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Many enterprise firms are going full steam ahead with mobile ERP. Others say something like this:

"We're not going to invest effort in the iPad until we see it's a clear winner...and not going to be superseded by an equivalent tablet from Microsoft"

While I understand the caution, in this case, it's misplaced.

Sure, somebody else may come out with a highly competitive tablet that is similar to the iPad and sweeps away the market, in the same way that Microsoft Windows took over the graphical user interface market long ago.

But it doesn't matter. The iPad is the starting point; a very powerful starting point here and now, and it is well worth the investment of time to get a solid understanding of that class of device.

Whichever tablet takes the market, it will surely have the same approximate feature set as the iPad...the mobility, the sensors, the touchpad. The software vendors, who want to have a competitive advantage in the coming mobile-tablet-enabled market, and get the added boost of user participation for their product lines, need to start working now. This platform is a substantial change from the past and will take time to understand.

Prediction: At Least 1.2 Million iPads Sold to Enterprises. Here's Why.

In the past 80 days, 3 million iPads have been sold. Also we know that 40% of iPhone sales have been to enterprise users...so, let's make a prediction that those ratios hold and 40% of iPads are going to enterprise users, translating into 1.2 million units.

1.2 million iPads sold in first 80 days, currently in hands of executives and CIOs, who fully intend to use them to drive new efficiencies and solve real problems.

What efficiencies and what problems? Well as we’ve discussed in past posts, there have been gaps for many years, as large groups of users are not able to effectively use workstations and laptops to maintain enterprise data, causing trouble for both operations and IT departments. The iPad is an opportunity to fill those gaps, resolve those pain points, and get more users participating fully.

Here is a quote, from Tech Republic article from a few months ago. "CIOs say iPad and other slates have a place in business"

Donna Trivison, Director of IT for Ursuline College, said, “Yes, there is a business case which can be made for iPad or other convenient, easy to use tablet computers. The iPod Touch /iPad is instant on, instant off, and instant load. This aspect alone makes a compelling business case. Time is money. Though I’m not sure if that would be considered a function of tablet per se. It is more a function of iPhone operating system and multi-touch user interface, push one button, touch one icon. App loads and performs flawlessly. All apps (a.k.a., software) have a standardized look and feel… Elegant, functional, revolutionary.”

"Time is money." Also, time is an obstacle for millions of users, who don't have the time to constantly walk back to their desks to enter information into their enterprise software. The iPhone has been successfully removing that obstacle for many users, and the iPad is now doubling down on the concept.

ERP and iPad Part 3: $61 Billion in 2009

From AMR Research. Of course, this is per year, so the cumulative spending on ERP software over the past 20 years is many hundreds of billions.

Strategy 1: Mobilizing the Non-Mobile User

How to develop a mobile strategy for your organization, Part 1:
Choose the right target population for new iPad project to set the right course for future.

Most ERP tools on mobile devices are focused at “mobile” workers…which is assumed to be mobile maintenance, salespeople, mobile nurses, and others that drive or travel between worksites. Many vendors have built healthy product lines that sell just to these mobile workers.

While this is a great market, we think it’s the wrong place to focus ERP product development for the iPad. We believe that the focus for the next few years should be on:

• High value, professional workers who are on premises
• Work in the facility with have real-time access to Wi-Fi connections,
• Who are not depending on cell-phone connectivity
• Who walk around a lot to do their jobs every day
• Therefore cannot easily use laptops or workstations
• Not desk workers.

This is a big target group...for example:

• Healthcare: Physicians, nurses, technicians, administrators
• Retail: Store managers, supervisors, and employees
• Manufacturing: Workers, technicians, floor supervisors, job bosses, assemblers
• Municipal: Police, Fire, corrections; utilities, compliance, or inspection personnel
• High tech: Engineers, scientists, R&D workers, any manufacturing or prototyping
• Functional: any VP or C-level executives who spend a lot of time walking around the office buildings (in my experience, that means all managers and executives)

Again, we are talking about people who are working on-premises in their building, who are not generally classified as“mobile workers." This group:

• Comprises a significant portion of the user population for ERP/enterprise applications. Published numbers run anywhere from 40-80% of users. We say "approximately 50%."
• Are high-value, influential members of the organization. They are often the engineers, managers, and supervisors who “keep the operation running.”
• Historically have been the least likely to adopt and use enterprise applications software. This is because, again, they are often not at a desk and don't want to carry a laptop (too heavy, too short a battery life) so it's always been difficult for them to use the software properly.
• Are often unhappy with enterprise applications. Why? Because enterprise applications are designed for workstations and are primarily focused on character-based data entry. These high-value workers don’t have time to run back to their workstations during the day, and they don’t do a lot of high volume data entry. As a result they feel frustrated, don’t use the software regularly, and can become negative about the entire concept (which in turn is frustrating to IT managers).
• Are a fantastic opportunity for IT and vendors -- if they can be "converted" into supporters and enthusiasts, by providing them with well-designed iPad versions of the enterprise applications.