Entire content is taken from the internet

Prepared by : M SWATHI AND B G AKSHAYA

UNIT IV BUSINESS– TO– BUSINESS MOBILE E– COMMERCE

Enterprise Enablement – Email and Messaging – Field Force Automation (Insurance, Real Estate,
Maintenance, Healthcare) – Field Sales Support (Content Access, Inventory) – Asset Tracking and
Maintenance/Management – Remote IT Support – Customer Retention (B2C Services, Financial,
Special Deals) – Warehouse Automation – Security.

Enterprise Enablement
Enterprise Enablement is a Capacity on Demand Advanced Function technology that enables the
system for 5250 online transaction processing (OLTP).

Enterprise Enablement (EE) can be sold and set up for one or more processors or it can be sold and
set up for all processors on your entire Power system (Full System Enterprise enablement). With a
Full System Enterprise Enablement license, 100% of the processors are enabled for OLTP.

In its simplest form, Enterprise Enablement is a license for 5250 processing.

Where Enterprise Enablement licenses get tricky is when you’re upgrading a system you own or
lease.
Since EE licenses can be expensive, many customers wonder if you can transfer your Enterprise
Enablement licenses to new hardware when you upgrade. Here’s what I understand about owning
and transferring EE licenses.

The EE license is a hardware feature that belongs to the Power systems machine not the owner of
the machine, and it runs on a specific serial number.

Given that, here are the possible scenarios you can run into when you upgrade or replace your
machine.

 If you replace your machine or upgrade to a different serial number, you have to buy new
Enterprise Enablement licenses, because you have changed your hardware
 If you upgrade your machine with the same serial number, you can use the existing EE licenses
because you’ll be running on the same serial #
Both of these situations would be true regardless of whether you lease or own the machine.

The Enterprise Enablement (E2) organization is comprised of multiple teams – from technology to
operations to enterprise productivity and more. The combination of these teams into a single
organization allows for better alignment with the needs of the businesses, and positions priorities to
help the businesses become more efficient, more nimble and more profitable. E2’s mission is to
enable the businesses to drive profitable growth. E2 is focused on near-term delivery to accelerate
growth, while staying focused on what needs to be delivered to clients on a daily basis – including
onboarding, processing, production, reporting, stability and capability. Long-term, E2 is focused on
profitable growth through a sustainable future operating model. E2’s mission aligns with Northern
Trust’s corporate vision, as well as the goals of its business unit partners to concentrate on
enhancing the client and partner experience.
The enterprise customer
Some network providers are focusing on enabling applications in the enterprise space. In this model, the network
provider establishes a platform for their large enterprise customers who want to blend custom software with
enhanced abilities, and will provide standardized processes around mobilizing enterprise applications, and exposing
core back-office abilities to allow for dynamic customer interaction. Examples of this model include:

 Vodafone Applications Service

 Verizon Private Network
 Sprint Solution Launchpad

Email and messaging services through Mobile Devices

Email:

When it comes to messaging, email is the killer application. This is definitely true for PC users and
more and more so for mobile and wireless users. Every day, billions of email messages are sent;
some users send and receive more than a hundred each day as a matter of course. Email has
become the preferred means of communication for many companies, providing a quick and easy
way to move information between users, often in the form of standard text or business documents
such as Microsoft Word or Excel.
For mobile users, email is also a top priority. Many organizations implement email as their first
mobile application, allowing users to get a feel for the mobile device and wireless connectivity
before they implement other, more focused business applications. Companies such as Research In
Motion (RIM) have built a strong following for their devices due to their capability to retrieve and
send email messages. Many other companies have developed technology that enables mobile users
to access their enterprise email accounts while away from the office. They provide server software
that can integrate with common groupware infrastructure, such as Lotus Domino or Microsoft
Exchange, as well as client software that can be used to access the messages. This client software is
often available in both smart client and thin client formats.

Email systems employ store-and-forward messaging. That is, messages are stored in a repository
until they are accessed by a client application, at which time they are forwarded to the user. The
email client can be either a stand-alone client, such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, Eudora, or
Pegasus, or it can be browser-based, such as Microsoft Hotmail, Yahoo! email, or any of the other
Web email offerings. Each of these client applications has to communicate with an email server to
receive messages, and another to send messages. The two most widely used servers are the Simple
Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server, used to send messages, and the Post Office Protocol (POP)
server, which stores incoming mail. The most recent version of POP is 3, which is commonly referred
to as POP3. An alternative to using POP is the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). IMAP is
similar to POP in that it stores messages, but it accomplishes this in a more effective manner for
users who want to access their email messages from multiple machines.
The process for accessing email from a mobile device is very similar. The only differences are the
client application used to interact with the email servers and the type of attachments that are
supported. For obvious reasons, some types of email attachments may not be supported from your
mobile device, due to either size or format restrictions.
SMTP Server
When you send an email message from your client application, the email client will communicate
with the SMTP from your email provider. This SMTP server will then look at the address to which this
message is being sent and communicate with the SMTP server at the destination address domain
(the part following the @ symbol). When the SMTP server at the destination receives the message, it
communicates with the POP3 server at the same domain and puts the message into the recipient's
account (the part preceding the @ symbol). From this point on, the POP3 server is used by the
recipient to access this message. If, for some reason, the SMTP server at the destination domain
cannot be reached, the email message will go into a queue, often called the sendmail queue. This
queue will periodically try to resend the message to the destination SMTP server. If the message
cannot be sent after a defined period of time, very often set at four hours, the sender may get a
return message stating that it was not yet delivered. After a longer period of time, very often five
days, the SMTP server will stop trying to send the message and will return it to the user marked as
undelivered.
POP3 Server
The POP3 server is used to store received email messages. When users check their email, the client
application connects to their POP3 server, providing an account name and a password. Once users
are authenticated, the POP3 server allows them to access their stored email messages. The POP3
server essentially acts as an interface between your email clients and the data store containing your
email messages. [For more detailed information on the mobile aspects of personal information
management (PIM), including email, calendars, and to-do lists, see Chapter 16, "Mobile Information
Management."

SMS:
The Short Message Service (SMS) was first introduced in Europe in 1991 as part of the GSM Phase 1
standard. Since that time it has had tremendous success, with more than 1 billion messages sent
around the world daily. Though it continues to be more popular in European countries, SMS is
catching on in North America as well, as more of the major wireless carriers add support for SMS and
as SMS-capable devices start to proliferate in the marketplace. SMS is supported on digital wireless
networks such as GSM, CDMA, and TDMA.
SMS makes it possible to send and receive short text messages to and from mobile telephones. The
message can contain alphanumeric characters to a maximum length of 160 characters for Latin
alphabets, including English, and 70 characters for non-Latin alphabets, such as Chinese. It provides
an easy way for individuals to communicate with one another and with external systems. In this way,
SMS can be used to turn a cellular phone into a pager. By adding the capability to receive short
messages, users can receive the same kind of information that is typically received on pagers. This
eliminates the need to carry both a pager and a cell phone, as SMS messages can even be received
during a voice call.
Note Even though the standard maximum length of an SMS message is 160 characters, many carriers
have set their own limitations, which range from 100 to 280 characters.
New technologies such as SMS have gained widespread adoption because they offer compelling
benefits to both the user and the network provider, such as:
 Guaranteed message delivery using a store-and-forward approach. Even when the
recipient is out of the coverage area or does not have his or her device turned on, that
person will still receive the message, though at a later time. Note, however, when a user
does not retrieve the SMS message for an abnormally long period of time, the message may
be removed from the system.
  Ease of use, without additional software or hardware. Sending or receiving SMS messages
does not require a WAP browser. The ability to communicate using SMS comes pre-installed
on the mobile device.
 Low-cost method for information delivery. SMS provides an alternative to making voice
calls to deliver information.
 Revenue source for service providers. Network operators can deliver value-added services
using SMS to generate revenue. SMS also helps drive the adoption of mobile phones to
younger audiences.
It is estimated that close to 80 percent of SMS messages sent are consumer-oriented. The most
common use is peer-to-peer communication, often replacing the need to make voice calls. Other
uses include information services, such as stock and weather information, simple email access, and
advertising. For corporate applications, SMS can be used for vehicle-positioning applications, job-
dispatch services, and remote monitoring.
Unfortunately, when it comes to sending SMS messages from places other than another cellular
phone, the process becomes more difficult. This is mainly due to the proprietary interfaces to each
operator's short message service centers (SMSCs). In Figure 5.1, you can see the route that a
message takes as it moves from its origin to the destination mobile phone. Once the message is
constructed, it is sent either over a wired connection or a wireless connection to the SMSC for that
particular carrier. If the message originates from another mobile phone, the carrier takes care of the
message delivery through the SMSC to the destination device. If however, the message originates
from another source, such as an enterprise server, it is the enterprise's responsibility to
communicate with the SMSC to have the message delivered. This is not a simple task, as most
carriers do not expose their SMSC's APIs. In order to communicate directly with a carrier's SMSC, you
either have to establish a relationship with that particular carrier and write to their proprietary
interface, or use an aggregator that has established connections to the carrier or carriers you are
interested in. The standard protocols used to communicate with SMSCs include Telocator
Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP) and Short Message Point to Point (SMPP). (For more information about
messaging aggregators, see the section entitled "Messaging Value Chain,"

Figure 5.1: SMS architecture for delivering a message.

There is one other possible method to send SMS messages. Many carriers have made SMTP access
available to their systems, allowing users to send SMS messages using an email interface. This
usually involves sending an email message to an address containing the destination user's telephone
number and carrier domain. For example, a message sent to an AT&T phone may have the address
<8005551234@mobile.att.net>. When this message is sent, it is routed through the SMTP server to
the SMSC, where it is then delivered to the mobile recipient over a wireless network.
Communicating directly with the SMSC does make it possible to retrieve the status of a message,
which SMTP cannot. This comes at a cost, however, as there is usually a per-message fee for sending
messages via the SMSC via a system aggregator.
The many benefits of SMS messages are easy to identify, but there are also some major limitations.
The most serious of these is the 160-character maximum message length and the lack of support for
more advanced data types such as audio and graphics. Another limitation is the lack of
interoperability between network operators. The ability to send a message from one carrier to
another has only recently been enabled by T-Mobile (formerly VoiceStream), AT&T Wireless, Verizon
Wireless, and Cingular, thereby removing a major obstacle for SMS adoption in North America. Even
with the cooperation between North American carriers, there are still limitations that need be
overcome, including roaming outside of North America and the ability to encrypt the message
content.

field force automation for insurance agencies

Field force automation (FFA): Field force automation (FFA) is the capture of field sales or service
information in real time using communications technology, typically handheld PDAs, wireless
devices, tablet PCs or mobile phones. The captured data is transferred immediately to back-end
systems (ERP, CRM or accounting systems) through wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi, 3G, satellite or
GPRS). This instant capture of information reduces time delays, avoids manual double entry data
errors and enhances field force productivity.

The CRM solutions for FFA are:

Exceed expectations: With Sales force, insurance reps and agents have the tools to deliver more
personalized communications across any device, collaborate in online social feeds, streamline
service requests, track new opportunities, and more.

Work smarter : Get a complete view of all service requests submitted through the web, social media
channels, emails, and call centers. Prioritize inquiries based on urgency. Ensure the right person is on
the case. And do it all on the Sales force platform.

Personalize interactions: Engage in more rewarding customer conversations with smart alert
reminders of important life events. With Sales force Communities, have more meaningful
interactions with customers, and seamlessly collaborate with colleagues.

Empower policy holders: Be there for customers at a moment’s notice with SOS video chat and real-
time interactions from any device. And provide additional peace of mind when they need it most
with self-service capabilities for tracking claims.

Success Story: Field force automation for a US insurance major

The client :

The client is one of the largest providers of supplemental insurance, operating a large and
diverse field force in the US. The company wanted to mobile-enable an existing Web-based field
 force management application over a diverse range of devices with low total cost of ownership
(TCO) and faster time to market.

Business need :

The company has a large field force of over 7,500 agents spread across the US. The field
force team members were given a “trip sheet” every morning, which contained information of
customers they were required to contact and service. The trip sheets remained “static” as it was
impossible to enable dynamic changes in case the customer was unavailable or any other high
priority visit had to be scheduled. This led to challenges in terms of agent productivity and client
satisfaction.

The client was keen to mobile-enable services such as agent search, account and
policyholder details and reminder lookup for field force operations.
Challenges

Two key challenges in implementing the mobile solution were:

 The agents carried a diverse set of devices, hence the mobile solution had to be made available on
multiple platforms simultaneously.
 Since many advisors are “loosely coupled” with the organization, it was important that the solution
required low maintenance n terms of upfront investments on the part of users, apart from enabling
future upgrades.
Our solution

The Infosys mConnect platform helped mobile-enable the field force management application in
record time, and ensured that its look and feel was similar to a Web application to boost adoption.
Infosys adopted the mConnect platform and hence the solution was made available on all
smartphone devices such as iPhone, Blackberry, and Android, which support GPS capability. As part
of the solution, a new feature was added to provide driving directions to an account or policyholder
location using GPS technology. Associates were also able to request the three nearest accounts to a
specified location, and secure driving directions to one of the accounts.
Benefits

 Improved agent productivity, leading to direct increase in organization's revenue

 Low total cost of ownership (TCO) for operations and future upgrades
 Mobile solution similar in look and feel to a Web solution, leading to short learning time for users,
and hence, higher adoption
 Fast time to market – implementation completed from requirements till delivery in three months

field force automation for Maintenance companies

Field force automation, in essence, is the practice of using technology to streamline administrative
and logistical aspects of field service, so your workforce can focus more of their energy on problem-
solving and job success.

FFA relegates all of the menial tasks of field service (the ones that would require countless hours for
a human to complete) to a central management system. This system typically consists of a server
component (installed onsite at the company office or hosted through a cloud server) and a mobile
component (accessed by technicians in the field, through tablets, smart phones, PDAs, etc.) — a
structure that provides constant synchronization between field workers, jobs, office administrators,
and back-end programs.

Field force automation is not synonymous with field service management (FSM), since many
organizations still practice field service management without proper automation tools or modern
technology. Instead, think of FFA as a leading best practice for field service management.

Field force automation (FFA) is the capture of field sales or service information in real time using
communications technology, typically handheld PDAs, wireless devices, tablet PCs or mobile phones.
The captured data is transferred immediately to back-end systems (ERP, CRM or accounting systems)
through wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi, 3G, satellite or GPRS). This instant capture of information
reduces time delays, avoids manual double entry data errors and enhances field force productivity.

The biggest challenge in field force automation is in developing a simple, but usable, user interface
for the hand held device or mobile, and connectivity at the location of information capture.
Connectivity can be overcome by having a system which can retain the information captured in the
device cache and later synchronize with back-end systems ("thick client").

From an operations perspective, availability of field information in near real time allows a business
to plan delivery schedules, reduce inventory and monitor and control the field workers. Field force
automation is seen as beneficial to businesses in regard of customer relations, maintaining skills
among the field workforce, and limiting the size of this workforce

As more organizations embrace the servitization model and try to leverage their field service teams
for profit, field force automation will likely become the focal point for new growth strategies.
Companies will adopt FSM solutions that get their workers onsite faster, give them tools to deliver a
first-time fix

There are 4 key areas to automate the field service process

Workflow: Pre-programmed or customized workflows can give technicians step-by-step instructions

and diagnostic tools for certain types of jobs (such as troubleshooting an outage).

Data entry: Instead of scribbling notes on a clipboard and re-keying customer account data back at
the office, technicians can complete job information forms on a field service mobile app that
automatically syncs data across all systems. That means less careless mistakes and a clean audit trail
for billing/invoicing

Routing/scheduling: Many FSM solutions offer “dynamic scheduling” tools which auto-assign jobs to
specific technicians based on job priority, technician availability, skillset, and proximity. Technicians
can use the same software to plan the optimal route between jobs, factoring in job order, traffic,
and road conditions.

Preventative maintenance: The right automation can help your team transition from being a
reactionary workforce to a more surgical, preventative one. To start out, you can set up preventative
maintenance schedules for customer equipment based on item specifications, warranty, part
lifecycles, etc. More advanced preventative tactics might involve remote monitoring — i.e., using
embedded telematics sensors to track early warning signs like pressure, voltage, flow, and heat.

ADVANTAGES OF FIELD FORCE AUTOMATION

One of the biggest (and most obvious benefits) of field force automation is that it improves work
efficiency. Removing laborious, administrative tasks from your technicians’ and dispatchers’
workloads will yield significant time and cost savings for the whole company and greater overall
productivity. A 2013 FieldAware study revealed that efficiency and productivity are the top two
areas of concern for service companies, yet 22 percent still use paper-based workflows, and 27
percent use a homemade FSM application.

Additionally, field service is currently in a hand-off state between the generation of older technicians
who are retiring and the younger millennials just stretching their legs in the field. That hand-off
inevitably creates a skills gap, since new technicians have little to no experience completing service
calls. According to a recent survey by Manpower, “technician” was one of last year’s top three most
difficult roles to fill. This makes sense, given the technical nature of the work. Field force automation
can reduce the new talent learning curve by replacing training curriculum for basic, functional tasks
like data entry, time tracking, and route planning.

Efficiency and productivity are probably the biggest enablers of field service success, but they aren’t
the end-result. More than two-thirds of field service executives say that customer satisfaction (not
cost reduction or operational efficiency) is their number one goal. That shouldn’t be a surprise, since
the whole point of showing up on time, working efficiently, having the right tools — i.e. the practice
of field force automation — is to serve the maximum number of customers in a way that improves
their loyalty to your company.
Field force automation in real estate( Relevant matter not found)
 field force automation in health care
Healthcare is a very critical industry where timelines are priorities. Finest care is provided to
customers with utmost priority, integrity and compassion. The importance of customer relationships
and communication with field force personnel is of utmost importance for effective decision
 making.The Healthcare organizations confront problems such as increase in the cost of logistics,
hazards in transporting samples and timely response to samples or patients. Incorporating field force
helps Healthcare organizations inimprovising the pathology logistics to prevent damage & delays of
specimens and provide steady client / caregiver planning to increase client relationship making lives
stress-free while enhancing high productivity and revenue. Tracking consultants was a tough job.
Transprting care takers and samples was another challenge.

Challenges

Healthcare industry faces a lot of challenges using their legacy system. Following are the problems
faced by healthcare companies:

 No live tracking facility of the field employee’s to schedule calls.

 Lack of visibility of field personnel hindered instant reporting.
 No online collection of proof ofcheque/card/cash collections .
 Field personnel and sample safety is uncertain.
 Minimal/no view of field force caused duplications of visits.
 Has no/minimal measurement and monitoring of the field staffs performance.

Field force management solutions in health care

Solutions to enable field force of medical device companies to secure data instantly to better serve
physician and customer needs.

 Mobile-enabled field sales personnel provide ready-made answers to customers

 Physician training applications
 Live feed of employee movement to track the employee activity over the field.
 Continuous updates from field personnel helps in allotting or scheduling calls.
 Handy application helps field personnel to handle collection of proofs from clients.
 Automated updates assist in formulating instant reports.
 Ensure the knowhow of field personnel to track the samples and hence their safety.

Benefits

 Scheduled visits increased 25% efficiency in cost.

 Increased in-house staff utilization by 20%.
 100% visibility of nurses/technicians increased their productivity.
 Reporting and dashboard solutions with a click of the button.
 Choice of nurse/technician by patient helped in providing finest care to the patient.
 15% time saving on the activities by monitoring the field force.
 Increase in the capability of tracking patients by doctors to assist and monitor.
 field sales support in content access

Content has always been a key to sales productivity – imagine the world of the sales person without
the right materials to present and share with their customers – its not a pretty thing to contemplate.
But creating lots of content alone isn’t enough to achieve the results we really want from the sales
team – more sales cycles, improved win rates, better customer interaction, and peer learning from
successful colleagues only comes from ensuring that the sales team can easily access compelling,
customizable content addressing every phase of the sales process.
Achieving those goals requires a new way of thinking. This article lays out the top 5 ways that you
can improve how your field sales team works with content to achieve improved win rates, and you
can drive the real world productivity of sales people, no matter what industry or market they serve.

No 5 – Using content for integrated teamwork and collaboration

Sales is all about collaboration and teamwork. Adding content into the mix makes sense as our No 5
top way to improve sales productivity. The ideal scenario is to enable sales people to customize
marketing presentations and materials to match their selling style – making the content their own
without compromising messaging and branding — and encouraging them to share their ideas with
their colleagues. Making this approach really shine is about taking advantage of the way sales people
work today – and how they are constantly engaging with their smartphones and tablets. Integrating
content editing, sharing and even text and video chat into an easy-to-use system that allows the
salesperson to use content within authorized boundaries will encourage sales teams to focus on
collaboration and teamwork to improve how they win deals.
Collaboration goes beyond selling: smart Marketing teams measure what their Sales counterparts
use, how they use it, and use these metrics to continually refine the materials they provide. Sales
teams get the tools they need; Marketing maximizes their value add.
No 4 – Putting Content in Context for the sales person
Have you ever heard the sales team saying that they have too much content, and they just can’t find
the right information when they need it? Well then its time for our No 4 top way to improve sales
productivity – putting content in context of work. Instead of just providing the sales team with
access to a series of shared files on a network drive (or worse, from presentation binders), consider
putting the sales content in a smart bundle with other key materials to support the sales cycle –
essentially everything a sales person needs to drive a sale from first contact to closure. For example,
package presentations useful for each personae involved in the sales cycle along with data sheets,
customer testimonial and demonstration videos, white papers, and case studies into a single smart
bundle for each industry, use case, etc. Include the capability to email this content directly from
within the bundle and sales productivity will skyrocket. Putting content in context of work makes it
easier for the salesperson to find the content they need, consistent with positioning and messaging
the company is communicating to the market. Your sales teams will spend far less time on call
preparation, and free them to focus on the specific needs of their prospects.
No 3 – Push, not pull-based content
Sales people are busy and don’t want to waste time searching and surfing for the right content to
use with their customers. No 3 on our list of the best ways to improve sales productivity using
content is to move to a push-based content delivery system. These next generation systems can be
tuned to understand the role of the sales person–what products they sell, what meetings they have
coming up, and what type of device they are using– and automatically push out the content they
need. As importantly, push-based systems enable Marketing to efficiently replace outdated
materials with new content, ensuring your teams are always current.

No 2 – Give sales people content access inside the CRM

CRM systems are both the most used, and often the most hated, software tools that salespeople
have to use everyday. And whilst they are using CRM for customer call planning and record keeping,
it would be a huge productivity boost if they could access content right from the CRM, including the
ability to share with their customers or present using a remote web sharing system. The CRM could
log the content they used, reducing time required for call reporting, and speed preparation for the
next sales call. Sales enablement teams can now automate the provision of the right content
(including intelligent content recommendations) to the sales person right inside their CRM tool.
Sales people can share, present, engage, and more with their customers without having to look
through different web portals and intranets – its all right where they need it right inside the CRM–
which is what makes improving access to content inside the CRM our No 2 in the list of ways to
improve sales productivity.
No 1 – Make presentations and content sharing easy
We all know that sales people love giving great, powerful and interactive presentations to their
customers. Complex concepts become easy to explain, interactivity enables the sales conversation to
flow with the customer’s interest, and the professionalism of the presentation is light years ahead of
static PowerPoint decks and rigid PDFs. However, it’s imperative that the interactives work. No one
wants to discover, just as they kick off their presentation on a mobile device and find that the cool
animations, fonts and other features don’t work properly. Similarly, inside sales people are more
effective if they can leverage the same content on their office computers – presenting over video
conferencing. So our No 1 way to drive sales productivity is to use tools that run on both mobile
devices and computers – tools that allow sales teams to deliver powerful presentations using rich,
multimedia content that just works the way the content was designed to work. This dual platform
approach enables inside sales reps and direct sales teams to leverage the same materials –
delivering consistent prospect experiences and enabling a smooth handoff and amping the power of
teamwork. Well-implemented, interactive sales bundles delivered into the capable hands of your
sales teams, shareable across platforms, can significantly improve win rates, and ultimately, your
company’s success.
 field sales support in inventory management

Most any enterprise software designed for product-centric companies will offer strong inventory
management functionality. Microsoft Dynamics® GP for instance allows you to manage inventory
throughout the value chain.
From within your four walls, this functionality can be brought to bear in a cohesive fashion to ensure
that inventory transactions are recorded in the inventory module where the data can then be
accessed as needed throughout the organization. Inventory consumed can be recorded and
replenished as needed. Returns are logged and taken back into inventory or dealt with accordingly.
Services delivered are recorded and billed. Business that takes place outside of your four walls
becomes more challenging to manage, however. Even if you have a modern barcode scanning
solution for inventory control, that solution may or may not do an adequate job in a remote
situation like route sales, and the underlying system must be configured to treat each truck as its
own site with appropriate replenishment triggers. Those replenishment triggers are only as effective
as systems in place to record inventory consumption, so barcode scanning for inventory
management, optimized for field use, is a key success factor.

What are some of the barriers to overcome to achieve true inventory optimization in the field? One
barrier may be a siloed approach to enterprise computing, where software used in the field is
separate and distinct from the rest of the enterprise. Oftentimes, a business will run a centralized
enterprise resource planning (ERP) product with its own very sophisticated inventory functionality.
And then they may run a separate software product for field sales with its own functionality for
inventory management. How well these systems are integrated may vary from one situation to the
next. But we contend that extending the inventory functionality of the underlying ERP or accounting
system to mobile handhelds designed for field sales will be a more cost-effective and elegant way to
manage inventory in the field.

One other common barrier is that many barcode inventory management systems fail to perform
without a reliable connection to the servers where the underlying enterprise software is run. But
while you can generally control the quality of your network at your own site, all bets are off once
you leave the building. So it is obvious that you'll need to plan for spotty network coverage. Any
number of barriers can prevent wireless communication between a handheld barcode scanner and
your instance of ERP. Structures, gaps in cell service and other barriers can leave your staff cut off
from your servers. At Panatrack, our inventory management offering for Dynamics GP will tolerate
interruptions in service. But we know that for field sales, you need a solution that will perform well
in a fully offline environment, recording inventory transactions to the handheld and re-sync with
Dynamics GP when the opportunity presents itself.

There are plenty of things you can't control in a field sales environment. Ensuring your route sales
drivers or technicians have the correct inventory on hand–you can control that. Using the right
technology you can also improve customer interaction and communication and take advantage of
cross-selling opportunities. But you can't control whether or not your technician can get good
connectivity at a customer site surrounded by heavy equipment, or delivering materials to a rural
customer between cell towers. But you can anticipate that difficulty and overcome it!

Mobile Asset Tracking and Maintenance

How QR codes and smartphones help keeping your records in order and assets well maintained

CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Software) and Barcode Scanning

CMMS is a type of software that helps businesses keep track of their assets and manage assets
service and maintenance. Assets in this case can be anything from equipment to facilities to vehicles.
As other business productivity software, CMMS is evolving from locally hosted to web based and to
CMMS mobile apps. In fact, maintenance management is an area that benefits most from the mobile
software: after all, maintenance work is always done outside of the office, away from the office
computers. Ability to look up information quickly, as well as record service or maintenance work on
your mobile device is far superior to filling out paper forms and then retyping information into the
computer.

In order to look up or record relevant information an employee who conducts maintenance work in
the field needs to have a mobile device which is capable of:

1. Displaying information
2. Accepting user input and transmitting it to the computer where CMMS is installed
3. Scanning barcodes to identify the asset

Until recently, the only devices that could be used were mobile computers with proprietary software
- something that only large companies could afford. QR codes and mobile technology are changing
this, allowing companies of any size to increase productivity of their maintenance operations by
using mobile devices in the field. Instead of mobile computers, employees can use smartphones that
they already have in their pockets while performing more of the useful operations than before, such
as recording location and taking photos.

What Exactly Can Be Done With QR Codes And A Smartphone For Asset Maintenance

By tagging your assets and employing connected web based software and mobile application, you
can completely eliminate all paperwork in the field, make sure that your records are in order and
that field employees always have real-time access to information they need. Specifically, field
employees can scan QR code on the asset tag and:

1. Review recent service and maintenance history of the asset, including description of
problems and performed repairs
2. Review asset information, such as instructions, emergency procedures, documentation,
location map, etc.
3. Record performed services
4. Conduct inspection
5. Record maintenance event
6. Use forms for recording events. Forms can be created using GUI web interface
7. Record GPS location of inspection / maintenance
8. Take photos and attach them to the record
9. Submit inspection / service / maintenance record to the server
10. If no data connection is availale, save data on the phone and submit to the server when
connection becomes available
11. Record asset relocation
What About Parts Inventory And Supplies

Parts and supplies inventory can be managed with QR codes and a smartphone as well - after all
barcode scanning was used in inventory management for a while. Now smartphones can be used as
scanners to perform inventory transactions, and can do more than regular barcode scanners. Using a
smartphone, technician in the field can track what parts and supplies are used to service / repair an
asset, and check current inventory and locations of the needed items. Administrator can review a
statistics of what was used for a specific asset or specific work order.

QR Codes Vs UPC Barcodes

Often when people think about using smartphones and scanning, they automatically link this process
to QR codes. This is not entirely correct - UPC barcodes can also be scanned with the smartphones,
so you can use either type of code. The word of warning though: there are many different formats
for 2D barcodes, not all of them can be read by a smartphone. If in doubt - scan your barcode with
any free barcode scanning application. If you can scan it - no need to produce additional QR code
tag.

What Is Involved In The Initial Setup

Initial setup is the most time consuming operation, but it is not as bad as you might think. Consider
how much time you will save by automating your asset managing tasks, and do not let it turn you
off! Here is what you will need to do to start tracking your assets and managing asset maintenance
using QR codes / barcodes and a smartphone:

1. A smartphone client application that can scan barcode or QR code and send recorded
information back to the server. Notice, this is not a generic barcode scanning application!
Generic app will simply show you what is encoded in a QR code. These applications can also
recognize encoded url and redirect you to a website, or recognize a contact information and
add it to your list of contacts. However, to handle asset tracking and maintenance, you need
an application specifically designed for this purpose. This application should have web-based
backend, and/or be integrated directly into your current CMMS.
2. Enter or import your current assets into the application. If you have list of your assets in any
form, this part is fast and painless. If you had never managed your assets before, you will
need to manually enter them into the application. Luckily, you can do it using your
smartphone as well, instead of writing data on the paper and then re-typing them in the
office.
3. Tag your assets. If your assets do not have UPC barcode, you will need to put on QR code
labels or tags. Usually web part of the application will allow you to generate and print QR
codes by yourself, or you can order pre-printed QR codes. As a rule, you should be able to use
pre-printed QR code labels or tags with sequential numbers, and be able to associate asset
with a QR code by scanning it.

After these three steps are completed, you are ready to start using smartphones for asset tracking
and maintenance. Now you can be sure that you always have accurate records of assets location and
maintenance.

2)Methods of Inventory Management

If you're a business owner or a manufacturing manager, you know how difficult it can be to keep
track of your inventory. Fortunately, there are several different methods of inventory management
that can be implemented in order to assure you get the most out of your inventory tracking. The first
and perhaps most important method is to use the barcode system. Barcodes assign special numbers
to each and every item you're trying to track, all with an integrated system of data. Once you scan
your inventory's barcodes, they automatically get decoded and entered into a database, which then
allows you to track and maintain inventory quantities, pricing, and any other data you want to save.
An important part of inventory management is controlling your inventory, in other words, knowing
when stock gets low and when it needs to be re-ordered. There are various methods that can be
used to control your inventory. Perhaps the most obvious is simple, visual control. Keep a close eye
on things and you can usually see when things are getting low in stock and need to be re-ordered.
But what about small parts or articles/items that are stored in large quantities? In cases such as this,
a point-of-sale method may need to be used. This method just means that every time an item is sold
or distributed/shipped, it is logged. The quantity of items in stock goes down, and the quantity of
items needing replacement goes up.

Perhaps the most obvious method for inventory management is to establish good training for
employees. Teaching those who will be in charge of inventory the methods and processes already in
place is the best way to ensure that everyone is "on the same page" as far as how your inventory is
kept track of. A good idea is to test your employees from time to time to be sure that they know the
correct procedures for managing the inventory. If they make mistakes, meet with them individually
to go over corrective measures to ensure accuracy in the future. Decide which computer program or
style you want to use to manage the inventory. You can choose from something as simple as a
spreadsheet, to as complex as an entire software package that tracks everything almost
automatically. When shopping for software, look for products that offer barcode reading, tracking
counts, returns processing, cycling, and more all in one package. This will help you avoid any
confusion and prevent you from needing to add another program into the mix later.

With the combination of proper tools like barcodes and scanners, thorough employee training, and
an accurate, comprehensive database, you should be able to ensure that your inventory remains in
stock when needed and that you will have a good handle on what is available and what is needed.
Putting good methods in place is a surefire way to manage inventory effectively and with little to no
errors, which can help your business run smoothly and protect the bottom line. Be sure to plan your
strategy ahead of time, and your inventory control will run easily and smoothly.

Remote IT support
In information technology (IT), remote support tools are IT tools and software that enable an IT
technician or a support representative to connect to a remote computer from their consoles via the
Internet and work directly on the remote system. Although its main focus is the access to computers
located anywhere in the world, the remote support applications also provide features like file
transfer, desktop sharing, file synchronization, command line or guest accessibility.

Privacy

Privacy is also a major concern for all users. One of the most used tools in remote support sessions
are the ones that allow desktop sharing. It is also possible to provide what is commonly called
Unattended Support (the technician is granted total remote access to the client’s computer, even
when he is not physically close to it). The need for an absolute trust in these services and providers is
considered to be the biggest obstacle for this technology to achieve mass-marketing status – even
when many studies indicate that for every 5 technical occurrences, 4 of them could be remotely
solved.

Benefits

Remote Support technology tries to reduce helpdesk centers cost-issues – all transport-related
expenses are immediately trimmed down, for instance. Modern day technology enables that any
technician using Remote Support is able to assist a customer just like it was physically side-by-side.
Technologies and tools like live chat, VoIP and desktop sharing enable a direct intervention in the
remote system.

REMOTE IT SUPPORT APPLICATIONS

Desktop sharing

Desktop sharing is a common name for technologies and products that allow remote access and
remote collaboration on a person's computer desktop through a graphical Terminal emulator.

The most common two scenarios for desktop sharing are:

 Remote login

 Real-time collaboration

Remote log-in allows users to connect to their own desktop while being physically away from their
computer. Systems that support the X Window System, typically Unix-based ones, have this ability
"built in". Windows versions starting from Windows 2000 have a built-in solution for remote access
as well in the form of Remote Desktop Protocol and prior to that in the form of Microsoft’s
NetMeeting.

The open source product VNC provides cross-platform solution for remote log-in. Virtual Network
Computing (VNC): Making Remote Desktop Sharing Possible Remote desktop sharing is
accomplished through a common client/server model. The client, or VNC viewer, is installed on a
local computer and then connects to the network via a server component, which is installed on a
remote computer. In a typical VNC session, all keystrokes and mouse clicks are registered as if the
client were actually performing tasks on the end-user machine.

he shortcoming of the above solutions are their inability to work outside of a single NAT
environment. A number of commercial products overcome this restriction by tunneling the traffic
through rendezvous servers. Apple users require Apple Remote Desktop (ARD)

Real-time collaboration is much a bigger area of desktop sharing use, and it has gained recent
momentum as an important component of rich multimedia communications. Desktop sharing, when
used in conjunction with other components of multimedia communications such as audio and video,
creates the notion of virtual space where people can meet, socialize and work together. On the
larger scale, this area is also referred as web conferencing.

File transfer
File transfer is the transmission of a computer file through a communication channel from one
computer system to another. Typically, file transfer is mediated by a communications protocol. In
the history of computing, a large number of file transfer protocols have been designed for different
contexts.

Some examples of file transfer:

 Transparent file transfers over network file systems

 Explicit file transfers from dedicated file transfer services like FTP or HTTP

 Distributed file transfers over peer-to-peer networks like Bittorent or Gnutella

 In IBM Systems Network Architecture, LU 6.2 peer-to-peer file transfer programs such as
IBM's Connect:Direct and CA Technologies' XCOM Data Transport

 File transfers over instant messaging or LAN messenger

 File transfers between computers and peripheral devices

 File transfers over direct modem or serial (null modem) links, such as XMODEM, YMODEM
and ZMODEM.

File synchronization

File synchronization (or syncing) in computing is the process of ensuring that computer files in
two or more locations are updated via certain rules.

In one-way file synchronization, also called mirroring, updated files are copied from a 'source'
location to one or more 'target' locations, but no files are copied back to the source location. In
two-way file synchronization, updated files are copied in both directions, usually with the
purpose of keeping the two locations identical to each other. In this article, the term
synchronization refers exclusively to two-way file synchronization.

File synchronization is commonly used for home backups on external hard drives or updating for
transport on USB flash drives. BitTorrent Sync, Dropbox and SKYSITE are prominent products.
Some backup software, like AOMEI Backupper also support real-time file sync. The automatic
process prevents copying already identical files and thus can be faster and save much time
versus a manual copy, and is less error prone.

However this suffers from the limit that the synchronized files must physically fit in the portable
storage device. Synchronization software that only keeps a list of files and the changed files
eliminates this problem (e.g. the "snapshot" feature in Beyond Compare or the "package"
feature in Synchronize It!). It is especially useful for mobile workers, or others that work on
multiple computers.

It is possible to synchronize multiple locations by synchronizing them one pair at a time. The
Unison Manual describes how to do this:
 If you need to do this, the most reliable way to set things up is to organize the machines into a
“star topology,” with one machine designated as the “hub” and the rest as “spokes,” and with
each spoke machine synchronizing only with the hub. The big advantage of the star topology is
that it eliminates the possibility of confusing “spurious conflicts” arising from the fact that a
separate archive is maintained by Unison for every pair of hosts that it synchronizes.

Customer Retention
Maintaining good relation with customers:-

Powerful relationships don't just happen from one-time meetings at networking

events--you don't need another pocketful of random business cards to clutter your desk. What you
need is a plan to make those connections grow and work for you. And it's not as hard as you think.
Here are five essential tactics:

1. Build your network--it's your sales lifeline. Your network includes business colleagues,
professional acquaintances, prospective and existing customers, partners, suppliers, contractors and
association members, as well as family, friends and people you meet at school, church and in your
community.

Contacts are potential customers waiting for you to connect with their needs. How do you turn
networks of contacts into customers? Not by hoping they'll remember meeting you six months ago
at that networking event. Networking is a long-term investment. Do it right by adding value to the
relationship, and that contact you just made can really pay off. Communicate like your business's life
depends on it. (Hint: And it does! Read on.)

2. Communication is a contact sport, so do it early and often. Relationships have a short shelf life.
No matter how charming, enthusiastic or persuasive you are, no one will likely remember you from a
business card or a one-time meeting. One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they come
home from networking events and fail to follow up. Make the connection immediately. Send a "nice
to meet you" e-mail or let these new contacts know you've added them to your newsletter list and
then send them the latest copy. Immediately reinforce who you are, what you do and the
connection you've made.

You rarely meet people at the exact moment when they need what you offer. When they're ready,
will they think of you? Only if you stay on their minds. It's easier to keep a connection warm than to
warm it up again once the trail goes cold. So take the time to turn your network of connections into
educated customers.

3. E-mail marketing keeps relationships strong on a shoestring budget. Build your reputation as an
expert by giving away some free insight. You have interesting things to say! An easy way to
communicate is with a brief e-mail newsletter that shows prospects why they should buy from you.
For just pennies per customer, you can distribute an e-mail newsletter that includes tips, advice and
short items that entice consumers and leave them wanting more. E-mail marketing is a cost-effective
and easy way to stay on customers' minds, build their confidence in your expertise, and retain them.
And it's viral: Contacts and customers who find what you do interesting or valuable will forward your
e-mail message or newsletter to other people, just like word of mouth marketing.

4. Reward loyal customers, and they'll reward you. According to global management consulting
firm Bain and Co., a 5 percent increase in retention yields profit increases of 25 to 100 percent. And
on average, repeat customers spend 67 percent more than new customers. So your most profitable
customers are repeat customers. Are you doing enough to encourage them to work with you again?
Stay in touch, and give them something of value in exchange for their time, attention and business.
It doesn't need to be too much; a coupon, notice of a special event, helpful insights and advice, or
news they can use are all effective. Just remember: If you don't keep in touch with your customers,
your competitors will.

5. Loyal customers are your best salespeople. So spend the time to build your network and do the
follow-up. Today there are cost effective tools, like e-mail marketing, that make this easy. You can e-
mail a simple newsletter, an offer or an update message of interest to your network (make sure it's
of interest to them, not just to you). Then they'll remember you and what you do and deliver value
back to you with referrals. They'll hear about opportunities you'll never hear about. The only way
they can say, "Wow, I met somebody who's really good at XYZ. You should give her a call," is if they
remember you. Then your customers become your sales force.

If real estate is all about location, location, location, then small business is all about relationships,
relationships, relationships. Find them, nurture them, and watch your sales soar.

Factors involved in retaining customers for any business organizations:-

Retaining customers for longer and increasing the average dollars of each sale can increase
your customer lifetime Value to new heights. Keep reading for five practical strategies you can use to
improve your CLV:

1. Build long-term relationships

There was a time when hiring salespeople who’d do anything short of holding customers at gunpoint
to get a sale was a good idea. However, when your aim is to boost CLV, you want to bury that sort of
short-term thinking in the ground and find stellar salespeople who can build long-lasting customer
relationships, which are your company’s foundation.

Try these three unique tips to build long-term relationships:

 Be honest – This means always having your customer’s best interests at heart, regardless of
whether you get a smaller sale, or lose a sale to a competitor. You and your customer are
both aware your agenda for building a relationship is to generate business. Shifting your
agenda to something altruistic will show the customer you see them as more than just a pay
cheque.
 Share – You have a plethora of skills and knowledge beyond the breadth of what you’ve
been tasked to provide. Share it for free to boost your client’s confidence in your abilities,
while also exposing them to a range of other products and services.
 Be a partner – Create a strategic partnership or alliance with your customer’s business. A
mutually beneficial relationship is the best and easiest way to build trust. Create a lifetime
customer by referring their business, acquiring their products or using their services.

Building long term relationships is a simple, effective method for increasing your CLV. While it may
take a little extra time, care and consideration, it’s a great way to increase revenues from existing
customers without simultaneously increasing your expenses.

2. Create brand loyalty

Anyone who says ‘brand loyalty is dead’ lives in a world where Apple doesn’t exist. Apple is a leader
in brand loyalty because of its consistent quality, customer service and the values it totes in its
mission statement. Brand loyalty increases your Customer Lifetime Value because it encourages
trials of a new product, facilitates repeat purchases and therefore extends the lifetime of your
customers. Three major determining factors of brand loyalty are the quality of products, customer
service and ‘shared values’.

It goes without saying customers will keep returning if you’re offering consistently high quality
products or service, with exceptional customer service. For example, Clickfox’s study revealed poor
customer service (48%) and low brand quality (35%) are the biggest deterrents when it comes to
brand loyalty.

In other research, 64% of participants said shared values were the primary reason for maintaining a
relationship with their brand. ‘Clearly communicating your brand’s philosophy or higher purpose’, or
in layman’s terms, showing your heart is in the right place has become very important to today’s
consumers. So choose a philosophy, which reflects your consumers beliefs and demonstrate them
through sponsorship, events or anything you can think of. Be sure to brand all marketing efforts
consistently, so consumers keep returning to what’s comfortable and familiar.

Keep your product quality high, provide exceptional customer service and repeatedly demonstrate
your company’s mission statement to build brand loyalty and elevate your company’s CLV.

3. Always upsell and cross-sell

The difference between me walking out of McDonalds with a cheeseburger and me walking out with
a cheeseburger combo and an apple pie is sadly not self-control. Rather, my purchase decision rests
upon the words, ‘Would you like a combo with that?’ McDonalds has it all figured out. When you
increase the average dollars of each sale, you make more over the customer’s lifetime.

Upsell and cross-sell to give your CLV a quick boost. To avoid confusion, I’ll establish the difference
between upselling and cross-selling. When you upsell, you increase the value of the same product or
service, for example upgrading a cheeseburger to a combo. You sell a more expensive model or
additional features, which add value to the product, whereas when you cross-sell, you’re selling
additional products to the customer, i.e. apple pie.

One critical thing to remember when upselling and cross-selling is to always provide honest,
targeted information. Unrelated recommendations damage the credibility of relevant ones, so resist
the urge to cross-sell a bunch of products at the same time. Relay the benefits tailored to the
customer, and don’t over promise what your service or product can deliver.

The concept of upselling and cross selling to increase the revenues is not a new one, it’s just most
businesses don’t do it well. Upsell and cross-sell with honest, targeted delivery, and you’ll find your
average sale increasing without having to bump up any expenses.

4. Choose the right rewards and incentives

Companies spout all kinds of offers to get attention, but you need an incentive scheme, which not
only grabs your customers’ attention, but holds it too. Your rewards system can increase your CLV by
promoting customer loyalty and increasing profitability in the long-term.
Therefore, stay away from discounts, and instead offer exclusive products or value-added services. A
study by Chubbies found the lifetime value of customers acquired through discounts was lower than
customers who weren’t acquired this way. As if that wasn’t enough to turn you off, studies have
shown discounts decrease the perceived quality of items, while free gifts maintain quality
perceptions and increase deal value.

Thus, when you’re choosing your incentive scheme, always remember to:

 Communicate – Raise awareness and educate your customers on potential rewards. Many
customers aren’t aware they even exist.
 Make your rewards attainable – Achievable rewards are engaging for high-value customers,
provided they are equitable and competitive with others in the industry.
 Make them complimentary – Choose rewards, which compliment your brand. i.e. don’t give
away chocolate if you’re a health and fitness brand.
 Use free gifts – Use products as rewards to encourage trials and increase successful cross-
selling.

Choosing the right incentive structure means your customers won’t be the only ones reaping the
rewards. Steer clear of heavy discounts and use your rewards system to increase customer
retention, and boost your CLV without compromising your bottom line.

5. Use multiple touch points to deliver superior customer service

According to a study by Harris Interactive, 56 per cent of participants would switch to another
company if an alternative offered more options to connect with them. If you’re looking to increase
customer loyalty and subsequently your CLV, manage and organise all available communication
channels well.

Having multiple points of contact, whether it’s via face-to-face, telephone, web or social media
allows customers to choose how they’d like to be contacted. Sixty per cent of consumers don’t want
to be contacted over the phone about special offers, information and upgrades, while 75 per cent
prefer contact via email or text message.

Social network tools give you the opportunity to connect and engage with your customers at any
time of day, whenever it’s convenient to them. Not only this, moving traffic to other channels
minimises costs and increases purchase paths, although the downside is lost opportunities for cross-
selling.

That being said, having multiple touch points prevents potentially loyal customers from leaving due
to unwanted contact by phone, email or face-to-face interaction, and raises your company’s
Customer Lifetime Value when executed well.

Increase customer lifetime value and increase revenue

When you increase your company’s customer lifetime value, you’re increasing customer loyalty,
general profitability and marketing allowance in one fell swoop. While you don’t need to stop
pursuing potential customers altogether, remember to focus on building up the customers who
already like you. Apply these five tips to your business strategy to boost your Customer Lifetime
Value and feel the positive effects ripple throughout your company.

WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION
Some warehouses are completely automated, and require only operators to work and handle all the
task. Pallets and product move on a system of automated conveyors, cranes and automated storage
and retrieval systems coordinated by programmable logic
controllers and computers running logistics automation software.[citation needed] These systems are
often installed in refrigerated warehouses where temperatures are kept very cold to keep product
from spoiling, especially in electronics warehouse where they require specific temperature to avoid
damaging the parts, and also where land is expensive, as automated storage systems can use vertical
space efficiently. These high-bay storage areas are often more than 10 meters (33 feet) high, with
some over 20 meters (65 feet) high. Automated storage systems can be built up to 40m high.
For a warehouse to function efficiently, the facility must be properly slotted. Slotting addresses
which storage medium a product is picked from (pallet rack or carton flow), and how they are picked
(pick-to-light, pick-to-voice, or pick-to-paper). With a proper slotting plan, a warehouse can improve
its inventory rotation requirements—such as first in, first out (FIFO) and last in, first out (LIFO)—
control labor costs and increase productivity.[18]
Pallet racks are commonly used to organize a warehouse. It is important to know the dimensions of
racking and the number of bays needed as well as the dimensions of the product to be
stored.[19] Clearance should be accounted for if using a forklift or pallet mover to move inventory.
Data warehouse automation or DWA refers to the process of accelerating and automating the data
warehouse development cycles, while assuring quality and consistency. DWA is believed to provide
automation of the entire lifecycle of a data warehouse, from source system
analysis to testing to documentation. It helps improve productivity, reduce cost, and improve overall
quality.
Data warehouse automation primarily focuses on automation of each and every step involved in the
lifecycle of a data warehouse, thus reducing the efforts required in managing it.[2] Data warehouse
automation works on the principles of design patterns. It comprises a central repository of design
patterns, which encapsulate architectural standards as well as best practices for data design, data
management, data integration, and data usage.[3] In November 2015, an analyst firm has published a
guide Which Data Warehouse Automation Tool is Right for You? covering four of the leading
products in the DWA space.[4] In November 2015, an international software and technology services
company engaged in developing ‘agile tools’ for the data integration industry, was named by CIO
Review as one of the 20 most promising productivity tools solution providers 2015 [5]
Data warehouse automation can provide advantages like source data exploration, warehouse data
models, ETL generation, test automation, metadata management, managed deployment, scheduling,
change impact analysis and easier maintenance and modification of the data warehouse.[6] More
important than the technical features of DWA tools, however, is the ability to deliver projects faster
and with less resources.
Warehouse Challenges

1. Inventory accuracy. When manufacturers don't have full visibility to their inventory, they face the
problems of either running out of stock at the wrong time or carrying too much stock and thus
decreasing cash flow while increasing expenses to warehouse extra materials. Of the two challenges,
Garcia says the greater problem is inventory shortage, which can lead to unfulfilled orders and
unhappy customers.

2. Inventory location. "Lack of inventory oversight can cause a buildup of inefficiencies within the
warehouse that slows operations and increases costs," Garcia says. "Without adequate insight into
location, pickers take longer to find the items to ship, which slows the loading process and creates a
backup in labor allocation and dock-door scheduling."

3. Space utilization/warehouse layout. It's not about how much space you have; it's about
optimizing that space to avoid unnecessary labor. Keep fast-moving and high-selling inventory near
the front of the facility so lift truck drivers aren't constantly traveling to the farthest reaches of the
warehouse.

4. Redundant processes. Barcode technology, Garcia suggests, can reduce or eliminate the problem
of a pick ticket or other documentation having to pass through multiple hands -- e.g., a picker, a
checker, a stager, a loader, etc.

5. Picking optimization. "For warehouses that still have manual processes in place, there tends to be
no common route taken to pick items for shipment, which adds unnecessary time to the process,"
Garcia says. With system-directed pick/putaway, the routing can be automated, which will reduce
wear and tear on equipment and the workforce.

SECURITY
Security Measures in Mobile Commerce: Problems and Solutions

 Mobile commerce, commonly known as M-Commerce, ‘is concerned with the use, application
and integration of wireless telecommunication technologies and wireless devices’, such as
Internet-enabled mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), palmtops, laptops, and
pagers, commonly know as handheld wireless devices (HWD).

 M-Commerce creates more security concerns than traditional E-Commerce. In this paper,
security measures in M-Commerce, wireless security, and the application of cryptography for
key generation, authentication, digital signature and digital certificate are discussed.

M-Commerce Security Concerns:

 M-Commerce is bringing together two technologies, wireless communication and traditional E-

Commerce, with a history of security problems.
 There are three basic security components in M-Commerce:
(a) Transaction: protecting the transaction parties and their data by providing an acceptable
level of security,
(b) Information: protecting valuable and sensitive information about customers,
(c) Infrastructure: protecting the network infrastructure from attack.
 Similar to wired communication, wireless communication also needs three basic security
requirements: (i) confidentiality- information is disclosed only to legitimate entities or
processes, (ii) integrity- unauthorized modification of information is prevented, and (iii)
availability- authorized entities can access a service provided they have appro-priate privileges.

Device Security:
 The SIM card and the mobile device are always stored together and the device is an every day
utility object that is easily lost or stolen. Time-out and key-locks are often not used on phones.
 All WAP data, in some popular handsets, is stored in the phone’s memory, not in the SIM; this
will include login and password information. These features certainly diminish the security of
the mobile phone.
 The SIM card used in mobile devices are de facto microprocessor and they can be used to
facilitate mobile commerce. Gemplus SIM cards features a digital signature and public key
encryption and the technology is embedded in the card.

Language Security:
 If special purpose M-Commerce software, such as a stock trading application, is to be deployed
on mobile devices, then Java is the recommended language to be used as the deployment
language on the HWDs.
 By using Java, the amount of software that needs to be changed in order to adopt the
application to various mobile platforms is minimized.
 Feasible Java execution environments are available for PDAs, Smart phones, Communicators
(such as Symbian), laptops, and other platforms.
This allows for shorter time-to-market and avoids vendor lock-in.

Wireless Security
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
WAP is “an open, global specification that empowers mobile users with wireless devices to easily
access and interact with information and services instantly.”
WAP is currently the only publicly available solution for wireless communication and enables M-
Commerce where Internet data moves to and from wireless devices. WAP-enabled phones can
access interactive services such as information, location-based services, corporate information and
interactive entertainment.

WAP Security
 WAP 1.x security uses the Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS) protocol. This protocol is
the WAP equivalent of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and it provides authentication, encryption and
integrity services.
 WTLS has three levels, all have privacy and integrity: (i) Class-1 has no authentication
(anonymous), (ii) Class-II has server authentication only, and (iii) Class-III has both client and
server authentication.
 WTLS supports some familiar algorithms like Diffe-Hellman, RC5, SHA-1, IDEA. It also supports
some trusted methods like DES and 3DES, but it does not support Blowfish and PGP.
 Public key cryptography (PKC) is used to exchange a symmetric or private key using certificate
and then all transmission is encrypted.

PKI/WPKI:
 A PKI is a set of policies, processors, software, hardware, and technologies that use PKC and
certificate management to secure communication.
 PKI must ensure the following:
(i) confidentiality, achieved by cryptography,
(ii) authentication, achieved by digital certificates,
(iii) integrity, achieved by digital signatures, and
(iv) non-repudiation, achieved by digital signatures and certificates.
 WPKI is an optimized extension of traditional PKI for the wireless environment.
 “WPKI encompasses the necessary cryptographic technology and a set of security management
standards that are widely recognized and accepted for meeting the security needs of M-
Commerce”.
Cryptography:
 The two types of cryptography currently available are (a) symmetric or secret-key and (b)
asymmetric or public key cryptography (PKC).
 In secret-key cryptography, two devices must share their secret key in order to communicate
securely.
 Thus two concerns arise: How to exchange the secret key securely; and if n HWDs must
communicate with each other, a total number of O(n2 ) secret keys must be exchanged. The
management of such a number of secret keys should consider the scalability issues.
 The de facto cryptographic algorithm for digital signatures and for encryption of secret keys is
the RSA PKC. For electronic commerce, it is a highly secure technique.
 Although RSA is highly secure and widely used, there are some potential problems with its use
in M-Commerce.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC):
 What is really needed is a public key algorithm that achieves a high level of security using short
keys.
 Algorithms based on mathematical objects known as elliptic curves offer interesting
possibilities.
 Elliptic curve discrete logarithm problems (ECDLP) is defined as “give a base point P and the kP
lying on the curve, find the value of k”.
 Diffie-Hellman key exchange can be easily implemented in an elliptic curve system.

Digital Certificates and Digital Signature:

 Certificates confirm that the public key given in the certificate belongs to a private key held by
the legitimate person, not by an imposter.

 To trust a certificate means to trust the party who issued the certificate, not the person for
whom the certificate is issued.

 To protect a certificate from being modified one uses digital signatures. The message can only
be created from the ciphertext by the private key holder. This provides authorization and non-
repudiation.That is the basis for digital signature.

 How to protect private keys? The private key is stored in a Smart card, where all crypto
operations with it are performed. The Smart card access gets restricted by the use of a PIN. The
place where a user’s private credentials are stored is called Personal Security Environment
(PSE).

Wireless LAN (WLAN) Security

IEEE 802.11b

 The WLAN standard IEEE 802.11b provides a mechanism for authentication and encryption.

 It provides a maximum of 11 Mbps wireless Ethernet connections using the band at 2.4 GHz.
802.11b security features consists of security framework called Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
WEP is based on RC4, a symmetric stream cipher.

Bluetooth:

 Bluetooth technology, developed by Ericsson in 1998, is used to connect different HWDs and
provides a method for authenticating devices. Device authentication is provided using a shared
secret between the two devices.
 The common shared secret is called a link key, generated from PIN. This link key is established in
a special communication session called pairing.All paired devices share a common link key.

 There are two types of link keys: (i) unit keys and (ii) combination keys [17]. The link key is a
128- bit random number.

 In every Bluetooth device, there are four entities used for maintaining the security at the link
level: (i) the Bluetooth device has an IEEE defined 48-bit unique address, (ii) a private
authentication key which is a 128-bit random number, (iii) a 8-128 bit long private encryption
key, and (iv) a random number, which is frequently a changing 128-bit number that is made by
the Bluetooth device itself [12]. The security algorithms of Bluetooth are considered strong.
Bluetooth standard does not use the RC4 cipher; rather it uses the E1, a modified block cipher
SAFER+. No practical direct attack has been reported.