Enterprise Mobility 2.0: Enterprise Contextual Computing

All of this data can be used to provide information that a user might want to know right now. This allows us to start complementing the traditional mobility computing pull mechanism, "Please answer my question " with more of a push mechanism, "Tell me what I need to know".

We already experience a lot of contextual computing examples in the consumer context:

• Wake me up early to shovel if it snowed last night
• Suggest I leave for my next appointment sooner if there is lots of traffic
• Automatically turn down the temperature in my house if I have not been there awhile

Apps such as Google Now, Waze and Easily Doare push-enabling common daily activities, but what about at work? I believe there are more contextual enterprise mobility opportunities than consumer opportunities. Here are a few examples:

• Facilities Management: tell me my relevant work orders based on my micro-location inside a particular building
• Retail: Tell me which customers might have a question based on how long they are lingering in a particular aisle
• Smart Office: show me which conference rooms are currently unoccupied for the impromptu meeting I need to have
• Project Management: bring up relevant past action items/to dos based on who is in the room with me right now
• Sales: Before I have my my next sales call, pull today's weather and yesterday's sports scores for my prospect's home city
• Financial Advisor: while I'm out visiting clients, show me relevant financial news based on which customer's office I am in and their portfolio's current holdings
• Government: optimize snow removal routes based on snow fall levels, past plow patterns and current traffic (this can also be applied to Farming, Logistics and Distribution sectors)
• Healthcare: Remind me to take my pills when I get home. As a doctor, tell me if my patient hasn't refilled his prescription in the expected timeframe.

These are just a sampling of use cases but the opportunities are everywhere, across every industry and within every line of business. The first step is identifying the contextual enterprise mobility use cases that map to your corporate strategic objectives. The real power of mobile is just starting to be tapped as we enter the era of contextual computing. Thankfully, the technology required to power these opportunities is available today. It's time to focus on unlocking the power of our enterprise mobile channel by creating more delightful experiences for our users. If done correctly, this will lead to more engaged employees and more happy customers.

What do you think? What are the powerful contextual use cases waiting to be uncovered in your industry?