Also, you can get a $100 discount for All About Mobile by entering the following promotional code during registration: “PRMSS”

Note: The discount applies to the “current non-member/customer registration price (individual rate only)”

Software Shortlist is proud to be an Industry Partner of All About Mobile 2011.

Also, you can get a $100 discount for All About Mobile by entering the following promotional code during registration: “PRMSS”

Note: The discount applies to the “current non-member/customer registration price (individual rate only)”

SIIA All About Mobile

The 2nd annual All About Mobile conference, by the Software & Information Industry Association, focuses on the next great leap in the evolution of software and services. 2011 is the year the enterprise goes mobile, and no one is better poised to deliver mobile business applications than the Cloud Computing industry! This year’s conference takes place in San Francisco, where the industry’s leading analysts, venture capitalists, media, telecom companies, platform and infrastructure providers, integrators and ISVs will gather. Plan your attendance now and join us on November 15th to discuss, partner, plan, build and connect the next generation of networks and the apps!

For details, visit www.AllAboutMobile.net

1.      In your view, what has changed most in the mobile business space since the All About Mobile conference last year? 

A lot has changed since last year. Last year, businesses were still trying to figure out if they needed a mobile strategy and today they are determining exactly what that strategy looks like. One of the big things we have seen is the focus on mobile as a marketing platform. Business are realizing, what better way to reach potential customers than on the devices that are always within their grasps. Mobile is becoming a significant part of a marketers overall strategy

2.      We’ve all seen a remarkable consumer uptake of sophisticated mobile devices, first with smartphones and more recently with tablets, most notably the Apple iPad. What impact has this had on the way business thinks about mobility? Is it reducing the sales cycle for vendors of mobile solutions? 

You could look at it like the consumer is the business professional. Because in many cases, businesses are seeing their executives using their personal mobile devices to carry out business. So even if a company is not officially supporting mobile business, it is happening anyway because the executives realize mobile is necessary to be more productive today. This has had a huge impact on the way business thinks about mobility. While I believe companies have accepted the need for mobile business, they are still going to be cautious so I don’t believe the sales cycle for vendors of mobile solutions is going to see a big change, not yet.

3.      Access devices aside, what changes are you seeing with regards to the type of mobile applications being used by businesses? What are the hot categories right now, and which emerging ones should we keep an eye on for the future?

In the past year there have been some great innovations in mobile applications. The financial industry made some strides with mobile bank deposits and transfers. Location based services are becoming more and more predominant with sales teams. These applications are now allowing sales teams to track locations of reps and sales calls but also track customers. We will see location based applications continue to evolve providing more detailed tracking of sales teams and customers. We will also see more of these applications targeting specific verticals like the insurance industry where it is critical to have location based information in the event of an emergency.

4.      Businesses are increasingly launching apps of their own to tap into their customers’ enthusiasm for all things mobile. Do you have any advice or suggestions for companies who have not yet done this but are thinking of developing one?

First, if you do not have a mobile version of your product you should put that at the top of your to-do list. It is absolutely critical in today’s marketplace that your product or solution is available on mobile devices, optimized for the small screens. You need to decide first if you want to build a mobile version of your website, basically a scaled down version of your website optimized for the small screens, or create a native mobile application, which then needs to be customized for the different mobile platforms. The challenge with developing native mobile apps is the many different platforms that must to be supported. It is important to develop the application so that it translates in all languages. Businesses are more successful if the application has the same look and feel across multiple operating systems as many people use different devices supported by different platforms.  

5.      In today’s tough & uncertain economic environment globally, how do you make the business case for embracing mobile business? Does a focus on cost savings resonate with decision-makers? Are justifications based on revenue increases credible? Are there other factors at play?

Making a case for mobile business is certainly not as difficult as it once was. In fact, it is pretty simple, it is about customer expectations. Mobile allows your team to communicate more effectively and therefore improving communication and service to the customer. Business executives and customers expect to have relevant information, in real-time, and on any device they have available. Again, your customers expect this type of service and availability, if you are not providing it your competitor is only a click away.

6.      What trends do you see for the year ahead regarding mobile business?

In the next year we will see the worlds of mobile and social collide in businesses. We thought that mobile business alone was creating this amazing ability to collaborate with our colleagues and customers in real-time but add the social component into mobile applications and we are taking communication and customer service to a whole new level. There are some exciting things headed our way.

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The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is hosting a major ISV conference, All About Mobile, in San Francisco on November 15 2011.

Software Shortlist is proud to be an Industry Partner of All About Mobile 2011. We will soon be running a contest giving away a free pass. Stay tuned for more details…

Referral partners are trusted advisors who connect their clients with Software Shortlist when they need support for business software selection. This benefits everyone: the advisor enables their client to move forward with confidence in purchasing software; and clients get free help through a tailored shortlist of relevant, high quality software providers based on their specific requirements.

We recognize that some advisors are comfortable being paid for referrals they make, while others would rather not receive any monetary compensation. Although our referral partners have always been able to say “hey, don’t pay me anything”, the introduction of a charity donation option enables them to not help not just their clients, but also help a worthy not-for-profit organization to continue their good work in the community.

Find out more and to join the referral partner program here

This program encourages trusted advisors to introduce Software Shortlist to clients & contacts who need software to improve their business. Typical examples are business consultants, accountants, lawyers, business brokers, & IT consultants.

We see this as a win-win-win arrangement: your clients & contacts get free assistance finding the right software, we get a stream of quality opportunities, and you get a 25% commission on all revenue we earn from referrals.

All referrals are contacted by telephone by a member of the Software Shortlist team to explain how our software matching service works. After confirming they are willing to proceed, we clarify their software requirements and business context.  They are then matched with up to 3 relevant solution providers from our extensive database, and introduced so they can continue the discussion and evaluation in detail.

To find out more and to join the referral program, please visit http://www.softwareshortlist.com/referral_partner_program.html

Since Software Shortlist is an industry partner for the event, they’ve kindly given us a handy $100 discount code (PRMSWSL) you can use when you register online. (valid off the individual SIIA non-member rate).

For more details, visit www.AllAboutMobile.net. While you’re there, you can read our recent interview with Rhianna Collier (also on our blog here) about how enterprises are using mobile software (plus have a chance to win a free pass!)

1. Let’s start with the basics. What is mobile business?  Can you paint a picture for us of what it means for people within a company: how does it affect their day-to-day lives?

Mobile business today is the ability to carry out all aspects of your business regardless of your location.  Individuals have access to all needed services and information via a mobile device, whether it be email, CRM, workflow management, online collaboration, or even financial transactions, just to name a few.  As a remote worker myself, it is imperative that I have access to the necessary applications 24/7. It allows me to be in constant touch with our members and ultimately better serve their needs.

2. To what extent are companies taking advantage of the possibilities offered by “anywhere, anytime” access to business applications and services?  How fast is it growing?

We see more and more companies supporting increased mobile device usage with business applications. Most companies have some type of mobile based business accessibility today. We are seeing the depth and bread of services available expand within the enterprise and will continue to expand.  Mobile Office is still probably the most commonly used mobile business application suite. With IT departments now being able to customize mobile devices to run their business/industry specific software I believe we will see mobile business increasing at a faster rate than we have ever seen.

3. What do you think is driving this uptake of mobile business?

The growing virtualized workforce who travel and work from home is a prominent driver in the adoption of mobile business. Having all of your business applications on your smartphone allows employees to maintain business while not in their primary workspace. The flexibility of having business access on mobile devices increases user productivity and customer contact and satisfaction (because you are readily available to your customer base). As more and more enterprises are mobilizing their workforces it has become a critical component to staying competitive in the industry.  A secondary trend that will accelerate uptake is the native adoption of mobile as the platform of choice among students and new entrants into the workforce.

4. What are some of the concerns and challenges facing ISVs when selling mobile business applications to enterprises?  How can they overcome these?

The biggest ongoing concern from the enterprise perspective is security. Any cloud or mobile application is still seen as a giant security risk for enterprise IT. There is a fear of data leaks, what if the mobile devices are stolen or lost? There is also user misuse of the device.  A lot of the security concerns could be alleviated within the enterprise themselves by governance and employee training; policy development, enforcing things like device timeouts, using passcodes, and device locking. ISVs selling mobile business applications to the enterprises need to understand the security concerns of enterprise IT and make sure the implementation and integration processes are seamless.

5. And lastly, what sort of impact is mobile business having on the performance of companies that embrace it? Are they seeing a clear ROI from investing in mobile applications?

Mobile business improves communication within a company and allows for real-time access to information.  Anytime, anywhere increases profitability by allowing real-time business decisions. Mobile business reduces costs, boosts user productivity, and increases customer service, which, ultimately, leads to profit.  That in itself is clear ROI for the movement towards mobile business adoption.

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The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is hosting a major ISV conference, All About Mobile, in San Jose on November 16-17.

WIN A FREE PASS: Here at Software Shortlist, we have one (1) complimentary pass to the conference to give away. For you chance to win, leave a comment below (or send us an email) and share some of your thoughts about how mobile applications will change the way we do business.  The comment we consider most interesting and insightful will win its author a free pass.

ISVs large and small have already begun to transition software and cloud-based applications for use on mobile devices. An effective mobile strategy is increasingly important to success, so make sure you check out this unique industry event. Plus you can save $100 with the promotional code below!

All About Mobile features a robust conference agenda with keynotes from Microsoft and Sprint. You’ll network with top executives from ISVs, carriers, platform providers, and infrastructure providers — along with the industry’s leading analysts, venture capitalists and media — all gathering to explore, debate and discuss the mobile movement.

To take advantage of our $100 discount, enter promotional code PRMSWSL when you register online here. (Note: this discount is valid off the individual SIIA non-member rate only and does not apply to current attendees. You’ll save even more with early-bird rates through October 18)

For details, visit www.AllAboutMobile.net

Just a quick reminder about our upcoming webinar on Wednesday 18th August 2010 at 2pm AEST. We’ll be looking at a sample of online software for professional services firms.

This is an official event as part of Energise Enterprise, the Victorian small business festival.

Register now

Places are limited, so if you’d like to take part, please register below:

SoftwareShortlist.com is currently looking for alliance partners to help expand our unique service. Here’s the low down on how this may work for you…

• You get certified in software selection advice, extending your services capabilities for SMB customers.
• You get access to our proprietary methodology, patented tools and online products/resources to assist customers in selecting software.
• You get a service provider profile on the SoftwareShortlist.com website to get to new customers that you can service.
• Finally, you become a reseller for all of Software Shorlist’s online products. Earn commissions as you provide services.
• … and you earn more revenue by simply extending your offerings to existing and new SMB customers!

Sounds like an intriguing opportunity, don’t you think?

Of course, there are a few characteristics we are looking for in suitable candidates:

• Independent – you are not strongly aligned to a particular product or vendor and can keep an open mind in looking for appropriate software solutions
• Credible – you have a good reputation in your space, and your judgement and opinions would be trusted by those looking for software
• Capable – you have the capabilities to extend your services to advise customers on software selection

Interested companies and individuals are invited to review more details of our Certified Consultant Membership plan on our website. You may sign up directly or get in touch with us by emailing any questions to: partners@softwareshortlist.com.