Maximize the Value of Municipal Wireless

Workshops for local governments and their constituent leaders

Craig Settles' workshops focus on three aspects of municipal wireless. 1) Building a business case for municipal wireless; 2) maximizing the municipal wireless you've committed to; and 3) wireless-enabling government workers and assets. Senior city and county government officials, department managers, IT directors and leaders of your key constituent groups should all attend.

These full-day presentations at your offices are customized to meet your specific needs and interests. Mr. Settles helps you find answers that are right for your municipality. He combines examples and "what-if" scenarios with his expertise helping organizations use wireless to cut costs, increase revenues and run a better business operation.

Get the scoop on these workshops:
Building Blocks for a Successful Muni Wireless Deployment
Using Municipal Wireless to Maximize Your Mobile Workforce

Your workshop is based on research completed prior to the session. We have a checklist of questions about key aspects of your government operations, needs of various constituents and what primary objectives you have for muni broadband. We'll analyze cities that have similar needs and have deployed or started deploying the technology.

If you request the workshop on government mobile workforce applications, we also ask preliminary questions about your workers and how they currently manage tasks, conduct inspections, deliver services and generate revenue. This includes administrative, public safety, public works, asset management and maintenance operations.

• the business case for muni WiFi
• what technology options make sense
• business models that go beyond the obvious
• getting buy in from primary constituencies
• how to manage the logistics of deployment

The great thing about this workshop is that it forces you to ask - and answer - the tough questions that need to be addressed. Avoid the pitfalls facing cities that jump in without the proper due diligence. Municipal wireless offers tremendous benefits. Learn how to get it right.

Morning

Goal setting, round 1

Your team likely has several general goals for the municipal network, and these will be refined with the pre-session research. The day's presentation will start with a short group discussion on those goals.

Know your technology options

WiFi is the technology that grabs many of the headlines, but there are other technology options, as well as variations on how WiFi can be configured and deployed. This part of the session gives you a high-level view of those options and how they may impact your city or county's goals.

Push the envelope on business models

The discussion of business models often centers on two or three options. However, there are many possible ways to approach the funding and operation of the network. This creative brainstorming exercise will explore these possibilities.

Afternoon

Building consensus

This is a critical task for any government with aggressive plans for its network. Both within the government and among community leaders, you must get them to share and actively support the vision.

Create a network of the people, by the people and for the people

If the purpose of your network is to advance social and economic development goals, in-depth feedback from the community is critical. Learn how to draw valuable insight from a cross section of communities that also builds a critical mass of support for the project.

Writing a great business plan

Before you do an RFP, you need to have a business plan. A broadband network is a business venture with significant potential impact on your municipality, regardless of who actually owns and operates it. A good plan ensures a better RFP.

Effective vendor selection and management

Most municipal networks require several vendors and service providers so all the correct parts come together. Learn practical, useful tips and recommendations on how to get the best vendor team and get the best performance from them.

Review and fine-tune goals

After spending the day reviewing a broad range of possibilities and examining the scope of work required to make a network viable, it's time to come back and have a reality check on your goals.

Using Municipal Wireless to Maximize Your Mobile Workforce
and Critical Assets

• boost productivity;
• streamline costs;
• increase constituent satisfaction;
• potentially increase revenues; and
• improve asset management

Morning

The Economics of Muni WiFi for Mobile Workforce Automation

Municipal broadband networks are a major financial boon to mobile workforce automation. See how they cut hundreds of thousands of dollars from operating and carrier access costs, increase productivity and improve decision making by giving workers low cost wireless access to critical data and software applications.

Strategic value of wireless technology

Learn how to correctly apply wireless to dramatically increase efficiency, reduce costs and increase revenues. You can communicate more to constituents for less money, help citizens get more effective service and improve internal government operations.

Tactical implementations of wireless and mobile technology

Once you define a strategic focus, the discussion on the tactical uses of wireless gives everyone a context for targeting specific areas of the government where wireless can have the greatest impact.

Afternoon

Streamline the paper and paperwork

There are numerous examples of how organizations have significantly benefited from reducing the mountain of paper mobile workers typically endure. This group analysis of your operations will be a real eye opener.

Create a more responsive worker

As you learn more about wireless' ability to give workers anytime, anywhere access to data, reports, maps and other valuable information, see how this enables workers to make better decisions faster.

Decrease the cost, increase the impact of constituent communication

Most of government operations entail direct and indirect communication with constituents. You'll learn how mobile applications raise the level of efficiency in this area and with surprising results.

Wireless asset management is a municipal money machine

Any moderate-size to large city can potentially save millions of dollars using wireless for theft and loss prevention, asset tracking, preventative maintenance and improved asset operations.

Mr. Settles is author of "Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless," a guide to help local governments build a business case for the technology, and the Municipal Wireless Snapshot reports. He's also written several other books on developing effective wireless and Internet business strategy. Click here for more details on Mr. Settles' background. Contact us today to schedule your workshop. E-mail or call (510-536-4522).

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