It was interesting to watch the various activities the kids engaged in while on board the plane as the portable devices were powered up. Okay, a moment of nostalgia. Both my very first computer and laptop were Apple platforms. I have been a mobile employee for nearly thirty years. Yet as I looked around the plane, I began to truly realize the difference between then and now. The girl in front of me was taking self portraits and some video of herself and the plane. She was storing them in a picture show for either her friends or parents. She was doing a fairly decent job. Another row up one was reading an eBook on a Kindle, which today on Amazon is now out selling their paper ancestors. A young lady to my left was texting her anxious parents awaiting word of our arrival and a few, including myself, were visiting weather websites to view the local Dallas radar.

I used the time to walk up the aisle of the plane to see more. There were a pair sharing a laptop watching a movie, a couple of iPod listeners, a few video games were keeping several busy and finally, one young boy was reading a book. One. When we discuss the need for businesses to transition to IP communications, cost, features, infrastructure investment, unified communication and more get mentioned. I do believe we need to add that if you want to be viewed as a “sick”, “awesome” or “great place to work”, IP communications must be part of your infrastructure. While these kids won’t be in the marketplace for another eight years, their older brothers and sisters are interviewing with us now.

Consider this, what type of equipment are you offering as tools to perform their jobs? RIM is out, Android is in. Apple is in. Mobility is in. Constant contact and interactivity is in. Instant access and response is in. Are you positioning your products to prospects with this mind? If not, you should. Sick is cool.