For example, the “office tools and suites” section of the site includes word processing and spreadsheet applications. The “surveys” section contains applications which offer employees the ability to gather feedback to improve services. The site even contains applications for collaboration, meetings and conferencing, designed to help users conduct meetings and presentations over the Web.

The shift toward Web-based applications for government workers is not limited to the federal government. The New York Times reported earlier this year on the growing trend of police departments to integrate customized social-networking platforms with their traditional crime-fighting tactics.

Government agencies are also attracted to the security benefits of cloud computing and Web-based applications. A recent article from Computerworld illustrated the CIA’s adoption of this approach, while specifying that classified data will be hosted within the agency’s firewalls rather than Apps.gov.

To ensure reliable access to Web services wherever someone’s work takes them, embedded mobile broadband modems are now a must-have feature for professionals’ laptops in both the public and private sector. Embedded modems provide better wireless signals than external cards, and also provide an added layer of reliability by avoiding loss, theft or damage.

It will be interesting to see how quickly the government workforce adapts to these changes, and which Internet applications become the most popular. We’ll be following it closely and continue enhancing our products to meet this growing need.

Having rugged Toughbook notebooks en route and at the scene enables the FDNY to respond quicker and with more information than they’ve ever had, including a seamless link to other local and federal agencies during major incidents and disasters.

I wanted to give you some information about Gobi, the first multi-mode embedded wireless solution for mobile computers. It brings two incompatible 3G wireless technologies – CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A and W-CDMA/HSPA – together in one software-defined configuration that enables users to connect to the best available wireless network. With their Gobi-enabled mobile computers, individuals can now have virtually instant wireless broadband internet access almost anywhere on Earth.

In addition to enabling mobile workforces to remain connected regardless of their geographical location, Gobi also eases IT administrators’ pain. Before Gobi, IT managers had to deal with multiple SKUs and complex inventory, which was quite difficult to manage. Now, they can have single notebook SKU for all regions, lowering IT procurement, qualification, support and management costs. This, in turn, provides increased flexibility and employee productivity, as well as significant cost-efficiencies over previously-available modems.

For more information on Gobi, check out the following articles:

• CRN
• EE Times
• PC Today

Currently, all major U.S. wireless carriers offer 3G data access for mobile computers. Available using external PCMCIA cards, USB devices or as embedded (also called integrated) wireless modems, these offer very different experiences for both users and their IT managers.

The downside to external cards and USB-based modems is that they deliver reduced performance and reliability. First, users need to insert a device into their notebook—anytime a user is required to do something to their technology, a risk is introduced. Also, as an added on component, these cards are prone to loss, theft or damage; they become a drain on a device’s battery power; they don’t achieve the same rates of connection speed and throughput—all factors that reduce worker productivity and introduce cost-centers for IT.

While external modems are not optimized to work within a specific device, reducing their effectiveness in attaining and maintaining a network connection, embedded modules are engineered and tested to work as an integrated part of the notebook and designed to ensure optimal performance. This is especially important in fringe areas, which can be field-based or less obvious settings, such as meeting rooms or airport gates. It is also important to note that, as an integrated component, these modems are protected under the notebook warranty.

Recently, we partnered with Larstan Business Reports to develop a whitepaper that clearly outlines the benefits of embedded wireless broadband modems over external solutions. Take a minute and read through “The Business Case for Embedded Wireless Technologies in Mobile Enterprise Strategies.” In addition to outlining benefits of embedded modems, the whitepaper also includes in-depth, real-world usage scenarios that you might find beneficial.