Rob Bamforth on IT-Director.com

BYOD - a bright idea with a tarnished lifecycle?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0100

Bring your own device sounds instantly appealing for an organisation wanting to appease users and cut costs, but over time will it be that simple? [Read More...]

Is net neutrality being zapped by radio waves?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0100

A laudable principle, but are there sufficient resources to ensure all data crossing the network is treated equally? No, especially when it comes to wireless. [Read More...]

Mobile cost concerns - have they gone away?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0100

On the face of it, bring your own device (BYOD) seems to take away many telecoms cost issues for enterprises, but is it really that simple? [Read More...]

Desk-top-less - managing the flexible office

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0100

Is the desktop in decline, or just the permanent desk? Mobile and flexible working bring new ways of working, but also increased management challenges [Read More...]

Tele-shirking or Thought(less) Leadership?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0100

Nothing makes new-fangled technology work better than good management and good processes, and nothing makes it work worse than old-fashioned prejudices and laziness. [Read More...]

Blurring the boundaries - Bring Your Own Cloud

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0100

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Mobile Device Management (MDM) go hand in hand, but the device might just be the tip of the mobile iceberg. [Read More...]

Managing the mobile enterprise - should it really be that hard?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0100

MDM, MAM etc? There are plenty of vendors offering tools to help manage different aspects of mobile working, but customers are often taking a too ad hoc and reactive approach to the issues [Read More...]

Don't confuse self-service with no service

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:00:00 +0100

Self-service is often seen as a tactical quick way to cut costs, but if corners are cut, the results can be a loss of perceived customer service, and customers - better to take a strategic approach and plan carefully [Read More...]

Keep Smart TVs simple, stupid

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 07:00:00 +0100

Smart TVs need to be more like smartphones, with simpler, clearer UIs and better connectivity. [Read More...]

Machine to machine (M2M) needs to smarten up its act

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 07:00:00 +0100

There are many opportunities surrounding the universal connection of smart devices, sometimes termed 'the internet of things', but is too much attention on the technology and networks deflecting attention from where it should really be? [Read More...]

Decline of the desk, rise of the net

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:00:00 +0100

Mobile devices, new working practices and a tendency towards employee choice - generally called Bring Your Own Device - are raising the expectations of the capabilities of networks [Read More...]

Don't cut customer service along with the budgets

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 07:00:00 +0100

Different high street electronics and computing goods retailers highlight different approaches to customer service - are you more like Comet or Apple? [Read More...]

Lugging too many devices? Time we revisited the personal network idea

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 09:25:00 +0100

The notion that we'd end up carrying less tech has proved false. So now that we're hauling around so many devices, perhaps it's the moment to revive the concept of a personal area network? [Read More...]

Can Microsoft's aggressively priced Surface RT kill the iPad?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Whether the era is 'post-PC' or not, tablets are certainly big business, especially for Apple - how can the competition make inroads & how will this sector evolve? [Read More...]

Mobile working - shifting attitudes not hardware

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Consumerisation of IT and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for mobile devices introduce risks, but organisations can do something about it other than saying No! [Read More...]

Is it time for mobile operators to target IPADS?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 06:00:00 +0100

There is always the risk that overly stereotypical demographic segmentation will mean that some potential customers' needs are missed - changes in working style are opening up new opportunities providing the offer is right. [Read More...]

Is Nokia changing its marketing strategy such a good idea?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 06:00:00 +0100

The launch of Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 will be a significant event in the mobile industry, and could have far reaching effects on all those using it to make handsets - none more so than Microsoft's strategic ally, Nokia. [Read More...]

Will an iPad Mini ever appear or will it just be the iPhone5?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Device sizes and form factors are chosen for a reason, but sometimes reasons and usage patterns change, so devices must evolve [Read More...]

What does iOS6 say about Apple's plans for the future?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 06:00:00 +0100

When did operating system releases change from being a dreaded chore to being eagerly anticipated? The consumerisation of IT has affected software as well as hardware [Read More...]

BYOD strategy: Why it's not about devices

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Bring your own device - nice idea, but as a money saver it's a bit more complicated. Never mind the hardware, what about the content, contract, cloud and collaboration issues it brings? [Read More...]

Google, Motorola and the future of Android

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:00:00 +0100

It might seem clever for a software company to buy up a hardware partner, but it can make life more complex - so why did Google do it? [Read More...]

Mobile PBX integration - a way of avoiding 'tele-shirking'?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Mobile and remote working provides huge flexibility, sometimes at the expense of organisational and cultural cohesion - but there are simple ways to tackle this and bring dispersed workers closer together [Read More...]

Smart phones really need smarter service

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:00:00 +0100

The mobile browsing user experience is not as good as it should be, but a little more forward thinking and contextual intelligence would help. [Read More...]

Google vs Oracle: Java legal conflict in the mobile world

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0100

As tech giants Google and Oracle slug it out in the courtroom, a look into the past might shine some light onto where this whole legal skirmish might end up. [Read More...]

Customer support becomes a social service

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0100

Social media is already being used by a number of organisations to supplement the customer services, but is it providing something better than the other channels because of people rather than technology? [Read More...]

Mobile capacity crunch

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Mobile networks are straining under the load of mobile data demands - but what can and should be done by operators to help address this issue? [Read More...]

Yammer Time - social media hip hops into the enterprise

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Enterprise social media tools are starting to hit business communications, but what sort of changes are they bringing internally? [Read More...]

Cloud adoption - forget Moore & Metcalfe, think Murphy

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0100

There's a lot of hype around 'cloud', but recent failures have exposed some risks. Can the telecoms industry shoulder some of the burden? [Read More...]

Computer says no - why?

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:00:00 +0100

IT is great at automating and speeding business processes, but when not so hot at replacing individual responsibility or initiative - something has been lost with 'computer aided' becoming 'computer dependent' [Read More...]

Mobile device consumerisation - more risky than it first appears

rss@it-analysis.com (Rob Bamforth, Quocirca) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 06:40:00 +0100

BYOD - bringing your own device has a great appeal, especially with so many shiny devices for employees to use, but there are hidden risks and costs to weigh against the apparent benefits [Read More...]