Bratislava & Brussels – Belgacom Mobile Applications announced a partnership with Resco, a leading vendor of advanced developer components and tools for mobile devices and mobile business solutions.

“We’ve done extensive market research into the mobilization of our products,” says Jan Paesen, Director Product Management Enterprise Mobility Solutions at Belgacom, “and it was clear that the best way forward was to conclude a partnership with Resco.  They offer us the unique opportunity to provide our customers with a truly mobilized CRM solution on virtually all mobile platforms.”

Belgacom and Resco created a strategic partnership to cover the demand for a mobile solution for Microsoft Dynamics CRM corporate customers in Belgian market. The result, Belgacom CRMobile, is  an optimized version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM with a custom mobile layer that provides a mobile CRM solution for sales team.  The mobile layer was built on top of Resco MobileCRM, which is a versatile mobile cross-platform solution with advanced customization tools.

Belgacom CRMobile is the next-generation mobile CRM solution by Belgacom Mobile Applications.  It is developed to meet the mobilization demands of present day businesses. Jan Paesen: „Before our integration into Belgacom, we used to be a standalone affiliate company, called Euremis. Under that name, we’ve been developing and marketing mobile sales and field force solutions for the best part of a decade. So, when the time came to sunset the existing solutions and build a completely new one, we had all the knowledge and experience at hand to do so.  For Belgacom CRMobile, we’ve opted for a vertical approach, adapting our solution to the needs of specific industries. And the vast experience we have with the FMCG-industry, this sector was a natural first choice for the first Belgacom CRMobile solution. Other verticals will follow shortly.“

Resco was founded in 1999. The company is one of the global leaders developing cross-platform mobile software solutions. The team of Resco professionals passes on their knowledge of mobile device technology by designing products for end users, developers, integrators and corporate customers in order to optimize their work and productivity.

For more information visit: http://www.resco.net

About Belgacom Mobile Applications

Belgacom Mobile Applications is the mobile competence center of the Belgacom Group, the largest telecom operator in Belgium.  It came to life after the integration of Euremis, a Belgacom affiliate, into Belgacom. Belgacom Mobile Applications‘ solutions are based on the mobile know-how of Euremis and the added solutions provided by Belgacom (cloud, connectivity, security, …).  Belgacom Mobile Application offers a range of mobile B2B apps and solutions to customers of all sizes, including sales force and field force automation, device management, hardware, consultancy, and much more.

This mobile application, a joint development by Belgacom Mobile Applications and K-Company, was built for the Brussels-Capital Region tourism agency and gives tourists an overview of what to do and see in our capital.

Curious to check it out? Get yourself an iPhone and download the app from the app store.

Some screenshots:

Think Android 3.2 Honeycomb, dual core with embedded hardware security, 10.1″ XGA LED display (a 7″ version is available as well), 1 GB DDRAM and 16 GB Flash, 3 year limited warranty and of course MIL-STD-810G and IP65 certified.  Or, as one YouTube pundit wrote: “Now the Army can play Angry Birds too.”
And all that at competitive rates too!

Have a look at the commercial (see below and don’t forget to laugh at the voice-over) and don’t hesitate to get in touch for more info.

Also check:

• http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughpad/us/best-android-rugged-tablet-overview.asp
• http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/11/07/panasonic-debuts-rugged-touchpad-android-tablets/

Mobile devices have triggered a whole new movement in enterprises; work is not longer linked to location, time or even device.
What are the technology challenges? What are the new possibilities, applications, services or features that will empower mobile workers even more?
Experts on these subjects will cover several interesting topics: Mobile data, Device Management, Mobile Security and Mobile Enterprise Apps.

REGISTER HERE

Program:

• 18h00 Registration
• 18h30 Introduction “The B2B Mobile Challenges”
• 18h45
  • Belgacom Mobile Applications by Jan Paesen – Director Mobility at Belgacom
  • Mobile Device Management by Ulrik Van Schepdael – Mobco
  • Mobile Security by Jan Guldentops – BA
  • Mobile Enterprise Apps by Koen Pellegrims – Flowpilots
  • Implementation case
• 20h30 Closing remarks and Networking

Location:
Belgacom Towers – Auditorium
Albert II Laan 27
1030 Brussels

Kindly hosted by Belgacom NV
Moderation: Tanguy De Lestré
Content coordination: Ulrik Van Schepdael

REGISTER HERE

From consumer to company, a new device is gaining ground.

The rising popularity of tablets appears unstoppable. Logically enough: a tablet is more than a mere replacement for the traditional laptop or smartphone. The device supports a new way of working and living.

The rapid rise of tablets caught many people by surprise. The key to their success: mobility. You can easily take a tablet with you anywhere you go, certainly given the longer battery life. What’s more, you can also turn a tablet on and off in a snap, which is highly convenient for brief use. However, certain disadvantages remain: the tablet has no keyboard or mouse and no DVD reader. “The tablet is designed primarily for data consumption, especially media consumption,” explains Jan Paesen, Director Product Management Enterprise Mobility at Belgacom. “Tablets are eminently suited to watching media and sharing it with others. That is why they are doing so well in the context of social media and social network sites: sending short messages, looking at pictures, …. If you need to work intensively on documents, create presentations or compose text, a tablet is less appropriate.”

More discreet and convenient

The portability and ease of use of tablets was what initially won over at the ‘road warriors’: technicians working on the road, sales representatives visiting customers, managers on business trips, … Jan Paesen: “Sometimes there’s even a psychological effect that comes into play. With a tablet, a sales representative can very quickly show something to a customer. In the past, this would have required unpacking and starting up a laptop. That came across as much more intrusive than is the case now.” The availability of marketing material such as films, photographs and presentations on a tablet gives the sales representative more efficient support for the message he or she is trying to convey. Mobile users – sales representatives and technicians, but also medical staff – frequently need a convenient way to access data from a central backoffice and sometimes need to upload new data as well. A tablet is perfect for this. “The same goes for managers. Via their tablet they can quickly consult data and validate requests or workflows,” notes Jan Paesen.

Business applications are the key

The tablet is not expected to replace the smartphone or the laptop anytime soon. However, on the short term there will be a large group of users for whom the tablet becomes their most important – and possibly their only – device. Now that more business applications are available, this evolution will spread into the professional market. That is one of the key elements behind the rise of the current generation of tablets: the rapidly growing numbers of applications. Belgacom is also responding to the rising demand for tablet applications. Jan Paesen: “We are focusing primarily on supporting mobile employees. For example, we are currently working on a revised, mobile version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The application will be given a user interface that is completely adapted to the tablet, and will be available in different versions depending on the brand and the operating system.” What is important here is that users can also work without a mobile connection. When they are able to reconnect later, the data will automatically be synchronized.

 

The Samsung P1000 Galaxy, available through Belgacom Mobile Applications

New challenges for the CIO

Just like smartphones, tablets are bringing about a revolution in the way we work; for the CIO they represent a new challenge. For example, existing applications need to be adapted to these new devices. An internal enterprise appstore can offer the solution. In the appstore, users can find the adapted application for every type of device. Belgacom has already prepared a framework for this type of enterprise appstore. Jan Paesen: “Security is another major concern. A whole category of devices is being added that need security.” A tablet should preferably be approached as a working tool for displaying and processing data. Concrete data should therefore ideally be stored at a secure location in the cloud, rather than locally on the device. Jan Paesen: “That security issue is not a new one. Smartphones and tablets have the advantage that via ‘device management’ they can be managed and secured quickly as easily. If a device is lost or stolen, all of the data can instantly be blocked or deleted remotely.” In addition, tablets also have an impact on the network use within companies. The need for mobile communication will therefore increase sharply. That is why Belgacom is investing in the mobile network and is the first operator to offer 4G to companies. “In the near future, we will even be able to adapt the bandwidth in function of the type of user and application. That way, we can better guarantee the functioning of the business-critical mobile applications,” according to Jan Paesen.

Revisiting wifi-infrastructure

In most office environments, tablet users are going to access the fixed network via wifi. As more tablets come into use, many companies are going to have to consider adapting their wifi-infrastructure. “This is not only a question of bandwidth, but also security. For example, company firewalls may encounter difficulties handling all the new traffic generated by tablets,” points out Jan Paesen. Then it is up to the CIO to draw up guidelines determining which applications should be allowed on the business network. Now that more and more users possess a tablet, and often bring their own tablets to the office, network usage is becoming a priority. Tablets are a crystallization of the convergence of cloud computing, multimedia, communication, computers, mobility, mobile business applications and social networks and this calls for new rules. However, these new challenges are showing no signs of slowing the rapid propagation of tablets.

Business benefits

• Increased mobility
• Quick access to data
• Ideal for media consumption

For more information, don’t hesitate to contact us!

According to IDC, the number of mobile workers is set to increase to about 1.19 billion by 2014

I am, of course, talking about the whole cloud computing, mobile working, smartphone using, available anywhere business model.  Every one of these items in itself is raising questions for company managers.  Combined, they provide a whole new outlook on future business.  And future spells today!
According to IDC, the number of mobile workers is set to increase to about 1.19 billion by 2014.  One-point-nineteen billion!  That is inconceivably massive.  And all those employees will need tools, procedures, workflows, etc. which will help them be productive workers in a mobile environment.
And while a lot of companies are pondering the issues and trying to determine how they will cope with this new mobile future, employees are taking matters into their own hands.
IDC estimates that last year, 2010, no less than 58% of all smartphones used for business, were actually bought and owned by users, not by companies.  So people are not waiting for companies to provide them with tools for mobile working, they are going out and buying them themselves.  By 2014, that number is set to rise to 62%.  And that’s only smartphones. We’re not even talking about tablets or any other devices.

mobile working and use of mobile devices allows for much better employee productivity

Now, this presents problems as well as opportunities for companies.  On the one hand it’s a great deal: mobile working and use of mobile devices allows for much better employee productivity.  And when employees buy their own tools, you don’t have the added costs of purchasing, maintenance, connectivity charges, etc.  So companies win!  But…..how will you administer or enforce corporate policies on hardware which is neither bought nor owned by the company.  How will you tell your employees that it’s perfectly OK for them to spend their own money buying work-related tools, but….. sorry, you can only do ABC and not XYZ on your phone.  That’s a hard nut to crack.  Besides, what do you do when company data, sensitive or not, is placed on employee-owned hardware? If you flat out forbid that, your employees will not be able to use their devices for work-related purposes and you lose the productivity aspect.  If you allow it, how will you manage that data? What do you do when one of those employee-owned devices goes missing (and all your data with it).

You need to sit down with employee representatives and determine a policy that is mutually beneficial to all parties

It’s clear that this will present a big challenge to companies in the very near future.  Point is to make sure you have the necessary policies to safeguard both your employees’ ability to work mobile and the security of your company data.  Your company policies will most likely already include a clause that prohibits employees from any action that might endanger the integrity of the company and its data. But that’s theory. It will not help your employees when all most of them are trying to do is to work in a better way.
You need practical solutions. You need to sit down with employee representatives and determine a policy that is mutually beneficial to all parties.

So you have drafted a great policy. Now how do you enforce it?  Again, if your employees are buying their own gear, you will be hard-placed to force them buy only certain makes and types of devices, right?  And soon you will be faced with a workforce working on all types of BlackBerry’s, Nokia’s, iPhones, Samsung’s and anything else that’s out there on the market.
So maybe you can guide their choice a bit.  How about a policy saying: we will refund 10% (or 20 or 50) off the purchase price, but only for a limited list of devices.  That would certainly help.  Or you could say: we will refund x % of your connectivity charges with a maximum of XXX euro per month, but only if you use one of the devices which is pre-approved by you.

don’t forget: technology can and will help!

And don’t forget: technology can and will help!  The latest range of device management tools will help you set up your policies and manage your fleet of mobile devices: the ones you own and, if need be, the ones you don’t own.

In any case: the challenge is here today, and so are the solutions!  Feel like having a chat about managing the new tide of mobile working?  Don’t hesitate and give us a call.

Johan

Are you an independent entrepeneur? Or do you own a company? Then these are indeed interesting times because contact between customers and companies has never been easier than today.  Internet, web 2.0, social media, mobile data, apps, … Everyone knows the buzzwords by now. So that’s not what this blog is about. But it is about using all of the above in your daily (work)life.

We come from an era where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) was relatively easy for companies.  You advertised to get new customers, local points of sale offered direct contact with sales staff and in case of trouble, you simply called customer service.  Couldn’t be easier.
Today, those steps still exists and they are just as important as ever before.  However, a lot of new stuff has happened.  Thanks to social media, consumers can now ask their friends (or just about anyone else) for advice before they decide on a purchase.  If they encounter a problem, they want to get in touch with you immediately. And you can bet users write and share reviews about your products.

Sounds complicated?  Well, perhaps.  But social media have become an undeniable fact of life.  So my proposal is not to shy away from these new ways of communicating with your audience. Embrace them.  No, really!  And it doesn’t matter that much what you do.  You work in a software company? You sell fruit and veg? It’s up to you whether people talk positively about your company.

So how do you do this? Well, for starters, make sure you are where your (potential) customers are. Because that’s where people are talking about you.  A lot of Belgians are well acquainted with Facebook by now. So why not start there.  Make a page. But don’t forget the less obvious places. Perhaps there are specific fora about your area of expertise?  And have you put your shop up at Foursquare yet?
Today, people share information non-stop.  When they pass a shop window that they like, they take a picture and upload it to the internet.  With comments added.  So play into that.  Organize a fun competition to determine who’s the ‘mayor’ of your company on Foursquare.

Once you exist in the virtual world, the real work begins.  Invite your customers to follow your social media account(s).  Got news, big or small? Share it.  Answer people’s questions.  Launch a promotion or special deal for your online followers. In short, make sure your social media pages are an attractive place to be.  But be careful.  The worst thing you can do with social media is to use them as a copy of an existing communication channel.  They are not.  Social media are unique in many ways, but most notably because people deal with companies on a level playing field in the online space.  There are much less barriers.  So this means it is easier for the consumer to contact a company. That can be very tough.  But it also means you can have a true dialogue with your customers.  And if you do that correctly, social media will also become a massive source of “customer intelligence”.  You want to know something? You ask. You want to share information? Say so!  Want to make real fans out of your product’s or company’s customers? Help them. Answer their questions and give them information.

So, yes, the customer-company relationship is indeed more complex today than it was ever before, but at the same time, it has never been so human.  And with the increasing availability of smartphones and mobile internet, things will only get more direct.  And that’s an opportunity, not a threat.

Good luck

Bram Leunis

Bram is a Community Manager at the Belgacom Group and is an authority on the use of social media in a corporate environment. You can reach him HERE or look for @bramula on Twitter.

Truth be told: it’s not an easy debate.  Will you allow your employees to make personal use of the mobile devices you’re supplying them with?  And if so, exactly how much ‘personal use’ is acceptable? And we’re not talking purely about connectivity and mobile phone charges.  What about applications?  Will you allow your staff to access Facebook on their smarphone?  Or what about business-oriented social media, such as LinkedIn?  A quick survey with friends and relations tells me, and I’m in no doubt that this would be the same for you, that there are a range of ‘solutions’ to the problem.  Some companies are very strict and do not allow any personal use of their mobile devices.  Others take a purely financial approach and give employees a credit amount to use.  Anything above that amount, they have to pay for themselves.  And on the very far end of the spectrum are those organisations who, apparently, could care less and don’t impose any restrictions whatsoever.
Strikingly, none of the people I contacted for my little survey received any guidelines about acceptable use in terms of applications, software installations, surfing behaviour, etc.  Other, of course, than the standard paragraph about accessing, receiving or disseminating content that is libellous, offensive, illegal, etc.

technology has advanced so rapidly in recent years that phones are not just phones any more

The main reason for that is that, for most companies, the problem is a very new one.  OK, they’ve had fleets of mobile devices for years.  Mostly regular phones, perhaps some PDA’s and, more recently, some BlackBerry’s for management.  But that was it: so all they had to figure out was how to manage their fleet (new orders, repairs, and maintenance, …) and how to control their cost.  Relatively easy stuff.  But technology has advanced so rapidly in recent years that phones are not just phones any more. And it no longer takes a brilliant mind to alter the state of a mobile device, update or install applications, and such.  Anyone can do it.  So mobile fleet managers are now having to come up with policies and procedures to monitor and manage those new devices and the information that’s one them, as well.  Because there is a terrifying amount of company data that get’s transferred to mobile devices (including laptops).

The idea’s been around for a long time but only now companies are getting up and taking notice.

Enter device management!
Device management is not new, by the way. It’s been around for a good number of years but it failed to attract a lot of attention.  In that way, it’s a bit comparable to the (in)famous cloud.  The idea’s been around for a long time but only now companies are getting up and taking notice.  Reason being that technology and ways of doing business have finally advanced to a point where working in the cloud makes extremely good sense. And the same is true for device management.
Device management is, in itself, quite straightforward.  It does exactly what the name says, it manages your fleet of mobile devices.  And that means every aspect of your mobile fleet, from cost to inventories, security to application management, tracking and locking (in case devices get lost or stolen, …)  You name it, device management can handle it.  Would you like to know if the mobile networks you use are really performing as promised?  You can check uptime, network status, connection speeds and much more.   With inventory management, you can not only check which devices are in your fleet (types, brands, …), but also the applications that are on them.  So you’ll have no trouble blocking (or allowing) facebook and other applications on all of your devices at once.  Even better: suppose you don’t want your staff to have mobile access to facebook during office hours, but you don’t mind if they do after hours.  No problem, just a couple of settings in your device manager and you’re done.

Mobile devices hold a tremendous amount of company data, from relatively harmless to highly confidential.

Security
One of the most important features of device management is security.  Mobile devices hold a tremendous amount of company data, from relatively harmless to highly confidential. So it’s very important to make sure that your mobile devices are secure. And that means: checking and black-/whitelisting applications, scan for and protect against viruses and malicious software.  It also means making regular, automated back-ups of mobile devices. So that, if a device does get lost, stolen or destroyed, you will have a new device running without any loss of data in a matter of moments.  Or, and this is a very big one, lock & wipe.  The ability to complete lock and wipe mobile devices remotely.  So in case of theft or abuse, you can simply erase the device completely and remove any sensitive information that’s on it.

So if you have a fleet of mobile devices to manage and  inventory control, cost control, usage and performance control, and/or top security are among your concerns, you should seriously consider looking into device management.

Have any questions about device management?  Just let us know and we’ll tell you all about it.

Read more
- Device Management
- Consumerization FR / NL (Datanews article)

Johan

Companies on a global scale are falling over themselves to extoll the virtues of NFC-payment.  The principle is quite easy.  On the one hand you have a supplier that offers you a mobile wallet, a kind of virtual wallet that you can charge automatically or manually.  On the other hand, you’ll have either an NFC-tag (a small sticker with an NFC antenna) or NFC-technology built in to your mobile device (smartphone, tablet, …).  All you need to do to make a payment is simply swipe the tag or phone over an NFC tag reader and the payment is made.  What could be easier?

Internationally, we see a large number of players from telecom and the mobile or financial industries waking up to the new NFC-dawn and putting their resources on high alert to come up with the killer NFC application.  Interestingly, NFC payment has been around in Belgium for a number of years.  Surprised?  Well, I can’t say your surprise surprises me!

Every time I tell people what a great and innovative company Belgacom is, they look at me as if I’ve just lost my mind.  And then I tell them about all those little things that Belgacom does so well.  In its mobile business, in its ICT and international telecom business, in its digital TV offerings, …
So it’s no surprise to my colleagues and me that Belgacom has been doing this NFC/mobile payment business for a number of years.  Upon learning that the tried and trusted (and all but obsolete) Proton service was nearing the end of its lifespan, Belgacom launched into a project to make mobile payments available to the wider, Belgian audience.  Under the distinct PingPing-brand, Belgacom partnered with Tunz (think Keytrade Bank) to provide mobile wallets to its customers.  All a user needs is this mobile wallet account (which is free, of course), and a PingPing NFC-tag (distributed by PingPing) and he’s ready to go.  Of course, once the transition is made and the next generation of NFC capable devices hits the markets, the stick-on NFC tag will no longer be necessary.

Aside from successful sms-payment solutions such parking (www.4411.be) and public transport tickets (De Lijn), PingPing already launched several solutions using NFC technology for proximity payments.
A first important deal has been signed with Coca-Cola to equip 5,000 vending machines across Belgium and Luxembourg, and roll-out of those will begin this summer.
And the wider market seems ready to embrace NFC as well.
After years of working on new mobile payment schemes behind the scenes, Belgian banks and other local mobile operators have come to the conclusion that developing separate mobile payment solutions would be a gross waste of time and money.  So now, under the impulse and governance of Febelfin, talks are under way to come to one, unified mobile payment technology (read the Febelfin press release here in Dutch or French), with PingPing/Tunz technology being by far the most advanced in terms of development and usage at this time.

In any case: watch this space for more announcements about Belgian NFC mobile payments in the future.
Want to know more about PingPing, check out this web site.

And stay tuned for our next NFC-blog when we’ll explain why mobile payments are a good thing.  Really!

Johan

The year was 2002 and, as internet was taking off in the Low Countries, people started having dreams of what business would be like in a connected world.  So armed with a reliable network, a flock of young and enthusiastic developers and a good idea of the way forward for their new company, our trio set out to create a set of tools and solutions that would allow businesses to conduct business remotely.

Soon, solutions were in place that enabled sales teams and teams of field technicians in FMCG, Pharma, Out-of-Home and other industries to work remotely, to stay connected to their head office 24/7.  Customers were won over, their bottom lines catching a breath of fresh air from the extra return euremis’ tools provided them with.

These early successes caught the eye of the Belgacom Group.  Always on the lookout for young and promising start-ups, Belgacom started courting euremis and finally, in 2006, bought the company lock, stock and barrel.  Instead of integrating euremis into the Belgacom Group, the small company became a wholly-owned subsidiary and was let loose on the unsuspecting B2B community with the full power and back-up of Belgacom.
euremis, subsequently, expanded its horizon and started looking into ways to make employees even more mobile, using tools which were even more ‘connected’ and effective.

Fast-forward to 2010.  euremis is doing well, and so is Belgacom.  As smartphones, tablets and other devices enter the market, there are new opportunities every which way you turn.  Analysts are queueing up to extoll the virtues of the truly connected world and the potential for mobile applications and mobile data is so huge it’s scary.  Within the B2B segment there is a rapidly growing interest in mobile B2B applications.  And who would be better suited than euremis to spearhead those activities at Belgacom.

So in September 2010, euremis was integrated into Belgacom, delivering cutting edge mobile applications to the business community.  Our entire product line will hence be marketed under the name Belgacom Mobile Applications. With the new situation and the new name also came a new approach to doing business: we no longer develop (everything) ourselves.  We listen to our customers and we talk to a lot of people: partners, developers, mobile business geniuses, etc.  With their help we select the best tools and the best way forward to help our customers reach their business goals.  We select all the elements in the equation and then put them together!

So, there you go, a short history of euremis and Belgacom Mobile Applications.  Don’t hesitate to stay in touch and find out what the future has in store!

Johan