Are Your Peers Getting More From Mobility Than You?

By Sarah Howland, Editor In Chief, Field Technologies magazine

I spend a fair amount of my time each week talking with the readers of this magazine and users of Field Technologies Online. My goal is to stay continually in the loop on what topics are most important to you, what technologies you’re most interested in, and what business challenges you’re having that mobility can help solve. Through these conversations I glean insight that helps me to keep the magazine relevant and give you more of the coverage that you feel matters most.

When I ask what type of content you feel is of the greatest value, the answer is almost always the same — nothing hits home like hearing what your peers have to say about their experiences, seeing what other companies are doing with mobility and how it is benefitting their businesses. Industry expertise is nice, but it doesn’t have the same impact as gaining the perspective of people who are in your shoes. In 2013, I want to give you more of the content that matters most. So in this issue, we’re introducing a new column — the Peer Perspective. Each Peer Perspective article will be a unique, one-on-one Q&A between me and one of our readers. Essentially, I’m going to turn the incredibly valuable conversations I have regularly with our readers into content that you can consume and hopefully benefit from. These discussions will span topics from Android and BYOD (bring your own device) to hardware selection and cloud computing. Your peers will share firsthand their thoughts and insight on the latest mobility topics.

“Why The iPad Works For Us”
To kick off the Peer Perspective column, I chose a topic that continues to be top of mind among our readers — the iPad’s role in field service. Is the iPad a viable option for field service companies? Or are they making a mistake by not deploying a rugged device? According to Kevin Rusin, CFO of McKinley Equipment Company, the iPad is a great fit for field service — and one of the best decisions his company has made in recent years. Whether or not you agree with Kevin’s point of view, his insights on page 12 will provide you with a look into the mind of one of your peers. Maybe this month’s column will bring up a point you haven’t yet considered; maybe next month’s installment will reinforce a decision you’ve made or alert you to a potential mistake to avoid. If nothing else, I hope you find these conversations as interesting and exciting as I do. If you have feedback on the new Peer Perspective column, or if you’d like to share your insight, I’d love to hear from you.