A couple weeks ago in the Cradlepoint blog, Lindsay mentioned the increasing IT spend by CMOs. One way we’re seeing this play out is in an increased emphasis on creating the “integrated shopping experience.” Companies like Macy’s, the Gap, and Banana Republic are at the forefront of this trend to shrink the difference between in-store and online shopping.
I recently attended a conference for CIOs of leading national retailers, and if attendees agreed on one thing, it was the increasing use of cloud-based applications. Whether it be for point-of-sale, inventory, back office, or customer-facing applications, retail operations are turning away from the use of local applications hosted on local servers.
It's pretty cool when you have a chance to help the men and women who protect our communities everyday. Recently, Cradlepoint had the opportunity to do just that by participating in a pilot project with the Boise Police Department, providing 4G wireless hotspots in their patrol cars. The benefit to officers is that they can remain in their assigned patrol area, accessing central databases and filing reports directly from their vehicles without having to return to the station. This keeps officers out in their neighborhoods, serving citizens, instead of being buried with paperwork. Helping to solve connectivity challenges like this is why we at Cradlepoint do what we do.