Managing Devices at Over 350 Locations Nation-Wide

Y.H.: What were your concerns in adopting 1000 iPads?

H.F.: Although we increasingly wanted to incorporate the iPad into our work, at the same time we had to consider the issue of how our relatively small Systems Section could handle operations. I had personally experienced the (hellish!) difficulty of configuration when we previously integrated 700 computers simultaneously, so just as I was thinking that I'd like to adopt smart devices in a “smart” way that would place as little adoption / operational burden on us as possible, I came across some information about CLOMO MDM.

Y.H.: What were some of your reasons for choosing CLOMO MDM?

H.F.: The fact that i³ Systems is a domestic vendor (meaning we could receive generous support) and that we would be able to do things like functional upgrades quickly thanks to prompt responses to our requests were just a few of the positive contributing factors in our decision to adopt CLOMO MDM. When we first integrated the service in February of 2011, you'd just finished developing it, and I felt that there were a few things left to be desired beyond the basic functions, but leave it to the groundbreaking company that first developed and sold an MDM solution in Japan to do a fantastic functional enhancement almost immediately! Now CLOMO MDM is easier to use and I can't really think of a feature I wish it had. Since i³ Systems is also using both CLOMO MDM and apps, we'd like to pursue product development together while giving mutual feedback.

Utilizing Apps And Devices

Y.H.: We would certainly appreciate your input. Haruyama is using document management-type apps; what exactly are you using them for?

H.F.: Right now, the document management app CLOMO SecuredDocs is installed on every device actually in place at each location; with this app, our in-store sales staff has constant access to shared information, including “New Location Information”, “Sales Rankings”, “Product Descriptions”, and “Customer Feedback”. Particularly at small-scale locations with fewer products, product videos and graphics are consistently shared using SecuredDocs, so a scenario that happened in the past where we would lose sales opportunities due to a product not being in stock at a smaller location has been eliminated, since we can introduce products to customers without a communication breakdown.

Seeking to Achieve an Environment Ideal to Customers

Y.H.: Aside from catalogues, were there any other assets that you reused up until now?

H.F.: We'd been playing TV commercials made using a big chunk of our budget on in-store TVs, but they didn't really grab the customers' attention, and we'd never been able to transmit high definition graphics, so we were quite frustrated. I feel that by using the iPad (with its superior mobility), we're now able to provide customers with the ideal promotional material - be it a video, a slideshow, or whatever - in places ideal to them. I also get the impression that we've freed up staff who were restricted by on-site computer availability or the amount of time they could use those computers, and that an IT environment that can truly be utilized on-location has started to take shape. When it comes to the question of how we will utilize this next-generation IT (meaning mobile device management as well as apps) in a form that we can “experience”, we at Haruyama hope to continue to work closely together with i³ Systems.

Y.H.: Thank you for your time.   

Interviewer: Yosuke Hatanaka (Marketing Head Office, i³ Systems)