connections wherever they go, traditional landline connectivity via a modem may be a practical connectivity method, given that these connections generally support higher data rates than, for instance, cellular data rates. For users who simply need to be mobile within the office or campus area-to improve the tracking of inventory, for example-Wi-Fi connections are a popular choice. These connections are also becoming increasingly available to individuals traveling in many urban locations around the country, from coffee shops to airports.
3.	In what type of environments will the wireless devices be used?
The local environment in which the worker uses the mobile tools can vary greatly. Harsh environments that range from manufacturing sites to construction or field sites will probably require ruggedized or hardened devices. Enclosed or underground locations, where no data connection is possible, may need to store data offline, which increases the device's required storage capacity. Walking or driving affects both the connectivity and the form factor of the device. Heavy usage and complex applications require a lot of processing power and battery life, so available electrical sources and replaceable batteries need to be considered.
4.	How secure do your communications need to be?
Different organizations require different levels of security. Organizations that require a high level of security will find that higher end processors such as those provided in Windows Mobile-compliant devices may be better equipped for the job than lower-end phone-based devices. Lower-end phones are restricted in the level of security they can provide due to limitations in the processing capabilities available. These limitations preclude many phones from running the algorithms that are necessary to support highly secure applications. If adherence to standards such as the federal security standard FIPS 140-2 is important, then lower-end phone based devices will not be able to support this level of security. Of course, phone-based devices may still be suitable-for instance, if the user is simply scanning a piece of information using a bar code scanner and sending that back to a database, and not and accessing personal, financial, or military data.
5.	What applications would you like to have in the field?
There are many different wireless applications available. Some of them require devices with specific technologies such as GPS or cellular location-based services, which support directions, routing, etc. Support for newer data collection technologies such as RFID and more mature technologies such as barcode reading also impact device selection. When you need such applications, it is important to note whether the functionality is integrated into the device, or if the functionality is provided peripherally. Adding too many external features to a device will cause devices that started out small and light to quickly become heavy and unwieldy.
6.	What type of data are you accessing and entering?
Data access dictates screen size and color considerations. The more complex the data, the larger the screen size needed. For instance, for a physician reviewing X-rays using a telemedicine application, a tablet would be the most appropriate device. Color is probably going to be of primary importance to people making presentations or reading complex charts or maps. The data entry requirements of your users is going to determine whether an external keyboard will be necessary or whether pen-based or keypad input will suffice. You also need to keep in mind that users are much more likely to adopt applications if the user interface is familiar to them and is easy-to-use.
7.	Do you need to access and react to data in real time?
Many mobile applications today do not support true real-time data delivery. Instead, they simply synchronize data with back-office systems at the end of the day. While this may be fine for some applications, it is not ideal for others. For example, only with real-time data delivery can you see that the salesperson in the next territory just sold the last available replacement part in the warehouse, enabling you to immediately let another customer know that it's out of stock. With sync, that information wouldn't be available until the other salesperson got back to their office. The need to support real-time data delivery can affect device selection. Is more than one type of capability required to support the real-time resolution of problems from the field-for instance, does the mobile user need voice capability as well as e-mail? And if both of these capabilities are combined in one device, can the mobile employee use both capabilities simultaneously?
8.	What are your long-term mobile goals?
Long-term goals will have a significant impact on your device selection process. You may be starting out with a small mobility project targeted at just some of your employees, for which a single application needs to be provisioned with a single type of device-a point solution. But if you anticipate that your mobile needs will expand in future years, you'll need to take a platform approach by adopting a more flexible and scalable architecture. Why would this have an impact on your device selection? In point solutions, many of the device selection decisions are made for you. Point solutions often work on a limited choice of devices, based on criteria that the solution provider, rather than your organization, determines. With a platform approach, you maintain the flexibility to change devices as your needs change or as technological advances bring new and useful devices to market. Upgrade paths, flexibility, and scalability are all features of your mobile solution under a platform approach. This enables organizations to deploy many wireless applications and support many wireless devices while using a single integrated architecture. As applications are rolled out across time, an organization's incremental cost of ownership decreases, instead of increasing. Put simply, an organization's long-term benefits are dramatically higher with the integrated mobile platform approach.
9.	What are your organization's financial limitations?
The financial factors that determine the total cost of ownership for a mobile device are very similar to those for desktop-based devices. Consider more than the initial device cost: what are the costs for maintenance and support? You must also consider how to navigate the trend toward "convergent" devices and the impact this may have on hardware upgrade cycles. Using the Swiss Army knife approach may help reduce the number of devices a worker needs, but it may have significant cost implications. If, for example, one piece of the converged device becomes outdated or obsolete, you may be required to replace the whole device to maintain the functionality that you need.

Conclusion

Proper planning is the key to your mobilization success. It needn't delay your rollout-in fact, it should save you from making expensive and aggravating missteps. Many of the above points are common sense. It's only when they're missed or overlooked that they garner attention (and not the kind you're looking for)!