“In the forest or in the city, it doesn’t matter to me, when I’m driving freely, the world is my home, when I’m mobile.” Going Mobile, The Who (written by Pete Townshend).

Nearly four decades ago, when Roger Daltrey sang this song from the classic album “Who’s Next,” the mood in the country was one of “do your own thing.” Youth was about thinking freely, hitting the road, and finding yourself. That was a powerful concept at the time, challenging the status quo and breaking new ground. As we approach the end of the first decade of the new millennium, that yearning for freedom has taken over business as a way to survive, not just thrive. The advancement of mobility strategies has taken on a whole new meaning, and even a small business owner can’t afford to ignore it.

I don’t think it’s a huge exaggeration to point to the acceleration of technology, as the PC revolution was a huge factor in the way we do business today. How many of you could do without your email or your computer? Everything we do is tech-related, even the local family run general store. The manual registration used not long ago has now been replaced by a point-of-sale system backed by networked databases.

The evolution of the network brought with it the desire to return to those days of freedom. So when the ability to add mobility to the network became viable, many Fortune 100 companies began to take advantage of it, and why not, if you could have the same experience on the road or at a customer site as in the office. Going one step further, how about those workaholics who constantly burn midnight oil at the office? Why not bring that same work into their homes, allowing them to augment their business success with quality family time? Historically, the cost of many mobility technologies was too prohibitive for the average SMB, but as those costs inevitably fell, the rate of adoption increased. Now, road warriors and telecommuters are so common that they are almost the norm in every organization.

Let’s look at the key technologies that started this revolution. Without a doubt, the starting point of mobility began with the cell phone. You could answer a phone call without sitting at your desk, and suddenly sales professionals became more agile. They could be reached almost anytime or anywhere. Then came the advancement of email, which quickly replaced business letters sent through the US Postal Service, courier services, or Express Mail. These technologies provided new ways to get in touch with coworkers or customers in seconds.

This created some flexible mobile solutions for workers, but what about PC mobility? Wireless access gave workers the tool to break their shackles on their buckets and allowed them to roam around the office. But who wants to stop there? Why not get out of the office entirely? Remote access technologies like Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and mobile Internet allowed the office to travel where the worker traveled. On the road, at customer sites, or even at home, the ability to be productive takes another step forward. What’s next? How about removing the tag from the phone? The introduction of instant messaging, which was originally seen as an AOL gimmick for home users, changed the game even more. Now workers had a way to connect directly with coworkers and managers, as well as see their availability status. Some organizations extend that to key customers as a way to increase their retention of important accounts, giving them immediate access to place orders or request services.

The logical evolution of these advances would be to combine them. Enter the BlackBerry and other “smart” phones. Now, a small handheld device allows users to make and receive calls, check email with mobile connectors to the corporate Exchange server, search the Internet and use mobile instant messaging. This completely tore down the office walls and opened up the world of “going mobile” for everyone: workers, managers, and business owners. With the increasing adoption of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephony, the business phone system became another network tool. VoIP offers simultaneous calling on an employee’s office phone and cell phone, as well as allowing that office phone to be taken anywhere with an Internet connection and sound like it’s sitting at a desk in the office. the company. When you add Internet faxing, now even the fax machine could move with the worker. This prevented those important contracts and other sensitive documents from sitting in the fax box and provided greater security and ease of forwarding.

So the revolution was in full swing. A study commissioned by Arizona-based human resources association WorldatWork showed that in 2008, more than 17 million employees worked remotely at least one day a month, nearly 40 percent more than in 2006, including companies from all over the world. the sizes and shapes.

For the most part, this all started as an option for enterprise companies. Initially, the costs to obtain these advances were out of the budget of small and medium-sized businesses. With constant pressure to bring these features to the SMB market, they finally became viable and are now, in many cases, considered the norm. Look at the evolution of cell phones. First, the huge “brick” phones of the early 90’s that were very expensive to buy and use on a monthly plan. Now it is easier to count those who do not have a cell phone. All of the other technologies discussed above have gone through a similar reduction in cost and increased availability, allowing them to be deployed in the SMB space. In many cases, including my own company, these technologies are key to attracting and retaining top talent and setting you apart from “the crowd.” While they are available, more than a few companies are still reluctant to adopt them, to brave the waters the way it has always been done. However, the rewards for those who do can be dramatic.

However, along with the benefits, there are significant potential drawbacks. Joe Cogliano of the Dayton Business Journal recently wrote about a law firm in Ohio struggling with some of them, including jealous coworkers staying in the office, supervisor distrust, lack of recognition and visibility for telecommuters, and training challenges. of Equipements. Add to that the potential for loss of corporate data, unauthorized access to networks, and leakage of sensitive information. For many small and medium-sized businesses, the path to competition and victory requires driving faster and faster cars. Adding some or all of these tools can dramatically alter the perception of the organization, showing a progressive side that can be very attractive. Take the time to fully understand and plan for the inclusion of mobility, understand what it will bring you and how it will change the way you work. If you ignore them, you might just hear your customers singing another Who classic, “Who are you?”