Anywhere is Where it’s At

Let’s see if you’re up on the trade. Take this little survey.

The category of computing devices that saw the most unit sales, increase in platform performance, and content growth in the last decade (2000-2009) was the:

A. Microcomputer (PC or Mac)

B. Laptop

C. Mini Laptop

D. Cell Phone

E. Tablet

Yeah, you already intuitively know the answer, don’t you? It’s D: Cell Phones.

Cell phones are experiencing an extraordinary transformation from a simple communications device to a powerful computer capable of a range of digital entertainment, displacing our use of gaming consoles, laptops, and even television. The cell is also sporting cool productivity applications that allow us to do our business on the road. More than a billion of these things have been sold at affordable price-points around the world; it’s obvious dual-purpose makes it a real bargain for users in developing nations. And when we think about programming opportunities, nobody is saying, “Hey, let’s write this program for a PC.” They’re saying, “Hey, let’s write this program for an iPhone! Or an iPad! Le’ts make it mobile!”

Anywhere is where it’s at. It’s likely where you’re at, too, right now: not in front of a PC but somewhere … out there … connecting, approving, sharing, collaborating, producing, and consuming. Anywhere, it seems, is the office of the future, and it’s where your customers are and where you obviously need to be!

That may be big news for the small business who could have spent the last five years trying to make it possible to interact with their customers using self-service applications on the web, and front-loading their marketing campaigns with content management systems. Many have spent the last five years trying to make it easier to let the customer beat an electronic path to their door. Now, it’s time to leave.

It’s time to integrate mobility as a small business technology strategy and not just a convenience. Instead of thinking of PC’s, how can much of your small business work be conducted by a cell phone? Or how can a cell phone displace the laptop and contain or eliminate those kinds of expenses? How will your customers and employees want to use tablets? How’re they already using smartphones … how do they want to use smart phones? And how can you enable them?  Instead of planning for new desktops, how can you plan for mobility, and allow employees to use their own computers – on their own nickel? Given the rising cost of oil and gas, maybe Mobility (capital-M) should become a core competency?

There are a lot of technologies that can help out here, the least of which are smart phone options, but also strategic use of cloud computing and restructuring your applications portfolio. But there’s a clear choice to small business these days: continue to invest in stationary, distributed technologies that force you to stay in the office, or, invest in centralized, cloud-based, and mobile technologies that accommodate a diversity of access models, to reduce costs and transform business.

A great example: my own application of this stuff.

1. I use QuickBooks Plus Online which allows me access to my financials anywhere at any time. I can even access its mobile features on my iPhone, allowing me to generate reports and even prepare invoices from the phone if I wanted. My accountant even has direct access.

2. Now, my email system is hosted through Google Apps, and I’ve got all of my calendars, email, and contacts integrated across multiple laptops and desktop machines running Mac O/S, Windows, and Linux. It totally integrates with my iPhone. It effectively lets me communicate anywhere and on any machine.

3. Plus, I’ve got Skype going on each platform, including my cell phone, allowing me to contain my telephone expenses.

4. Further, I use this app called DropBox to synchronize my files between all of my machines – I can even access my files (over 50 gigs of data) on my iPhone using the app.

5. And the documents I share to my clients and to my students are hosted through Google Docs, which integrates into my website and my content management channels that I can monitor with Google Analytics. All the content that I create gets shared, re-published, and integrated into my Search strategy, and is reinforced by social media.

What does this mean? Total mobility: I can access my office from anywhere, and I don’t have to remote control any machine to do it. My office is mobile. It’s with me. It _is_ me. All the time. I can respond to my customers faster and have everything I need at all times. And even if my office burns down, it’s still with me. Anywhere I want to be.

You should be anywhere, too. Hey, it’s a cool place to be, but the most perfect place for small business.  Best of all: it’s where your customers are expecting you. Jump in – the water’s fine. I can teach you how to swim .

R

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