Improving the bottom line.

• Author: HUHTALA, SARI
• Position: Personal access devices - Brief Article

Wireless technologies showcased at Sudbury-based conference

Businesses are embracing wireless technologies, recognizing that in order to remain competitive in the new economy the ability to retrieve data at one's fingertips is a must, says the vice president and chief information officer at Contact North/Contact Nord.

Contact North/Contact Nord and the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology are lead partners in developing the Emerging Technologies 2001: Enhancing Business, Education and Health Care Through Broadband Wireless Technologies conference, taking place Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.

Conference participants have a chance to gain insight from some of the top executives from leading-edge companies into the way wireless technologies are revolutionizing how people do business, Wayne Sajna Hebert says.

One of the trends in wireless technologies is to have access to the Internet anytime or any place. These trends are being driven by Personal Access Devices (PADs), commonly known as Palm Pilots, and are hand-held devices intended for wireless data communication.

Wireless technologies allow companies and businesses to exploit the Internet to improve the bottom line efficiently and usefully, Sajna Hebert says.

"It gives businesses an edge in that they can have instantaneous access to critical pieces of information," Sajna Hebert says. "Speed is required in any business. The faster a company can disseminate information, the more successful they will be."

A number of organizations require employees to be in contact with information at all times, regardless of their immediate location. PADs allow companies to have a mobile sales force in place with the ability to access sales information, customer data and e-mail anywhere.

Even small-scale companies can implement wireless technology solutions for global marketing and sales, he adds.

The beauty of wireless is that it is a flexible and modular solution for even the small companies," Sajna Hebert says. "You can buy into small-scale solutions and have them grow as your company evolves. Wireless technology allows you to start small and grow big."

A wireless phone, which offers voice communication with...