AT and T and Xora have announced a GPS Locator application that will provide small and medium-sized businesses with real-time visibility into the location of their mobile workforce.

The new easy to deploy solution is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application designed to help AT and T business customers improve the productivity and accountability of field-based employees, as well as lower expenses related to overtime and fuel costs.

The application - Xora GPS Locator from AT and T - is compatible with most AT and T mobile devices, from the most basic phone handsets, to the ruggedized Motorola Tundra and Samsung Rugby, to smartphones such as the BlackBerry Bold, to laptops and specialty industry devices. The service will be available at the end of July.

Xora GPS Locator from AT and T does not require any software to be loaded on the phone, providing quick and easy deployment. Field-based employees simply power on their mobile devices and office staff can see their locations using Xora's Web-based maps and reports.

The Xora Web interface features Google Maps complete with street, satellite and hybrid views, as well as real-time traffic information. Web-based reports indicate where and when vehicles are stopped, and for how long, making it easy to identify time spent at job sites, or on breaks.

The application is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses in industries such as construction, field services, transportation and distribution as well as state and local government.

These organizations are looking for an easy-to-deploy, comprehensive solution that can quickly provide enhanced visibility, accountability and compliance for field operations, with no large IT staff or on-site hardware to deploy. Xora GPS Locator from AT and T is based on technology from Xora's award-winning GPS TimeTrack solution, and can be accessed from the same web-based portal as Xora GPS TimeTrack and Xora GPS TimeTrack In-Vehicle.

The announcement is the latest addition to AT and T's industry-specific Location-Based mobile business applications. Working with leading application providers across several vertical industries, AT and T provides end-to-end services from a single source with a single bill, backed up by mobility applications consulting and enterprise-grade support.

"With the addition of Xora GPS Locator to our portfolio of enterprise mobility applications, small and medium-sized businesses can better manage their mobile workforce on a wide variety of AT and T mobile devices," said Igor Glubochansky, director, industry solutions, AT and T Business Solutions.

"The resulting increase in productivity and reduction in expenses are especially critical today, with many businesses being challenged more than ever to remain profitable in a sluggish economy."

"Once companies gain real-time visibility into the locations and activities of their mobile employees, it's like someone took the blinders off," said Sanjay Shirole, CEO of Xora.

"More importantly, as a result, companies can take action based on what they are seeing in order to improve the efficiency of their business. The result is that more gets done with fewer resources and in less time, leading to greater profits - and that is how success is measured in most companies."