technology that's set to make remote working a true reality

Paul Sparkes – IRISDougie Surplace - Microsoft

IRIS & Microsoft

“Technology that’s set to make

Remote working a true reality!”

• In the past 24 months• Feb 2009

• Snow disruption costs UK £3bn

• April 2010 & July 2011• Thousands of flights

cancelled due to volcanic ash cloud

So why is remote working so important?

• Effective remote working could have help dramatically reduce this cost to UK business

IRIS Conducted a remote working survey with167 UK finance professionals

Here we share some of these findings….

44%

33%

23%

Important

Essential

Not Important

So how important is remote working?

Percentage of current workforce remote?

• Only 20% of the workforces worked remotely

7%

35%

25%

11%

20%3%

None

1-5%

6-10%

11-20%

> 20%

Unsure

Over the past 6 months, has remote working?

• 39% of businesses have seen an increase

4%

39%

57% Decreased

Increased

Stayed the same

• 77% of those surveyed wanted detailed account data

• 32% wanted quick access to KPI’s

• Only 11% wanted to see detailed debtors

So what information do users want?

• What’s now different to make remote working a reality?

• Devices• Smartphones

• Microsoft Phone 7, Blackberry, iPhone, Android,

• Tablets• Business Tablets, Android,

iPad, Kindle Fire

• We believe that a new bread of devices can make remote working a true reality

So what changed?

• New form factors• Size of screens

• The need to design application for these new devices• Less information• Button design

• Cloud power is the new enabler

• Is design now more import than technology?

So why is this different?

• We’ve all heard the phrase• App’s are great for tasks• App’s aren’t so good at fully integrated solutions

• You need the right tool for the right job

There’s an app for that!

• Sales person• Order taking• Product information• Customer Information• Performance

management• Access to existing line

of business application• Collaboration

• Service Engineer• Task based applications• My Schedule• My Job• My Spares• Access commonly limited

to a subset of data• Collaboration

• Formed a partnership to explore further• Examined the need for remote working by role

• The role to date has often dictated the device

Working with Microsoft

• We identified that the new business tablets could make a significant difference

How could new technology help?

• Touch technology• Lighter, smaller –

more portable• Full Windows

• Run new ‘apps’• Use existing ‘Line of

Business’ solutions

• Full Docking Station• USB ports

• A team worked with Microsoft over 3 months to develop a prototype Tablet App

• We wanted to create an application designed specifically for this form factor• Use touch• Enable customer collaboration• Integration with other tablet apps• The potential for location tracking/mapping

A voyage to the unknown

• We interviewed customers and created a “User Persona”

• IRIS worked with Microsoft’s top UI experts• We created screen mock ups with ‘Blend’

A voyage to the unknown

• We achieved our target and created a tablet application

What was the end result

Easy to view data

• Our existing accounting and ERP applications are not going to disappear overnight, however…

• We predict there will be more and more productivity enhancing applications for different roles for new devices

• Designing applications for devices such as phones and tablets is different

• It’s about design as much as about technology

What does this mean for software?

• Will workers want to carry 3 devices?• Is it possible to have just 1 device?

• We think this is unlikely, but 2 seems a real possibility!

Will I need a bigger bag?

• Remote working is set to increase• Access to existing ‘Line of Business’

solutions will continue to be needed• New devices means that this

is easier than ever before• Software authors will need

to develop applications to support a more remote/mobile workforce

Summary

Remote working

• See live overviews on stand #AF320• Tablet• Mobile Phones• IRIS Exchequer LIVE• IRIS Hosted Solutions

Find out more today

Visit the IRIS Exchequer stand (#AF230) to enter our FREE DRAW to

win a PC Tablet!

Thank You!