The U.S. Federal Government is among the largest group of Windows Mobile device users worldwide. Whether it is for secure mobile e-mail and messaging, access to critical enterprise Line of Business (LOB) applications, or a special-duty unit customized to perform one or two specific functions, the government is purchasing devices in large numbers.

According to the General Services Administration, a representative sample of 15 federal agencies spent roughly $123 million for wireless hardware and services in 2006 to support 219,000 wireless accounts. Some of the agencies purchasing the most units were the Navy, at about $46 million, and the Agriculture and Justice departments, at $17 million and $13.6 million, respectively.

Industry analyst Gartner estimates that a quarter of mobile workers carry wireless voice and data devices today. The rate of growth in government workers using PDAs (and Windows Mobile in particular) is accelerating. One reason to account for this growth is government-wide initiatives such as Telework, COOP (Continuity of Operations), and an increasingly decentralized workforce. Other explanations have to do with the government’s desire for better Return on Investment (ROI) by extending their existing IT infrastructure investments to untether workers in the field and make them more productive.

The Microsoft platform is the difference

While mobile mail, SMS messaging, and voice telephony were among the first drivers for mobile devices, the government is increasingly interested in empowering employees in the field beyond simple messaging/communications functions. Windows Mobile shines in this type of use—it offers the range of devices and access to thousands of readily accessible, off the shelf programs. In addition, Microsoft boasts a rich and vibrant developer community of about 12 million people worldwide who are versed in the MS Visual Studio independent development environment.

Additionally, ready access to programmers, a common developer platform, inexpensive hardware manufactured by over 50 original equipment manufacturers (including some of the most recognizable names in consumer electronics like Samsung, Toshiba, Motorola, HP, and others), and Mobile Operator support in approximately 55 countries translates to lower total program costs.

As noted by Mr. Tommy Morris (the developer of the widely used BMIS-T battlefield Triage application): “Typical program costs are often in the millions of dollars. With Windows Mobile, we are saving tax dollars by developing and deploying applications and entire systems that cost in the hundreds of thousands or exponentially less money.”

Above and beyond mail

The U.S. Government wants to get much more out of its handhelds than simply “a phone” or a “messaging device/appliance.” It wants access to complex LOB applications. Since the government is accustomed to a rich Microsoft desktop environment, end-users of PDAs as well as administrators wish to get as much out of their mobile devices as they do their laptops and desktops. They wish to be fully operational in a field environment.

Mail is just a baseline; a given. It is in going above and beyond mail where the real value of Windows Mobile lies. Because more than 90% of government agencies have standardized on Microsoft Exchange Server for their messaging platform, mobile mail is basically “free” to the end-user as it is baked into the server. There are no additional server or Client Access Licensing (CAL) costs to mobilize your Exchange end-users. While mobile mail might be a killer application, we believe this should be a value-added part of the Exchange platform and not something that should carry an additional cost. It should be noted that competitors in this “commodity space” are not only charging for mail, but their implementations of mobile mail often have adverse affects on the back-end Exchange servers on which they rely or plug into. Introducing third parties for mobile mail is not only costly in terms of strict dollars spent, but there are also many additional costs associated with non-native Exchange ActiveSync mobile solutions. This is a topic for a future article.