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Technology: Need of the hour for the business traveller

In-flight broadband access and RFID-enabled services at hotels—technology have revolutionised the business traveller's life by ensuring that he is able to conduct both his business and personal affairs smoothly, writes Sanjiv Bhagat.

Business travel is becoming a way of life for many Indians. There has been a phenomenal increase in Indians taking business trips. Over the past 10 years, the modern-day road warrior has changed and technology is enabling the business traveller to stay in touch and increase productivity while on the road.

A business traveller appreciates the fine things in life. He is demanding and wants to be pampered and at the same time being a trendy socialite is exposed to international cultures, customs and the good life. Last but not the least, this profile of a traveller has exposure to frequent international travel and clearly understands the importance of technology.

The use of the Internet to book and check-in for flights is almost considered standard, now.

• 400 million passengers around the world book flights on the Internet each year, saving the industry $1.2 billion per year in flight reservation fees
• Use of Web check-in and self-service kiosks are cutting wait times while conserving airport real estate, reducing airline labour and operating costs

A recent study by the International Air Transport Association shows that during the second half of March this year, more than 20 per cent of tickets sold by airlines that were members of the global association were e-tickets, up from about five per cent during the same period in the previous year.

However, technology has the potential to further revolutionise the lives of business travellers—from airport and in-flight broadband access to RFID in hotels. Technology is changing the way traditional road warriors live.

• Whether maintaining productivity with work or keeping up with family members, technology is the underlying element that is helping the business traveller stay connected and do things that were not possible 10 years ago

Today’s business traveller wants a consistent, reliable broadband experience when travelling—just as he gets when at home or in the office.

In the hotel industry, network integration solutions combined with IP VPN and MPLS allows secured, high integrity management of all voice, data and Internet services on a single platform for more efficient management of disparate systems such as room reservations, amenity booking, sales meeting, catering, and point-of-sale services like valet, dry cleaning, and room service. Also RFID satisfies the demand for cost improvement, data mining and streamlining of operations.

A research by Forrester on enterprise mobility focusses on how mobile and wireless technologies affect businesses: how they deploy their employees, how they communicate with their customers, and how they use their assets. Through mobile technologies, companies have the potential to catalyse changes ranging from incremental productivity improvements to a radical redefinition of business processes. Some specific coverage areas include mobile policy and strategy definition; mobile application architectures; laptops, notebooks, and handheld computers; wireless e-mail; mobile operating systems; wireless LANs; and 3G wireless services.

The industry is focussed on improving and personalising the business traveller’s experience, and a number of players have had a significant role in helping travel-related businesses to deliver a better customer experience.

Enterprises today are going mobile—travelling users, remote workers, cellular devices for on-the-move communication and global presence. One needs end-users to keep connected and wants the flexibility to embrace the newest technologies within the existing network infrastructure.

Under these mobile environments—whether that is travelling to clients, working from remote locations, using cellular devices to communicate while on the move or being connected to corporate resources from an overseas hotel, the employees must keep connected regardless of where they are around the globe. Employers are striving for increased productivity, network control over remote resources, secure options for both employees and partners who do business with them and the flexibility to embrace the newest technologies within their existing network infrastructure.

Today, a robust portfolio of both wireless and wireline connectivity offers options to securely, simply, effectively and seamlessly integrate with one’s enterprise. Remote access services utilise a single global network client, which supports multiple access types, to enable the employees and keep the business connected. In addition, as the business becomes increasingly mobile, the enterprise network may change as well.

According to a study conducted by Visiongain, a market research firm, spending by enterprises to support wireless and mobile initiatives will almost triple between 2005 and 2008.

Mobile and wireless spending by enterprises totalled about $50 billion in 2005, the study said. That figure will increase to more than $130 billion by the end of 2008, according to the report. The spending covers hardware, software and services, according to Visiongain.

One reason for the increase is that enterprises are becoming better organised to handle mobility issues, the study said.

“While some of the issues that have prevented widespread deployment of data services have been resolved, most enterprises remain organised around separate IT and telecom functions,” report author Nancee Ruzicka said in a statement. “This corporate lack of organisational and operational convergence makes enterprise wireless implementations risky, expensive, and less likely to succeed.”

The author is Country General Manager, AT & T Business Services. He can be reached at sanjiv.bhagat@ap.att.com