Looking for a little AWESOMENESS?

Step into the office of our Ninja sales guy Ben Ellsworth.

This is what greets you on his whiteboard.

Overload of Awesome – Copyright Zenware

This year Zenware was fortunate enough to be involved the Idaho Business Reviews Best Places To Work In Idaho campaign this year.  Having never experienced  the process before I really didn’t know what to expect from both the survey and the responses.

The process is very simple, send in all of the emails of the employees of your company to the survey agency.  The employees then receive an email with a link to the survey that is confidential and only takes a fee minutes to complete.

There are three categories for companies based on the size of the organization. Each company has to meet minimum standards to be included in the overall results.  After I sent in the info to the Idaho Business Review I really started to wonder, “Are we doing enough for our team that they would rank us as a great place to work?  What if i get a really bad ranking?”  I then thought, “Why am I worried about this? We are great people.”

The results of the survey were tallied and we were informed that we were in the top ten for our business category – Micro Companies. I was told we had been selected for the top 10, then the top 6.  I thought well there were only a few companies so maybe its just the “consolation prize”  or we got in by default because there were not enough companies entered.

The event for the awards was set for April 18th.  The night of the awards banquet my wife and I rolled in, fashionably late, and were shocked by all of the people.  This year there were over 300 people that RSVP’d packing the Linen Building.  We found a great table to stand at right in front of the speaker.  I was shocked at the numbers of folks there.  Before the event started they had passed out a variety of noise makers  like horns and clappers.  The speaker explained that this was the rowdy time of the evening and encouraged the crowd to  ”make some noise” when the companies were named.  He also told us that there are no consolation prizes.  The standards for each category were set purposefully high and if you don’t meet them you are not in the race.  ”Wow, we really did make the list, and not last either,” I thought.

They started with the Micro Companies group first. The speaker announced each company starting at tenth working is way down – tenth, ninth, eighth, seventh, sixth place not us.  We were awarded the 5th place!

We were honored to be in the top five Best Place to Work, awarded by our team not others not the owners but our people said that we are.

It was a great experience and one I will plan be involved in many years to come.  I am honored by the words and ranking our team members have given us.

I challenge each owner out there to make your company somewhere great to work that your team wants to come work each day and help you succeed.

Related Links:

Idaho’s Best Places to Work Reviewed - Idaho Business Review
Best Placed to Work in Idaho Honorees

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Rod Puzey, COO
Follow us on Twitter: @zenwaremobile and @zenewareinc
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Zenware is a Boise Idaho based company that specializes In custom mobile software development, custom iOS development, custom Android development, ipad software development, iphone software development, custom web development, web hosting and Saas based work order management software.

For years I have watched Microsoft complacently sit back and let their foothold on the mobile market slip away. Mobile innovation from Microsoft has been conspicuously absent for the past 5 years. If it were not for the rugged space I suspect Windows Mobile would have already gone the way of Palm – a slow agonizing death. And even the rugged mobile space is asking the question “When will you support Android?”

Windows 8 is Microsoft’s last chance to resurrect Microsoft as a long-term viable mobile player enabling Microsoft to recapture marketshare.

Potential Windows Phone 8 Impacts on Business

1.Built-in Development Community, Tools and Resources

Microsoft has a built-in community to develop and deploy applications. Microsoft has the resources and community to promote and encourage development of applications. The tight integration of Windows 8 and Windows 8 Phone will be an attractive choice for CIOs and IT Managers who are looking to fully integrate mobile devices and internal systems.

2.Unique UI 

Windows 8 Phone provides a very unique and functional user interface.  Unlike Android where each manufacturer’s implementation is so varied you wonder if you have the same OS installed.

Microsoft wisely signed licensing agreements with Apple for some of the mobile technologies in their development of WP8. This offers some protection to the device manufacturers. I’m sure manufacturers will consider this as they watch the Samsung vs. Apple court battles continue.

3.Opportunity to Earn a Piece of the Rugged Market

I know that many rugged mobile device users are clamoring for a better device experience. They are tired of wrestling with a needle-sized stylus to enter data and an OS that hasn’t been significantly updated for 5 years. Many are even reconsidering the rugged versus consumer grade ROI argument in light of providing a more fluid way of collecting and recording information in the field. I have also noticed a culture characteristic that has underlined some purchasing decisions. This may seem petty but a reality, many rugged mobile device users I’ve talked to want the iOS experience but they see the iPhone as a “preppy, costly, elite user” mobile device. They see the Android as a blue collar, affordable mobile device option that could play very nicely for Windows Phone 8 adoption.

4.Built-in Printing

This could be the Trojan Horse for Windows 8 Phone business and field service adoption. Printing in the field from an iPhone or Android is a three-ring circus. The hoops you have to jump through to print in the field is largely dependent upon third party intermediaries or full connection to a wireless network.  If Windows 8 Phone provides direct printing this will serve as a dark horse feature that will help the adoption especially in the service sector.

5.Tablet Form Factor

Can you say Coup de Tat? The Surface, scheduled for release Oct. 26th, could be the device that accelerates Microsoft’s recapture of lost ground in the mobile space. Many people want the larger form factor provided by a tablet device. I’ve especially noted this in the field service industries where they want a mobile device that accommodates fat, grubby, man-sized fingers and a full set of mobile functionality.  Add the dual functionality of switching between Windows 8 and traditional Windows mode and Microsoft has provided nice transitional step for many potential users. This coupled with the promise of easier mobile printing could kick the door wide open for Windows 8.

The field is ripe for Microsoft to recapture its place as major mobility contender. Question is will Windows 8 have enough punch to excite mobile users and resurrect the sleeping giant?

Jody Sedrick
Follow me on Twitter: @jodysedrick and @zenewareinc
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