With the explosion in Wi-Fi and other wireless technologies, plus the increased emphasis on better equipment for public safety personnel, solution providers are finding interesting opportunities in the government and education market for mobile technology.

To give you an idea where the action is, IDC forecasts total government spending on wireless voice and data telecommunications services to grow at a 17 percent compound annual rate between 2005 and 2010, the fastest rate among all U.S. vertical industries that it tracks. Spending on wireless data services alone is expected to grow by a heady 35 percent.

Two of the hottest areas are equipping first responders such as police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel, and installing or enhancing wireless networks at college campuses, says Jason Bystrak, senior marketing manager for Ingram Micro's GovEd Alliance. "Homeland security funding is driving a lot of opportunity for our solution providers. We're seeing a spike in sales for police officers and first responders -- mobile network access in the field," he notes. "We're also seeing more wireless networks on college campuses being scaled up to support the latest mobile devices."

Despite the increased attention to security, funds can be tight at the local and state level, a fact that has led resellers to delve into the grant-writing business. But with a little research and creativity, solution providers are finding ways to supply the public sector with technology that goes where it's needed.

Digging into Agency Needs
Bystrak suggests getting specific information on the IT budgets of various agencies. "It's a matter of public record, so you can get the data on what they have available to spend," Bystrak says. "Then come up with a creative solution to help them do more with less. That will position you as a consultant rather than someone just taking orders."

This approach has worked for Christine Leny, vice president of marketing at Xerographic Supply of Wisconsin, a solution provider focusing on the K-12 and state/local government markets. She spends a lot of time networking at various public-sector conferences. "We find that we have to be educators, bringing the technology to them, letting them know what's available," she explains.

Such networking prompted the Wisconsin State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to test a new product that Xerographic Supply started carrying in July. The Nova 5000, a ruggedized computer from Fourier Systems that's a hybrid of a laptop and a personal digital assistant, is ideal for the sort of field work that DNR agents perform, Leny says. It's not only a computer, but also has an interface whereby users can attach various types of scientific probes. "When you're out doing soil testing and water testing, you need a piece of equipment that will work in all types of weather," Leny says.

Feet on the Street
A little legwork also can go a long way toward helping solution providers sell to the first responder market.

Turn-Key Mobile specializes in equipping public safety personnel with Panasonic Toughbooks, a ruggedized notebook. The company installs the notebooks in vehicles and equips them with specialized applications such as GPS and automatic vehicle location software, says Mike Southard, president. "I try to go out and ride with these guys," he says. "That's where you get a real understanding of what your product does for them and how to better sell it."

He can see, for example, how using special software and wireless networking in the notebooks can enable police to do "silent dispatching." Career criminals like drug dealers often use scanners to monitor police communications, but the silent dispatch allows police to avoid detection and have a better chance of apprehending such miscreants.

Another popular application is electronic ticketing, where the officer uses a handheld computer, entering data such as license plate number and registration and wirelessly transmitting that to a network to check for other violations. Using a printer either built into the device or installed in the cruiser, the officer then prints a copy of the ticket for the driver. At the end of the shift back at headquarters, the officer wirelessly transmits all the ticketing data from the handheld computer to the precinct's server.

The benefits? Fewer errors and more time for patrolling. "The officer is on the street longer protecting you and me, instead of sitting in the car or office doing paperwork," notes Southard.

Some municipalities are launching big projects to equip their public safety people with mobile technology. For example, integrator Western DataCom is installing Cisco Series 3200 Mobile Access Routers in 50 police cruisers in Cook County, Ill., according to Phil Ardire, president. The router is a boardlevel product that automatically switches from one wireless technology to another, ensuring that the police will have communications wherever they are.

To date, Western DataCom has sold the mobile router technology mostly for military applications. In fact, Ardire says one of his routers floats 2,500 feet over Baghdad Airport, suspended by a 100-foot balloon. Now that Ardire has the Cook County deal, he expects to sell to more civilian homeland security applications.

Networking at School
Another area of opportunity is the education market. ABS Technology Architects, which specializes in IP communications, security and wireless, is finding a lot of interest in mesh networks from municipalities that are looking into installing wireless networking, and from colleges that want to extend their wireless networks, says Chris Zettervall, vice president of operations.

Unlike traditional Wi-Fi access points, each node in a mesh network does not require a direct connection to an Ethernet backbone, Zettervall says. With just one node connected, the signal hops throughout the "mesh," which makes the network easier to deploy and simpler to manage in a variety of environments. The mesh is also more reliable -- if one node goes down, the other nodes will fill in the dead spot.

Zettervall predicts that municipal governments will eventually provide wireless internet access as a utility, and they are looking closely at mesh technology. "One of the things that makes mesh so attractive to cities is that you can mount the access points on streetlights and they can draw power from them," he says.

In fact, ABS just installed the first mesh network in southern Virginia at Lynchburg College. The small, private college had run out of room on its campus and so moved some of its administrative offices and management to downtown Lynchburg. Tying those offices into the campus network via T1 lines or a fiber buildout would have been prohibitively expensive, so the college opted for a more cost-effective mesh network that can expand as the college grows.

Xerographic Supply is also finding opportunity in education. Remember those rugged Nova 5000s? "With the No Child Left Behind legislation, many of the schools are looking for the most cost-effective way to put a computer into every student's hands," Leny says. She hopes to convince the school board that the hybrid, which is not only a computer but could also be used as a scientific instrument in chemistry class, is a good option.

Granting Clients Free Money
Clearly, there's no lack of innovative technology solutions or creativity among VARs targeting government and education. What's often lacking is money.

"Getting interest isn't the issue. It's getting the funding," says Howard Mandel, president of MobileTEK Consulting.

That means that the ability to locate money to fund projects can be a key differentiator for VARs. Technology grants large and small are available from sources such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Education, state and local governments and private institutions. But finding them can be a challenge.

That's why Ingram Micro's GovEd Alliance now offers help through Grants Office LLC, Rochester, N.Y. Grants Office specializes in providing information on grants and helping clients write grant proposals. It has an online database of federal, state and foundation grants that is updated daily and is searchable by category and keyword (see below).

MobileTEK, which sells Panasonic Toughbooks and associated mounting and docking hardware to first responders, has only two employees -- counting Mandel. But he does what he can to point out grant sources to clients. "I don't have the time to research all the different types of grants, but I've done enough to be able to say, 'Hey, you might want to look at this grant source,'" he says. "There's invariably a technical piece to it, so we come in and help them with that part of the grantwriting. Then, if they should get the grant, we get the business." Last year, for example, he helped nine potential clients apply for grants from the Ohio Criminal Justice System. Seven of them were awarded funding.

Mike Southard of Turn-Key Mobile also differentiates his company by offering help with grants. He's hired a grant writer on a subcontract. "We not only will sell you something, but we want to find you the funding so you can purchase it," he says. "Who doesn't want free money?"