1. What kinds of applications are described here?

What business functions do they support? How do they improve operational efficiency and decision making? How much of your job can you do from the palm of your hand? Probably more than you think. Today there are many job functions for both rank-andfile employees and their managers that can be performed using mobile phones and tablets, including the iPad, iPhone, and Android mobile devices.

Companies are enhancing their security systems so that mobile users can remotely access corporate systems with confidence. And they are developing more far-reaching applications to take advantage of the stunning mobile and graphic capabilities. Mobile technology is spreading to core work functions, such as marketing materials for pharmaceutical reps, customer account software for service technicians, and apps for farmers to test the quality of cow’s milk.

McClendon’s Select, a Peoria-based organic familyrun farm, relies on iPad for each stage of its operation:

planting fields, picking crops, filling orders, loading trucks, delivering to restaurants, and selling products at farmers’ markets. Co-owner Sean McClendon uses a wireless camera on his tractor to ensure crop rows are as straight as possible. The mydlinkLite app on his iPad lets him watch the footage as he plows. The farm’s planting manager no longer needs to leave the field to handle the careful record-keeping required to maintain an organic certification. Using her iPad connection to the 3G cellular network, she is able to access the Web-based COG Pro management system to update her records of seed types and where and when they’re planted.