Find The Right VAR For Your Mobile Wireless Solution

Companies are always striving to be more competitive, and wireless mobile technology is a tool many businesses are adopting to achieve that end. By equipping employees in the field with portable computers, printers, and other devices, companies can maximize employee productivity. In warehouse environments, companies can track products and automatically update inventory levels by equipping workers with bar code scanners. Although mobile wireless technology offers companies the potential to improve efficiency and boost the bottom line, implementing the solution can be a daunting task. A mobile wireless solution typically features several different pieces of technology: a mobile scanner or computer, a printer, software, and 802.11b WLAN (wireless LAN) or WWAN (wireless wide area network) connectivity.

A vendor's solution may involve putting together a team of companies to implement the various pieces of the system. If a company places the responsibility for implementing the system on the shoulders of its IT department, the staff will likely be overburdened. A VAR, however, can help a company overcome the challenges of implementing a mobile wireless solution. "You can have the best hardware and application in the world, but if you're not able to execute the solution, you're going to fail. Hardware only represents about 60% of the solution," says David Gulian, president of InfoLogix, Inc. (Bensalem, PA), a VAR that provides route automation and other mobile solutions. "The guy who's making the technology decision probably has some risk involved. His job might be on the line. He wants some guarantees and a certain comfort level. That's what a VAR/integrator can provide."

VARs With Wide-Ranging Services Simplify Project Implementation
When looking for a VAR, a company should seek a provider with a wide range of services. Gulian and two other VAR representatives stress that end users need to find a VAR whose expertise extends well beyond the hardware that will be deployed. A successful VAR should be able to provide consulting services, installation services, project management, and technical support.

"VARs have a unique capacity to provide successful analysis, design, and deployment of a wireless mobile solution," says Myles Gooding, director of product marketing at Versatile Mobile Systems (Lynwood, WA). Tim Wills, marketing manager at PEAK Technologies, Inc. (Columbia, MD), says working with a VAR that offers a variety of services can reduce the headaches involved in implementing a mobile system. Finding a VAR that offers comprehensive services is especially important if an end user is considering a multisite project rollout. "A customer will be much happier with one service provider that offers a breadth of coverage for all locations than choosing several providers to cover the needs of each facility," Wills says.

By taking advantage of a VAR's consulting services, an end user can carefully analyze a potential solution to see how it can solve an initial problem as well as provide long-term financial benefits. "A VAR should be a partner in achieving a customer's business goals," says Wills. For instance, PEAK Technologies is implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology at Pacific Cycle, a bicycle designer and distributor. Pacific Cycle's initial goal is to comply with Wal-Mart's requirement that pallets be labeled with RFID tags. In addition to helping Pacific Cycle comply with that mandate, PEAK Technologies also is evaluating how RFID can be implemented throughout the company's supply chain to reduce costs. "A VAR/integrator can look at a company's business problem and determine how to solve it, instead of first talking about the hardware," says Wills. "That can be a very favorable approach for a customer because VARs/integrators don't push one specific product and try to force it into an application."

Land A VAR With The Expertise You Need
Although it's important to choose a VAR with a wide range of expertise, end users also need to be sure that the VAR has experience implementing solutions in their vertical. "For instance, if a retailer works with a VAR that has 20-plus years of retail supply chain experience, the end user will have a VAR that better understands how to get a project integrated and deployed successfully," says Gooding. "The VAR will be able to show the customer how to get a return on its investment." A company's research can be as simple as checking out a VAR's Web site to find out what projects the VAR has worked on in the past. "You need to check out the company to understand its focus and expertise," says Gulian.

An end user also should find out whether a VAR has experience integrating mobile programs into the company's ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. "If that VAR doesn't have specific domain-level expertise, the customer should not be talking to him," says Wills. "It's not good enough to find a VAR that has experience with ERP systems. The VAR/integrator must have specific experience integrating to that back end system."

VARs Should Provide A Variety Of Vendor Options
In addition to providing a range of services, VARs also should be able to offer end users a variety of products to choose from. "A VAR will typically deal with multiple manufacturers' products," says Gooding. "The VAR should excel in hardware know-how -- understanding the different hardware models and how they match up against each other and which ones should be used for your particular business environment."

An end user should also look for a VAR that has been endorsed as a business partner by the vendor. "This endorsement by the vendor allows the certified VAR to receive preferential treatment when it comes to pricing, technical support, engineering support, training, and other programs," says Wills.

When it comes to training, end users also have options besides the standard on-site training services. If an end user has employees spread across multiple offices, it may want to look into whether a VAR offers online training programs. Gulian says Kraft Foods was able to save money by training its 1,800 drivers on InfoLogix's online route automation training program. "We did an electronic version of training at branch locations that covered the technology," he says. The program also scores employees on how well they learn the system so Kraft Foods can be sure workers understand the technology before using it in the field.