iPass Handheld Device Services.

As business managers have seen the increased productivity benefits of handheld devices, more and more companies have begun issuing handhelds to their mobile employees as part of their overall corporate mobility strategy. In fact, for many business professionals, the handheld device has now become their primary tool for keeping in touch with the office, vendors and customers—and they would feel lost without it.

 

Your company may be creating a corporate handheld strategy or refining its business and workforce continuity plan to include handhelds. If so, keep these important topics in mind when selecting mobile communications devices and a provider:

 

Network availability
An information system is only as strong as its weakest link. Should something fail, what systems and processes are in place to ensure service availability?

* How reliable is the access provider's network architecture? Does it include fail-over capabilities for critical components, including network operations centers?
* Are there multiple access provider options?

 

Access technology options
In the event of a failure, multiple access technologies and provider options offer flexibility and additional redundancy.

* Are users relegated to a single third-party email system?
* Are you locked into using one company's access network/technologies?
* Can users log into your corporate network to access and forward documents?
* In the event of a 3G technology failure, does the handheld device support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or even dial-up access?

Manageability

Handhelds pose the same management and security concerns as other mobile devices, so it's important to choose a manageable handheld platform.

* Does the handheld operating system manufacturer provide adequate software and security updates?
* How are your handheld applications updated?
* Can you use your existing management solution to update handheld systems, or are you required to learn and support a separate management product?

 

iPass handheld support

Network and provider redundancy
With increasing numbers of businesses adopting a mobility strategy, connection availability and reliability is more critical than ever for enterprise customers. For that reason, iPass has designed its provider network and operations centers to ensure resilience through redundancy at all critical points, avoiding a single point of failure. Steps taken to ensure continuous service availability include:

* Multiple providers ensure redundant geographic coverage.
* Numerous globally distributed iPass Transaction Centers feature both internal redundancy and sophisticated automatic fail-over capabilities to protect against regional disruptions. Each Transaction Center is also linked to the Internet via multiple Tier 1 providers.
* iPass systems deployed at the customer's network edge enable users to connect through multiple redundant providers using various access technologies.

 

Increased handheld support
iPass has expanded its support for handheld devices, including Window Mobile 5, Nokia Symbian-based handhelds and Smartphones, including the Nokia E Series handsets:

* Business users on Windows Mobile 5 devices have cellular coverage and easy access to Wi-Fi, including home wireless networks and campus WLANs.
* Those on Nokia E series handsets can connect over cellular mobile data networks and higher-bandwidth Wi-Fi networks.
* IT staff retain central control of all mobile devices through improvements in iPass Device Management.

 

iPass® is a registered trademark of iPass Inc. iPassConnect and RoamServer are registered trademarks of iPass Inc.

 

Contact us for more information.

 

 

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