September 2001
Every small business has its own unique challenge. One of the great advantages of Palm handheld computers is that there are a vast number of software developers who already have software, or can quickly customize their software applications, for a particular small business. In many cases, owing to the simplicity of the Palm OS platform, small businesses themselves can create their own applications or adapt existing applications to their individual needs. In September, Palm put the focus on how more and more small businesses are discovering and reaping the rewards of handheld technology--from keeping better records and getting real-time credit card approval, to decreasing data-collection and report-generation time.

September's focus in PalmPower's Enterprise Edition was on ROI (Return On Investment). When making a purchasing decision, especially on a company-wide basis, you must evaluate your Return on Investment. Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz explored the entire ROI issue as it pertains to Palm handhelds. He offered a number of real world examples of companies that have seen enormous ROI benefits and provided several guidelines to follow when trying to figure out what your ROI might be before you invest in Palm handhelds.

In trying to get a solid handle on the Return on Investment issue for Palm handhelds, David realized that getting ROI accounts directly from readers, in their own words, would be an excellent way to showcase ROI. For a second article, he gathered empirical evidence from a number of PalmPower Magazine Enterprise Edition readers just like you.

Before you can determine your Return on Investment, you need to figure out how much you're investing. In other words, how much is this stuff going to cost? In the third article in his look at ROI, David walked through the steps necessary in determining the Total Cost of Ownership of Palm handhelds in your corporation.

You can find the September issue at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/tocs/issue200109.html.

October 2001
October was a big month for Palm in the enterprise space. On October 1, Palm announced that the Palm OS platform had been chosen by Siebel Systems (at http://www.siebel.com) as the mobile platform for its latest eBusiness Sales Solution. The new Siebel product--Siebel 7 Sales Handheld for Palm OS--is a software solution that provides instant access to vital information that sales professionals need to be responsive to customer needs. According to Siebel, the solution can help increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately leading to additional sales. Later Palm and Siebel Systems, Inc. announced they had strengthened their existing alliance to jointly market, sell, and ensure smooth implementation of Siebel Systems' mobile eBusiness solutions on Palm branded handheld computers. Underscoring their confidence in the strength and effectiveness of the joint mobile sales solution, each company agreed to internally deploy Siebel Sales on Palm handhelds to increase productivity and revenues generated by their own mobile sales professionals worldwide.