TIS Newsletter July 2014

July 29, 2014

BYOD - Bring Your Own Device - is currently sparking heated discussions in many companies. Therefore TIS has examined this topic more closely in a well-attended workshop series for their customers.

BYOD is the use of your own private mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops for company specific applications. Besides some advantages - the users know their devices very well, they know how to use and treat them and in general take better care of them - BYOD bears numerous risks in security and data protection. In addition to the concept of BYOD based operation, different telematics application scenarios of smartphones and tablets in the logistics industry were analyzed critically and technical as well as legal aspects were discussed in the workshop series. For example, smartphones offer no performant scanner function and also are not always available under the harsh conditions of the environments on the road and in warehouses with sometimes extreme temperatures. The lifetime of the mobile devices is also significantly shorter compared to the life cycle of durable professional hardware.

Storing company data on personal devices in terms of data protection is highly critical and requires careful arrangements. This makes many of the typical functions, required by a classic mobile data terminal in telematics, highly problematic.

BYOD: With PSV3 Smart still ideal for certain individual cases

For certain applications in transportation logistics BYOD can still be an ideal solution: In daily fluctuating transport volumes overhangs usually are assigned to transport companies without a permanent contract on a per job basis. For this, the client gives these entrepreneurs a simple way to edit order information on a personal smart phone, without the need of storage of corporate data on the subcontractor's device. Exactly for this purpose with PSV3 Smart TIS has created a solution for all current smartphones, which very simple, efficiently and cost-effectively integrates chartered subcontractors into the customer's PSV3 system.

Attention: Smartphones are considered mobile phones!

Still one problem had long been overlooked by almost all participants of the workshop: Smartphones are legally considered mobile phones. Any kind of use of a smart phone in the truck cab is therefore prohibited in Germany when the engine is running, unless the device can be operated without using the hands. The use of professional vehicle mounts and smart software with one-touch operation such as PSV3 offer the right basis for the legal use by the truck driver.

Positive feedback on the event

Representative for the assessment of most of the participants Nicolas Bergschneider, Head of IT at Hartmann International in Paderborn says: "Very high workshop-quality, all aspects of BYOD were objectively discussed. I have now enough arguments to justify an opinion/ assessment facing our management."

TIS has set itself the task to always take a critical closer look at interesting technical innovations - and to develop good ideas to everyday use products and solutions further. Not every single hype is technically and economically interesting for each of our customers, therefore we value individually designed solutions.

If you have questions about this or other topics, please do not hesitate to contact us - we will advise you comprehensively and objectively.

Are you interested in workshops of high practical relevance about topics from telematics and mobile order management? Then please feel free to contact us. We will inform you about the next workshop dates in time!