Handheld Devices: Tips on Purchase Recommendations

Handheld devices shouldn't be an impulse purchase. Take care in selecting and installing your content on handheld devices.
Use these simple, low-tech tips and best practices to minimize your handheld device support headaches and maximize the security of your clients’ incredibly valuable data.

Pay Attention to Product Reviews

Don’t take Plug-and-Play claims at face value.  Over the years, Microsoft Windows hecklers have taken many a cheap shot at the OS family by branding it "plug and pray".

Before making a handheld device purchase recommendation, check out some independent product reviews in leading personal technology magazines and online portals.  Pay particular attention to comments regarding device drivers and ease-of-installation.

Make an Informed Recommendation

Do your homework before making the handheld device purchase recommendation.  Because of their small size and minimal costs, PDAs are often impulse purchases for your clients.  However, making the "right" hardware and software selections can have an enormous impact on clients’ computer support costs.

Iron Out Who Will be Responsible for Installation and Support

Watch out for dangerous end user installation snafus.  Unless your clients’ end users are very PC savvy, you probably don’t want to leave users to install and support their own handheld device to desktop connectivity. All too often, a user inadvertently will break a multitude of key software configurations while accepting default installation settings.

Determine What Can Be Stored on Handheld Devices

Consider if any proprietary data should be "PDA-banned".  Be sure you and your clients have thought through what kinds of sensitive data can be stored on these handheld devices, given that the pocket-sized PDA devices are inherently vulnerable to theft.

The Bottom Line about Handheld Devices

In the same context of data security, establish some kind of backup procedures for your clients. We’ve all heard the horror stories of users losing three years of appointments and 2,000 customer names that were stored on their handheld device and not backed up anywhere else. Don’t let your clients’ organizations or supported users become one of these statistics.

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Handheld Devices: Client Security and Connectivity Issues

Handheld devices need to be backed up just like computers. Employees can damage them, so either you or an internal guru should be maintaining inhouse support of handheld devices.
Because many handheld devices or PDAs have the ability to connect to your clients’ LANs (either directly or indirectly), you need to consider PDA remote access, just as you would any other remote device, such as an employee’s home computer or a company-owned notebook.

This also should include a thorough discussion of what sensitive data can be stored on a handheld device, given that the pocket-sized PDA devices are inherently vulnerable to theft.

Establish Backup Procedures

In the same context of data security, be sure to establish some kind of backup procedures. We’ve all heard the horror stories of handheld device users losing three years of appointments and 2,000 customer names that were stored on their PDA and not backed up anywhere else. Don’t let your clients become one of these statistics.

Desktop Connectivity

Also think about how your clients’ internal gurus or your consulting firm will assist users in connecting their handheld devices to their office PCs.  Yes, your clients could adopt a policy banning PDAs from the office entirely, or making users responsible for their own PDA-related support issues, but these extreme approaches may not be practical.

After all, handheld devices are becoming a major competitive force that others in your clients’ industries may be rushing to integrate into their information technology toolkit.

Employees Can Cause Other Damage

In addition, your clients probably don’t want to leave employees to install and support their own PDA desktop connectivity, unless they are very PC savvy. All too often, a user inadvertently will break a multitude of key software configurations while accepting default installation settings.

If your clients are determined to have users tap the power and flexibility of handheld devices or PDAs, they’ll need someone PC savvy (your firm or an internal guru) managing these installations.

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