| Mobile strategy | | | | dynamically deployed to the mobile devices to |
| This paper assumes your organisation has an | | | | provide newer functionality without the |
| established and accepted business case for | | | | administrative burden of updating each device or |
| mobility and you are now ready to proceed. | | | | finding out which software is installed. |
| When implementing a mobility solution the impacts | | | | Mobile applications |
| are not just on the actual end-user but also the | | | | Most organisations that have invested in their own |
| subtle and long-lasting effect to your I.T. strategy | | | | employee data collection processes and |
| and implementation. Over the past decade we | | | | back-office systems are unlikely to find a pre-built |
| have seen the scope of I.T. grow from a private | | | | mobile application will be an exact match. The |
| internal infrastructure view to publish information | | | | most common choice is to take an existing |
| to external public access via the internet. I.T. is | | | | application and re-train staff, or to create a |
| now faced with providing external access to | | | | customised solution that is tailor made and can |
| internal systems information and must handle a | | | | grow as organizational needs demand. |
| new set of questions; how to support a broad | | | | Selecting a platform which can provide a rich but |
| range of mobile devices? How to manage access | | | | simple toolkit for creating mobile applications is |
| to information on internal systems by these | | | | essential to success. The application can then |
| devices? How to provide a secure and reliable | | | | mirror current forms and processes which aid in |
| experience? | | | | reducing the impact of change to the end-users. |
| Opening up the enterprise systems to mobile | | | | The toolkit approach must encompass not only |
| users requires careful planning to reduce the | | | | the user interface but the data structures and |
| impact of change to the key stake holders; the | | | | back-office communications as well, providing a |
| end-users and the I.T. management. A strategy | | | | one stop location for building a complete solution. |
| for mobility must include looking at the areas of: | | | | Many I.T. projects fail or exceed budgets because |
| - Mobile devices and device management | | | | be-spoke software developments have |
| - Communications (wireless and wired), protocols | | | | complexity that is underestimated or the initial |
| and costs | | | | requirements were unclear. A mobility platform |
| - Mobile applications, customisation and usability | | | | that targets non-programmers, such as business |
| - Back-office data requirements and how the data | | | | process engineers, keeps the focus on the |
| integration points | | | | business solution. Additionally, coupled with a |
| - Centralised mobile access platform for how data | | | | device management platform, is the ability to |
| is accessible while mobile | | | | easily deploy new versions of the application |
| - Security for authentication and encryption | | | | quickly for field testing and user acceptance. |
| - Solution delivery and pricing models | | | | Systems integration |
| The desired outcome of analyzing these points will | | | | Often quoted about standards, is that there are |
| provide the functional requirements, usability and | | | | so many to choose from, and this is no truer |
| structural design represented as a mobile systems | | | | than with Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) |
| architecture for your enterprise. The | | | | where each system or family of systems will |
| considerations of these points are discussed in this | | | | have particular protocols for data exchange, |
| paper. | | | | typically ranging from the simplest text file import |
| Device and device management | | | | export to the most complex information message |
| The pace of technology for the mobile worker | | | | bus brokers. New standards continue to emerge |
| coming to market continues to increase, notebook | | | | as the data access requirements and |
| and laptop sales now have surpassed desktop PC | | | | management change to adopt new capabilities. |
| sales and the billions of mobile phones sold are | | | | Designing mobile applications to communication |
| increasingly capable of data applications. There is | | | | with a particular back-office system may seem |
| also a complete range of devices in the | | | | to be the quickest and easiest way to move |
| cross-over between these extremes comprising | | | | forward, but this locking in to a particular protocol |
| of smart phones, PDA's, handheld clamshells, | | | | will create a problem when the server system is |
| tablets, and more. There is a seeming less | | | | changed or simply updated. Instead building mobile |
| unlimited number of form factors available, | | | | systems that are loosely connected to |
| different screen sizes, some rotatable, input | | | | back-office systems is essential to success. |
| methods (keyboard, numeric keypad, pen, finger, | | | | A mobility platform should provide a range of |
| scanners for barcode and RFID, speech, and | | | | integration capabilities that are independent of the |
| more), processor types and performance, | | | | mobile application and can change by I.T. |
| memory sizes from Kilobytes to Gigabytes, | | | | administration. The integration options should |
| ruggerdised construction and not least of all the | | | | include how data is represented and persisted |
| operating systems and application environments. | | | | (such as raw text files, and XML) and the |
| From an device selection point of view, the only | | | | protocols used for sharing (such as network drive |
| reliable rule is to expect a mixed device | | | | shares, FTP, HTTP or enterprise message |
| environment as today's standard is likely to be | | | | brokers). Full audit logs are required to determine |
| unavailable in 24 months. However, minimizing I.T. | | | | a history of data integration. |
| costs and resources is about adopting and | | | | Security |
| enforcing standards, so what is the solution? For | | | | For I.T. system security is the highest priority and |
| mobility, the answer is to select the appropriate | | | | protecting company information is paramount. The |
| device that fits the requirements of the | | | | growth of internet technologies for accessing |
| end-users, and use a mobility device management | | | | content has been paralleled with the development |
| platform that can run across all the devices in the | | | | of encryption, identification and authentication. |
| fleet. The mobility platform abstracts the | | | | Enterprise firewalls, Virtual Private Networks |
| management of the devices, hiding the individual | | | | (VPN), intrusion detection, central authentication |
| differences. | | | | servers are the norm for keeping intruders out. |
| A mobility platform must enable the management | | | | Mobility has the potential to compromise a |
| of the devices for enterprise applications, including | | | | number of these standard security systems and |
| configuring communications and updating of the | | | | weaken then protection of the enterprise |
| applications on the devices to an individual user or | | | | networks allowing unauthorized users to gain |
| groups of users. | | | | access via security holes, or to obtain corporate |
| Communications | | | | information from a lost of stolen mobile device. |
| In many ways mobile applications that can replace | | | | Security options must be enforced on the mobile |
| current manual paper based systems, may seem | | | | device and during communication with the |
| to require only limited communication methods for | | | | enterprise. |
| swapping the collected data to back-office | | | | A mobility platform should provide data |
| systems. However, a simple requirement as this | | | | synchronisation and access via secure channels, |
| can lead to many options, a user could plug the | | | | such as HTTPS or VPN. Multi-factor authentication |
| device in to a phone line modem or even an | | | | of the user and the device, such as using unique |
| intranet-connected PC to synchronise data, or | | | | identification built in to the device or network SIM |
| should a wireless network be used such as a | | | | (subscriber identification module) cards, or |
| cellular network or a WiFi hotspot? Each method | | | | network features such as caller-id. |
| has it's own costs, performance and latencies, | | | | From an application design point only required data |
| availability, infrastructure investments and security | | | | needs to be kept on the mobile device and other |
| ramifications. | | | | data can be purged. |
| Advanced mobile applications that require more | | | | Server |
| immediacy and collaborative solutions will require | | | | Mobile applications require an application gateway |
| push capability that allows the back-office to send | | | | to communicate with that ensures back-office |
| notifications in real-time to the devices. | | | | application services are always available. This in |
| Creating or buying mobile applications that run | | | | turn requires that the gateway itself be running |
| efficiently over one chosen communications | | | | on a stable and scalable Operating System and |
| network such as a wired LAN may perform | | | | Application Server. This must also integrate into |
| poorly when changing to a wireless network. | | | | the enterprise network architecture for |
| Conversely, when optimised for a low-bandwidth | | | | authenticating users and accessing back-office |
| high latency dial-up or cellular network the same | | | | data. It should be capable of transactional growth |
| application may be unable to take advantage of | | | | as demand increases for mobile access to data |
| the high-bandwidth WiFi networks or third | | | | and back-office services. Application platforms |
| generation wireless. | | | | based on scalable architectures and |
| The best course of action is to select the most | | | | industry-standards should be used, such as the |
| appropriate communications network(s) for the | | | | J2EE or .NET architectures. These architectures |
| application requirements and use a mobility | | | | can deliver enterprise or carrier based |
| platform which removes the details of | | | | performance and reliability. |
| communications from the application. A Wireless | | | | Management of the mobility platform server |
| Application Gateway (WAG) that manages | | | | should allow multiple and custom administration |
| communication between the device and | | | | roles to allow for delegated tasks within the I.T. |
| back-office will optimise the communications. It | | | | team. Remote access to the server, via web, |
| also provides value added capability such as push | | | | provides easy access to the system without |
| notification support and compression irrespective | | | | additional client installation. |
| of the chosen network. | | | | Solution delivery options |
| Client access modes | | | | With the growth of internet e-mail there has been |
| Wired networks that have been around for | | | | growing acceptance to the benefits of |
| decades provide a reliable and relatively high | | | | out-sourcing data systems for high availability and |
| speed communication channel to back-office | | | | remote access to the systems without |
| systems with several key enterprise application | | | | dependence on other corporate infrastructure. |
| models existing as thin client terminal (citrix, web), | | | | This is also the case with Wireless Application |
| and multi-tier (client, server and database logical | | | | Gateway's, and the operational requirements and |
| tiers) thick clients. The separation of application | | | | costs provide for the following licensing models: |
| execution and presentation to the user is largely | | | | - Application Service Provider (ASP) - limits capital |
| an IT management issue and a key driver for | | | | expenditure, system maintenance, etc. (ideal for |
| which model is chosen. Both models tend to | | | | non-IT based companies). Does not grow assets |
| assume a communications connection is available | | | | and is not an investment decision but rather |
| to manage transactional integrity (record locking) | | | | operational expensed. |
| and sharing resources in real-time. | | | | - Managed Service - Similar to ASP, but requires |
| For mobility, with its unreliable communications | | | | capital expenditure for hardware by the company |
| nature it is time to re-assess the appropriate | | | | but out-source the management & |
| access models. Networks are increasing in | | | | monitoring. |
| performance, however, the inherent nature of | | | | - Software - The most common model of |
| wireless means that coverage will never be | | | | software licensing seen today, which requires |
| ubiquitous, and interference will continue to have | | | | capital expenditure for hardware, software |
| latency well above that of the wired networks, | | | | licensing and on-going operations are managed |
| applications that run well on the wired network will | | | | in-house. Both ASP and managed service can |
| not likely work well over wireless in all conditions. | | | | provide a cost effective and fast to market |
| The two most conventional methods were to | | | | capability. The mobility platform and service |
| chose between a thin or thick client model. Thin | | | | provider thus offer a flexible solution that can be |
| clients are typically a web browser or specially | | | | launched quickly and business benefits can be |
| built client such as citrix, where the network must | | | | assessed. |
| be available for the application to function. These | | | | Conclusion |
| thin client solutions have been unsuccessful in a | | | | This paper has demonstrated a number of |
| number of enterprise mobility solutions due to the | | | | technical areas that should be considered before |
| lack of capability of mobile web browsers and | | | | adding a mobile extension to the corporate |
| frustrating usability issues for end-users. Thick | | | | network. This information can be used to |
| clients provide a fast, response and optimal user | | | | comprehensively assess the capabilities of |
| interface but suffer from the burden of managing | | | | commercially available mobile application gateways. |
| and updating deployments. | | | | The gateway selected for the enterprise must |
| Again, a mobility platform provides a solution as a | | | | have a history of proven and working solutions |
| best of both models, the so named, "smart" client | | | | coupled with an on going ability to change that |
| model. This enables the optimsied experience of | | | | future proofs the investment with continually |
| the thick client with the dynamic capability of the | | | | progressing mobile application technologies. |
| thin client. Applications and modules can be | | | | |