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Mobile workplace. Mobile workplace: businesses need truly functional solutions

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  • Organization of workplaces

    Net Admin specialists will select the optimal configuration of personal computers for you, taking into account the needs of the company or individual employees.
    We will offer you a configuration based on your parameters.
    It could be

    Budget
    - functional tasks
    - increased service life, etc.

    When selecting a configuration, we use only high-quality components from trusted suppliers, so even a “budget” option does not exclude the concept of quality for us.

    We will help you purchase equipment and install the necessary software on it within a few business days with a guarantee.

    We will deliver ready-to-use personal computers to your office and organize workspaces for employees neatly and functionally.

  • Workplace maintenance

    Workplace maintenance is the basis of IT Outsourcing.

    If the main component of the workplace is a personal computer that is professionally configured, then difficulties in its operation arise extremely rarely.

    What requires the most attention is the user himself - an employee of your company. During his work, he encounters various difficulties, problems with Internet access, connecting/disconnecting new devices, setting up printing or scanning, failure of e-mail, various difficulties in the operation of applications. Net Admin specialists know how to properly configure all technical components of the workplace, and we pay special attention to user support.

    Each user's workplace has its own unique number, which is recorded upon receipt of the application. An employee sends his request by email or contacts us by phone. The request is recorded in a unified technical support system and assigned to a specialist who, at a given time, responds to the employee’s request and solves his problem.

    In workplace maintenance includes the following works:

    1. Scheduled maintenance work is a routine check of equipment and installed software versions. Checking the operation of applications and updating them (if necessary)

    2. Eliminating all workplace problems means diagnosing the cause of the failure. Restoring functionality by changing settings/reinstalling software. Equipment repair coordination

    3. Ensuring access of workplaces to the local network is ensuring the operability of the workplace in the local computer network

    For any person who works at a computer, sooner or later the question of the impact of the work environment on health arises. Recommendations on posture, organization of work space, and rest have been developed. Exercises have been developed for the torso, neck, limbs and, of course, eyes.

    Surely everyone who works at a computer for a long time has once felt pain somewhere, many began to look for ways to reduce the harmful effects, someone seriously began to delve into related issues. Unfortunately, they often limit themselves to searching and buying an expensive chair “with bells and whistles,” and that’s where it ends. I decided to move on.

    Since I work as a programmer and do a significant part of the work at home, I created two jobs for myself, the second of which I still work on. Next I will describe them in detail and the conclusions drawn. I think it will be interesting for people who work remotely or are freelancers.

    Standard working posture
    We've all seen pictures of the correct working posture:

    Right angles in the joints of the arms and legs, vertical position of the torso. But let's be honest: which of us was enough to sit in this position for more than 5 minutes?

    The tone of the trunk muscles of most people is such that maintaining correct posture when sitting requires tension in these muscles. Conscious tension, every second. And soon the brain is distracted, the body goes into energy-saving mode and the posture changes: the back rounds, the nose lifts, the pelvis moves forward, and so on.

    Personally, I had problems with the thoracic spine (mainly) and the sacral spine (to a lesser extent). For some time, the problem was forgotten when purchasing a chair with a rigidly set angle between the seat and back and the swing mechanism. When using this chair, I noticed that I was always trying to take a more horizontal position (I lean back as far as the spring allows).

    But dissatisfaction remained, I wanted to continue the search.

    For now, let's note the disadvantages:

    • or the shoulders (hereinafter I call the shoulders the part of the arm from the shoulder joint to the elbow) are in line with the body, but the elbows hang down - this means that the weight of the arms falls either on the front of the forearms, or even on the wrists
    • or the elbows are on the table, but the shoulders are not in line with the body (the stomach rests on the table)
    • the natural position of the upper limbs is not respected - the hands want to be supinated (turned towards each other)
    • the wrist of the hand working with the mouse is loaded
    • load on the spine (and in many places)
    Comfortable working posture
    Optimizing hand position
    Standing in a relaxed position, bend your elbows to a right angle. (Many people do this when they move to music.) Pay attention to the position of the hands - palms facing each other. This is a comfortable position for the hands.

    Now about the position of the hands on the table. The forearms rest completely on the table, from the elbow to the wrist. The weight of the hand is evenly distributed. The forearm muscles are not pinched in their middle part.

    I repeat: it is most convenient to place your shoulders in line with your body (vertically if you are standing, horizontally if you are lying down).

    Tabletop
    The main conclusion that was made is that the tabletop must have a cutout for the body. Only in this case will the hands be in a comfortable position: the shoulders are in line with the body.

    Keyboard
    The standard keyboard is not suitable, I will explain why. I type using the ten-finger method, so the location of the keyboard suggests itself: the middle of the letter part of the keyboard is intersected by the sagittal plane of the body. Since I can use the mouse with both hands (and recommend it to everyone), the keyboard should be the same to the left and to the right of its middle letter part. The choice fell on a simple A4Tech KLS-5UP Black. Yes, without a digital section it’s inconvenient at first, but I’ve already gotten used to it, as well as to the non-trivial arrangement of the Del, End, PgUp, etc. keys. I attached the keyboard to the tabletop with double-sided tape.
    Mouse
    The regular mouse was replaced with a stationary trackball Logitech Trackman marble. There is no scroll wheel, but this can be solved by programming the buttons. I forgot about wrist fatigue forever.
    Stage 1
    We have a room that is scheduled for renovation, so it is temporarily used as a workshop and office. You can drill anything, anywhere - go ahead!
    Workplace reclining.
    Made from chipboard, upholstered in fabric, with foam inside. The tilt of the backrest, the tilt of the seat and the tilt of the lower part under the shins are adjustable. The monitor is suspended from the ceiling and can be slightly adjusted in tilt and height. The distance to the eyes is about 90 cm. The seat is at a height of about 50 cm.

    Technical details

    I installed everything on a long bedside table (it used to be the mezzanine of the closet). All metal parts are made from pipes 20 x 20 mm. The hinged connection between the seat and the leg part is a piano loop. The hinges between the back and the seat did not hold up at all, they were ultimately made from corners, this is the main power unit. The hinged connection between the pipe and the chipboard is a regular angle and a bolted connection. Fastening the pipe to the pipe is a bolted connection. In the end, I also made a pillow under the head in the same style as the chair – with foam rubber and upholstered in fabric (the photo was not preserved).

    I immediately wanted to put a pillow under my head, and later I wanted to make a shelf for something edible.

    I sat on this configuration for no more than a month, and realized that the tabletop needed to be installed on something. I made a vertical pipe and attached the tabletop to it on a rotating rod. There is no original photo, but this photo will give you an idea:

    A vertical pipe with a rotating mechanism with a horizontal rod attached to it. There are three moving connections.

    Technical details

    The tabletop was made from pine furniture board - the cutout was made with a jigsaw, the edges were trimmed with a router, and varnished. At the bottom, the tabletop is attached with self-tapping screws to an iron platform, which is welded to the pipe.



    When you sit down, you move the tabletop with one movement of your hand and that’s it. And getting up is also comfortable. Already I stayed on this configuration for exactly a year.

    Advantages:

    • Comfortable. There is absolutely no tension in the torso and limbs. I don’t want to change my position even after several hours of continuous work. Anyone who sat in this chair said: “Ahh! How convenient it is here,” “I would sleep here,” etc.

    Flaws:

    • Very comfortably. It sounds strange, but I considered this a disadvantage for one reason - I don’t want to get up from such a workplace. Hence – difficulties in blood circulation, obesity due to low mobility. In addition, there are suspicions that this position still has a negative effect on the sacral spine (due to the specific angle at which the spinal discs are compressed).
    • It’s inconvenient to watch movies together or show something to someone. To see the screen, you had to first sit down.
    Stage 2
    Mobile workplace.
    Health comes first. Therefore, I refused a reclining comfortable workplace. The requirements for the next step were:
    • possibility of changing posture
    • convenience
    • workplace mobility

    To meet these requirements, it was necessary to do something fundamentally different. Several days of working with a grinder/welding, etc. - in the end we got this mobile workplace. It can be moved around the apartment (office).

    Technical details

    The stand is a pipe about 4 cm in diameter. A base is welded to it from below, and everything is reinforced with stiffening ribs. To prevent the entire system from falling, the base is concreted and the outside is finished with laminated chipboard. Sturdy wheels at the bottom. I went a little overboard with concrete: the weight turned out to be about 35 kg.

    The raised area next to the system unit is a compartment for wires, because there are a lot of them and I had to hide them.

    The tabletop and monitor installation units move freely along the pipe. Made from a larger diameter pipe, with welded rod mounts. The position is fixed simply: a bolt is inserted into the hole of the vertical pipe.

    The tabletop can move and rotate in a horizontal plane and tilt in a vertical plane.

    Table top rotary unit:

    Each monitor rotates in a horizontal plane and rotates around a horizontal axis.
    Monitor mount: (I’m not a welder, so don’t blame me for the quality of the seams)

    Rotation units of the tabletop and monitor on a vertical rod:

    As you can see, the tabletop fastening unit had to be reinforced with vertical braces, because the load on it is quite large.

    For monitors, ordinary horizontal consoles are enough.

    There are many different positions at such a workplace. You can sit on a sofa, armchair, chair. You can lie down. If the width of the seat allows, you can sit next to each other, for example, to watch a movie or play games.

    And, of course, you can just stand.

    To avoid stagnation of blood in the legs, I use the “Health” CD, and I just dance to the music. Moreover, you can pick up dumbbells and warm up without looking up from the monitor.

    I used (and continue to use) this configuration for another year.

    Advantages:

    • A large number of poses in which you can work is a definite plus. I forgot about any pain.
    • The standing work position has an unobvious advantage: intense thinking encourages “walking here and there,” and the monitor is right at eye level - convenient if you need to look at something.

    Flaws:

    • It looks bulky and does not fit well into the interior. Although, if you invest some money, you can make it much more beautiful.
    • Of course, without a full-fledged table, it became inconvenient to place additional gadgets - for example, a graphics tablet, mobile devices.

    Asking questions:
    Why not a laptop?
    On a desk, the mobility of a laptop disappears. When you place it on yourself (or on a special stand), you have to monitor their stability and location. Carry them with you. It is difficult to get up again. The screen is too close, it’s uncomfortable for your hands. Well, the performance of the laptop for the same money is less, the screen is smaller. Rotating the screen is also a problem. It's also scary to drop.
    Wireless peripherals?
    The keyboard and trackball (or mouse), of course, can also be wireless. But without a countertop, it’s still uncomfortable with them. Yes, the wires spoil the look, but it doesn’t bother me.
    Price?
    I paid 300 rubles for a 20 by 20 pipe. A vertical pipe was found at the dacha. A bag of cement - 180 rubles. Bolts, nuts, washers, cable ties - found at home. Chipboard - scraps from old furniture. Can of paint - 100 rub. Furniture panel - 150 rub. Total no more than a thousand rubles.
    Special programs?
    I use

    Corporate mobility is no longer a fashionable term, but a tangible reality. By moving away from desktop computers in favor of mobile computing, IT departments at midsize and large companies are realizing the benefits of increased employee mobility. As computer prices have fallen, the difference between the total cost of ownership of desktop and laptop systems has narrowed, and more and more companies are finding that the idea of ​​providing employee mobility is worth considering. Additionally, Intel's computer usage data shows that employees with mobile PCs use them an average of 3 to 8 hours more per week than desktop users, enabling them to better balance work and personal life, resulting in increasing their productivity. It is noteworthy that in Russia the time has come when the number of specialists connected to the company through high-speed wireless networks is growing every day.

    Smooth transition

    Just one or two years ago, the concept of “mobile personnel” applied mainly to sales department specialists (traveling salesmen, merchandisers), as well as to those who mainly work on the customer’s premises. Today the situation is changing: according to Roman Sitnikov, head of the distribution department of the Department for work with telecom operators at TechnoServ A/S, wireless high-speed data transmission networks make it possible to increase the speed of response of personnel equipped with mobile devices several times compared to those who works in a stationary workplace. One of the key factors for the successful work of a mobile employee is the bandwidth of the wireless channel through which he is connected to the corporate network.

    The number of mobile users is growing all over the world. For example, in the USA and Western Europe, since 2000, about 15% of traveling corporate employees have used VPN access over wired and wireless networks. Today, 80% of business travelers in these regions (according to In-State) access this service during business trips, with the majority using cellular networks and Wi-Fi. In this way, large firms provide a productive, secure, high-speed link to connect mobile workers to the corporate network. According to IDC, the number of mobile workers in Europe (including Russia) will grow from 82 million at the beginning of 2007 to 90 million in 2010. The largest “mobilization” - more than 70% of the entire labor force - is predicted by 2009 in the United States, followed by Japan (63.7%) and Europe (48.3%). “These numbers,” notes Kevin Baek, regional manager of AnyData, “show increasing interest and demand for telecommunications solutions for the corporate sector, which is already causing an active response from telecom operators and manufacturers of terminal equipment and operational solutions.”

    Of course, in order to make a decision to transfer any number of employees to mobile technology, it is necessary to conduct at least the most general research - as was done in companies such as Intel, Cisco, Avaya, Microsoft, Lucent, etc. The transition to mobile PCs must be carried out with with sufficient care, in accordance with job functions and taking into account the fact that every specialist should receive a computer. By lifting restrictions on purchasing mobile PCs, corporate IT departments typically help employees decide which type of computer best suits their business needs. Next, you need to develop a procurement strategy that allows you to plan the company's needs for equipment with certain system characteristics and performance, taking into account factors such as staff turnover, resource consumption of application programs, the speed of updating the computer fleet and the average annual cost of servicing equipment (including setting up protective equipment and installing application programs).

    As a result of such efforts by the IT department, employees equipped with laptops can connect to the company's corporate network from their own homes, meeting rooms, and even from cafes. According to Harry Kim, chief manager of the planning and marketing division of Ubiquam, full-fledged mobile work with corporate applications is possible with a connection speed of 512 kbps or more; in this case, the speed of staff response to email, instant messages and other requests significantly increases, and it becomes possible to conduct video conferences instead of personal meetings. Today in Russia, only SkyLink has such a fast cellular network that uses EV-DO technology.

    Services for mobile workers

    Note that employee mobility is determined by the opportunities that are available to him regardless of location.

    Firstly, it is high-speed data transfer. A common problem for any enterprise is the situation when an employee who travels outside the office finds himself taken away from the company’s work for a long time; detached from current events, he “falls out” of the business process and upon returning he has to spend time and effort to understand what is happening. Companies that actively use mobile technologies do not have such problems and work much more efficiently. It is already the norm that middle and senior managers of large enterprises, without any problems, conduct prompt daily correspondence with their partners by e-mail (using a communicator or laptop with a mobile modem), if necessary, endorsing documents using an electronic signature. Thus, urgent commercial issues are often resolved outside the office - and quite successfully.

    Secondly, telephone communication via VoIP - for this it is enough to purchase an incoming number from any fixed-line service provider and order a forwarding service to a mobile terminal or do it yourself using a VoIP software client (see PC Week/RE Mobile, No. 2/ 2007, p. 3, PC Week/RE, no. 22/2007, p. 17). In any case, a high-speed channel, for example using the EV-DO protocol, is quite enough for incoming and outgoing communications.

    Thirdly, virtual corporate networks are a solution that allows you to combine into a common secure network several geographically distributed offices located in hard-to-reach places that cannot be reached by fixed communication lines (see PC Week/RE, No. 20/2006, p. 20) . An interesting feature of such a solution may be the fact that users will receive access only through the internal channels of the cellular operator without access to the “big” Internet - this makes the VPN network protected from any external network attacks.

    Note that all these services that provide employee mobility can become an important asset not only for large, but also for medium-sized and small-sized organizations. By freeing qualified professionals from being tied to an office, small organizations can at a minimum save money on office space, as well as use their staff more flexibly.

    Personal workplace

    At the moment, there are several standard sets of so-called “mobile office” devices, with the help of which companies increase the efficiency of their staff. The first and most common is a business-class laptop (see PC Week/RE, No. 23/2007, p. 14) in combination with a mobile modem that is connected via USB or PCMCIA. A mobile terminal can be used in the same capacity. The user or the company's IT specialist can configure Internet access using a mobile device. “Of course,” says Cho Yun Gon, regional manager of Cmotech, “the speed of Internet access in such a solution depends on the data transmission technology used by the cellular operator. However, in any case, the modem is the optimal data transfer device, since it takes up practically no additional space, uses standard interfaces for connection and, at the same time, receiving power through the appropriate port of the laptop, only slightly reduces its battery life.”

    The second option is to use smartphones and communicators to access high-speed networks (see PC Week/RE, No. 33/2007 p. 16), as well as PDAs with mobile modems that can be added to the slot for memory cards (most often in SDIO format ). True, such solutions usually perform a very limited range of work tasks and are mostly used for quickly receiving email (for example, via a push channel), Internet surfing (in combination with laptops) or for running special mobile trading applications (see. PC Week/RE, No. 14/2007, p. 26) or work as data collection terminals. The third option, which is increasingly in demand among small and medium-sized companies that need to set up an office for four or five employees away from wired communication channels, is EV-DO/Wi-Fi hybrid access points. Such solutions can be used both in stationary and mobile versions, when such an access point can be placed in a car (powered through an adapter from the cigarette lighter in the car); this is extremely useful for emergency services (in case of emergencies) or commercial companies (carrying out presentations during which Internet access is required). They are also of interest to clients whose offices are located in remote locations where there is no wired Internet access.

    Note that according to SkyLink, the most common configurations for corporate users are as follows. The first, for equipping a small office, consists of an external modem AnyDATA ADU-E100A or a stationary gateway EV-DO/Ethernet Сmotech CNU-550PRO, a tariff plan from the “Turbo” line (Moscow) or Online (Moscow region), “Corporate administrator” service (allows corporate clients to access management of collective personal accounts with multiple phone numbers on the SkyPoint portal), as well as static IP addresses, fax and email services. The second, intended for telephone “mobilization” of employees, is a Ubiquam U-200 terminal with the “Complex 100, corporate” tariff plan, the “Corporate Administrator” service and Caller ID. The third, with the help of which a mobile workplace is organized, are miniature USB modems Cmotech CNU-550 or AnyDATA ADU-310A, a tariff plan from the “Turbo” line, the “Corporate Administrator” service, as well as a static IP address, fax and mail .

    Over the past six months, the operator has noted interesting changes in the structure of user preferences: for example, in Moscow, one of the leading regions for the company, now 70% of new contracts are focused on data transfer, 23% are tariffs with unlimited voice traffic and 7% are combined ( voice plus data). For comparison: the figures at the beginning of the year were distributed as 57, 23 and 20%, respectively. Among the companies already introducing mobile access for their employees, we can note the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian Post” (about four hundred contracts in the Moscow and three hundred in the Leningrad region - the kits are dominated by AnyDATA ADU-E100A model modems with an external antenna), Moskomprivatbank (about 400 contracts; landline CDMA phones FCT-CDMA.24 are used, as well as gateways Сmotech CNU-550PRO), Hewlett-Packard (a little more than three hundred contracts; mainly mobile modems Сmotech CNU-550), pharmacies “Old Doctor” (about 250 contracts; mobile modems AnyDATA ADU-E100A, landline phones RWT FCT-CDMA.24, Huawei ETS 1001), as well as the Petersburg television and radio company, the Baltika brewing company, the State Unitary Enterprise "TEK SPb", etc.

    Access channels

    The main transport for mobile workplaces is the five most common protocols for transmitting information over the radio channel. Four of them (GPRS - General Packet Radio Service, EDGE - Enhanced Data for Global Evolution, HSDPA - High-Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access and EV-DO - Evolution Data Only) operate in cellular networks, and the fifth, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity ), is a short-range radio technology that is used primarily indoors. They are distinguished by data transfer speed, reliability, and prevalence in different countries of the world.

    Note that GPRS, an “add-on” to GSM mobile communication technology that carries out packet data transfer, is gradually losing its position. The typical speed of 20-40 kbit/s no longer suits corporate users, although the distribution area of ​​this technology in Russian cellular networks is extremely large. In fact, GPRS is the standard minimum that can be obtained throughout the country where mobile operators are present, and the vast majority of mobile modems on the market support this data transfer protocol. EDGE in Russia is distributed mainly in cities with a population of over a million, most often it has fragmented coverage (city center and business districts), and it is implemented only in cellular networks built not so long ago. For the past two or three years, all base stations supplied by vendors have been “EDGE-ready” (ready to implement EDGE); to activate this data transfer protocol, the operator only needs to pay a license fee and purchase new software. There are slightly fewer mobile modems (both USB and PCMCIA-based) that support this protocol than GPRS; operators have been actively introducing EDGE on the market for only about a year and a half. Typical speed is about 100-120 kbit/s. The promising HSPDA, which will be introduced in 3G (UMTS) networks in 2008, can provide real speeds 10-12 times higher, up to 1.5 Mbit/s from the core network to the user, but similar networks in the regions still need to be built, and there are practically no mobile modems for them (unlike communicators and smartphones) on the Russian market. Although similar networks have been installed and put into commercial operation in Western Europe, this is the best option for business trips.

    The best alternative for corporate users in 25 regions of Russia is the EV-DO protocol, implemented in the CDMA2000 network, which is being developed by the SkyLink operator, which is present in these areas. Its speed in version “0” can reach values ​​of 600-700 kbit/s from the core network to the user, and in version “A” - three to four times more, and the only drawback of such systems can only be the relative underdevelopment in the regions - mainly the network cover only large cities without suburbs (with the exception of the Moscow and Leningrad regions), and the selection of mobile modems is small (about a dozen devices). However, using EV-DO in large Russian cities is quite acceptable - due to its high speed, it can be considered the main data transfer protocol for corporate users.

    An additional protocol can be considered Wi-Fi, which is available in paid or free modes not only in offices, but also in hotels, airports and business centers (“guest” access). The most likely transmission speeds on public hotspots range from 512 kbps to 1 Mbps. Moreover, in most cases, companies must independently take care of reliable security programs on their users’ devices, since hotspots usually operate without using any security protocols such as WEP or WPA.

    We have noticed that people often come to us for an employee’s mobile workstation. This is understandable - everyone is used to doing business from smartphones: planning the day, playing sports, communicating with friends. Work is no exception. For example, an insurance agent does not need to carry piles of papers and documents with him - all the information is on his smartphone. After concluding an agreement, you can immediately photograph it and send it to the office, rather than taking it personally.

    When such an application will help improve business, how to automate the work of employees through applications and who they will help - we find out below.

    Which employees need such applications?

      These are mainly employees who work remotely or on the road. Marketing agency IDC classifies these workers into three subgroups:
    1. Mobile office worker: someone who spends most of their working time at the company's office, but sometimes works from home or some third location. For example, accountants, lawyers, office managers, etc.
    2. A mobile employee working “in the fields” or constantly moving between buildings or buildings. They are more often in someone else's office than in their own. These are sellers, appraisers, realtors and the like.
    3. Home Mobile Worker: This employee spends most of the work week in the home office and goes into the office to meet with clients or colleagues. Usually these are freelancers, translators, developers, designers, etc.

    When will a mobile workplace benefit you?

    • If you need to quickly respond to a client’s request: the application has been accepted, the meeting has been agreed upon, the request has been transferred to the service, our employee will contact you, etc.;
    • If employees work “in the fields”: they collect information for the database (clients, apartments, photographs, contracts). For example, a realtor went to inspect an apartment that the client wants to sell through an agency. He arrives at the location, takes a photo of the apartment and immediately uploads the photo to the database. The advertising manager looks at the photo and notices that one photo is blurry and needs a different angle. He informs the realtor about this, and the realtor takes the necessary photos while still on the property;
    • If employees fulfill the plan for contracts, clients, transactions, etc. For example, today is the last day of the planning period. The realtor concludes the deal in the evening on the road. For the deal to go according to plan, the realtor would have to go to the office in the evening and fill out documents or somehow report on the deal. Using a mobile application, he can “close the deal” right on the spot and send signed documents with photographs;
    • If your employees need internal systems to work that use a single organizational database: CRM, document management system, task accounting system, then the application will be useful. Such a mobile application will allow employees to work with the organization’s systems from anywhere in the world.

    When a mobile app is not needed

    • If you can use a ready-made application. For example, don’t invent a messenger for your team, but download Slack, Skype or Telegram. In addition to instant messengers, you can use task trackers, calendars, scanners and other applications that do not require integration with the existing system of the customer organization. Employees download them and work.
    • If you can use the gadget’s “chips” for work, which are not on office computers:
      Photo
      Video
      Recording a conversation
      Barcode scanning
      Obtaining data on the coordinates of a point on the ground
      Speech recognition.

    5 points to consider:

    Time zones

    Changing time zones should not affect task completion time. Otherwise, it turns out that the employee works in a different time zone, and the time to complete the task is extended or shortened. Geolocation will not always work: for example, there is no Internet, the user is indoors or saving battery power. To prevent this from happening, it is better to indicate not the exact date/time of task completion, but like this: “36 minutes left until the meeting with the customer” or “3 days left until the task is completed.” You can simply specify the time zone manually.


    Simultaneous work of several users on one task

    The rule works here: whoever made the last changes, those changes have priority. If the device is connected to the Internet, there are no problems. If there is no Internet “in the field,” it may happen that the user made changes, the changes entered the system only when the Internet appeared, and it is not a fact that they will be relevant at that time and will not “overwrite” later information.

    Information Security

    Mobile devices are equipped with security barriers, such as fingerprint login, but we cannot require all mobile desktop users to use them. To ensure data safety and not overload the user with endless password entry, you can divide the functionality into “free” and “requiring access confirmation.” Here we already add login using a password, SMS or code, or fingerprint.

    Volume of downloaded information

    Phones can take videos and photos in good quality and large size. If we send full-size images via a smartphone, mobile Internet “in the fields” can slow down or even pause the employee’s work. To do this, we provide a compression function for content transmitted over the Internet. You need to compress wisely, you will have to work with these photos and videos later, and the quality of the material should not drop much.

    Work offline

    The application should not take up a lot of memory on the user's device. It is ideal when there is always access to the Internet, and only the necessary minimum is stored on the device. Working offline assumes that all information is stored on the device: product catalogs, customer lists, task registries, etc., which takes up tens of megabytes. If we cannot provide constant access to the Internet, we delimit what is available to the employee when working offline. For example, a list of clients is available, but without their photos, or a product catalog is available, but without pictures and videos.

    Online or offline

    When needed Online workplace Offline workplace

    Advantages
    1. Data on sales, completed tasks, etc. immediately sent to the server and visible to management
    2. The employee sees new tasks immediately
    3. Cheaper and faster to develop
    4. Easier to synchronize information between employees

    You don’t need constant access to the Internet - you can travel even to remote places.

    Flaws

    You need constant access to the Internet - you can’t go far from reception stations
    1. Data on sales, completed tasks, etc. are not immediately sent to the server
    2. The employee sees new tasks only after updating
    3. More expensive and longer to develop
    4. Information between employees is synchronized only after updating information via the Internet

    The more employees use the application and participate in collaborative tasks, the more difficult it is to use offline mode. Functionality without the Internet is good if there are no more than 5-10 employees and they work on different tasks.

    Mobile workplace functionality

    Let's figure out how to decide on the functionality for a mobile workplace. If there is not enough of it, the employee will not be able to be fully mobile, and if there is too much, the application will be overloaded and not convenient to use.

      Each mobile workplace is individual in nature and tailored to the requirements and specifics of a particular organization. But, based on the practice of creating mobile solutions for business, we have identified common universal functions:
    • Authorization and registration with the ability to log in using a fingerprint or password (additional data protection);
    • Personal account (full name, avatar, name of organization, department);
    • Working with various kinds of tasks, assignments, requests (all functions that are included in this section are classified as specific, we will talk about this below);
    • Push notifications (about new tasks, applications, changes in documents).


    The specific functions of the mobile workplace are thought out individually for each project at the analytics stage. This is done so that the correct and correct requirements go into development, and everything does not have to be redone when real company employees start using the mobile workstation.

    Let's look at the specific features of mobile workplaces using the example of a mobile application for real estate agency employees. The application was created for realtors. We included all universal components in it and integrated it with CRM. Thanks to integration with the corporate CRM system, company employees, while away from the office, quickly perform their duties and download up-to-date data on purchased and rented real estate.



    If we are talking about the specific functionality of applications for financiers, then this is access to various documents, statistical data, reporting forms for the company, divisions, individual employees, etc.
    For sellers, this is an opportunity to track new orders: delivery date, address, work with articles, take the order into operation, change the status of the order, track its movement using the tracker.

    Mobile phones and mobile applications have long ceased to be just a toy. Now these are convenient, fast and secure programs for achieving business goals and tracking employee results. The mobile workplace is an environment in which employees can access all the common data or voice systems, documents and applications they need in their daily work. They must be able to correctly perform their duties from a distance from a mobile or portable device.