Office on the go

Unified communications is about improving business processes and interaction between individuals in an organization and is therefore the engine of the modern business.

Tomas Ravin, product manager for Ericsson's enterprise mobile data services, says: "With EMO the world becomes your office. Seamless and integrated communication tools can make a big difference for a business' profitability and efficiency as it enables employees to make the most of their working day."

As the number of people who travel for work rises, so does the demand for easy access to desktop services such as e-mail, contacts and calendar functions while out of the office.

Ravin says Ericsson offers its EMO solution in most markets. "EMO primarily targets knowledge workers in small to medium-sized companies who are performing the sort of work where their main tool is their desktop."

Sophisticated communication tools help to mobilize the enterprise leading to more cost-effective operations, and greater market share.

Unlike RIM's BlackBerry solution, EMO is not only available as a hosted service. Enterprises, operators and service providers can purchase operation and customization rights and thereby transform the offering into a business model that suits their customer base and needs.

Demand for EMO has been increasing steadily: more than 55 operators and 40 enterprises have bought the solution to date.

Giovanni Vincenti, product sales manager for EMO, says the solution is not a separate e-mail service for a mobile phone. "EMO is an extension of your desktop adapted to the screen of your mobile phone," he says. "Everything you do from your handset will be updated on your desktop, and vice versa, in almost no time."

EMO uses push e-mail technology that automatically forwards personal information management data to a handset. Users can get under way quickly, while its user-friendly interface and high traffic capacity make EMO convenient for the professional user.

Almost immediately after its launch, EMO became very popular among Ericsson's own employees. Today, thousands of them use EMO every day.

Thomas Bergström, Vice President Finance at Ericsson's enterprise business, says his working day has become a lot easier since he started using EMO. "I use it several times a day for checking and writing e-mails, arranging meetings and keeping up to date when I am in meetings, while traveling or even from home," he says. "Having access to EMO has increased my personal efficiency a lot."

As competition and pressure to cut cost increases customers put even higher demands on service levels and responsiveness. Therefore enterprises must consider mobility.