This year some Telco’s have started to test LTE networks . 3GPP Long Term Evolution, usually referred to as LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using new modulation techniques.
AT&T and Verizon have introduced the 4G network to several markets. An article in Dailywireless gives a good overview on the differences and pricing.
Effects on business mobility market?
Increase of bandwidth on wireless devices gives great opportunities obviously. The possibilities that DSL, cable or even optical fibre offer, now are available for mobile use. This makes a lot of business mobility applications possible. Examples are mobile security and mobile broadcasting.Bandwidth is not an issue any longer. Of course costs are still a determining factor since GB’s are pretty expensive on wireless plans. But in future this will decrease due to economies of scale.
Interested in your mobility options?
RAM Mobile offers solutions to your business applications on any smartphone available to its mobile development platform through Navara.
Filed under: APP Development, Mobility Developments | Tags: byod, Entreprise Appstore, iphone
Much quicker than anticipated smartphone shipments today already exceed personal computer shipments. The astonishing rate at which new mobile devices emerge and their widespread private use is the major force behind the recent consumerization of IT: the migration of consumer devices into enterprise computing. More and more employees are bringing their personal devices to the workplace.
On November 15 RAM Mobile Data will be exhibiting at the Dutch ‘Bedrijf zoekt App’ (Business in search for App) event:
During this seminar the Enterprise Application Store solution developed by RAM will be presented. While mobility increases employee productivity, corporate IT management is facing new and serious challenges in the areas of data security, service and support.
The mobile access strategy for any company that decides to support business apps on private devices should at least answer these questions:
> How to deploy the apps to the employees (and only to the employees)
> How to support the different flavors and brands of end user devices
> How to manage the remote users
> How to keep the infrastructure manageable and secure
Navara anticipated on the new IT challenges with the Navara MEAP. A Mobile Enterprise Application Platform with integrated Enterprise App Store:
More info:
Ram has developed a free white paper on this subject:
Navara -and the new Enterprise Application Store- is developed by RAM Mobile Data. For more info please contact Hans Heising, product manager Navara: hheising@ram.nl
Filed under: APP Development, Mobility Developments | Tags: app store, company app store, navara, ram mobile data
anyone who works on a smartphone is familiar with the App Store (Apple) or the Android Market and the Marketplace for Windows Phone 7. The stores offer apps to download, install your app and the costs are charged on a personal credit card. How do you do this wehen you have a business app that you want your employees to use?
Disadvantages of public Appstores & Marketplaces
The use of public stores has some challenges in business use. Just think of the problem of finding the right app (between the 500,000 other apps). Anything could go wrong and who will then support you remployee? This is not only the case with new applications, but also with software updates to the apps. Also, your app (or update) must be approved by the provider of the store which sometimes lasts for days. Finally, employees are not always willing to pay via their personal credit card.
Your own business applications store?
Navara offers a solution that creates an own store for every company. This is accessed via the normal browser (Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer) on the smartphone. The company determines which apps are shown in the store. An employee visits the store through his/her smartphone and selects the appropriate app (or update) that you offer there. This could include applications that you want to make mobile such as ERP, CRM or sales force automation.
Interested?
Navara demonstrates the features you like! Request a free demonstration: info@navara.com
Filed under: APP Development, Mobile CRM, Mobility Developments | Tags: android, html5, hybrid, ios, native development
Implementing Mobile Applications for smartphones and tablets within the enterprise are inarguably getting a lot of attention these days. It would further seem that there are quite a number of products and services which claim to provide a step-by-step suggestion for the way to best develop and deliver these mobile applications.
Either that, or there are claims for “the only approach to consider.” This despite the fact that there is a huge amount of often conflicting information and advice for which of the three strategies is the “best” one to commit to. This has made understanding all of the risks, costs and issues which surround mobile application development, deployment and management very hard to understand for the average business user and other decision makers, technical or otherwise. So which of these three strategies is really “best”? The answer–as in many things in life–is: “it depends”. Anyone telling you otherwise is likely either not trustworthy or does not fully understand all of the nuances across the entire life-cycle of a mobile application from initial planning and inception, through deployment and ongoing maintenance.
For each product company or service provider that insists that native applications are the only way to go, there are at least as many who will assert that HTML5/CSS3-based applications are a safer bet. There are still other companies and service providers (perhaps not quite as many as the other two) who advocate a “middle-of-the-road” approach: the so-called “hybrid” application.
So how does a company interested in either planning a mobile application development strategy, or growing the one they have decide which of these 3 approaches (HTML5/CSS3, Native, or Hybrid) to take? The truth is that there is no “one size fits all” advice to be given here, though there still seems to be a lot of recommendations out there to oversimplify the mobility decision to these three.
The best approach starts with a discussion, continues with an increasing level of collaboration, and should culminate in a series of quick-win pilot and proof-of-concept solutions. The selected solution providor should clearly understand the benefits, strengths and weaknesses of each approach. As a guideline, consider the following when looking for products, assistance and solutions:
1.) Do you already know which solutions you want to build or have built for you? If so, have you prioritized them and thought about how they might evolve over time? What impact will changing standards and evolving technologies have on your applications?
2.) Will all of your users be able to access all of your applications, or might there be some level of permission or role-based access needed? Are there other security considerations?
3.) How will your applications be deployed? How will the management of this process be administered?
4.) Do you expect to be building these applications in-house or will you need some help to build them?
5.) Is it possible that you may need to develop some native applications, while pursuing different approaches for others? What long-term effects might this have for your company?
6.) Do you understand the factors that influence both the short-term and long-term costs as well as the level of each of these 3 strategic approaches to mobile application development?
A selected vendor, whether to build the solutions for you, simply advise you, provide a development platform for you, or some combination of all of these should be able to help you much more easily if you’ve given significant thought to these questions. In fact, you just might find that you will end up developing solutions base on more than one or even all three of these approaches.
This Blog post was written by Rick Farris, Systems Engineer at Navara Mobile Middleware.
More info on mobilizing workflows: contact Navara at +1 (0)866 759 5794 or via our website at Navara.com
Filed under: APP Development, Mobile CRM, Mobility Developments | Tags: byod
More and more mobile devices make their entrance to companies: iPhones, iPads, Android phones etc etc.
What to do with this fact as an IT manager? Where do you start and what are choices you have to make?
First, let’s start with a number of trends that you need to address in your strategy:
- Private and business are mixing together. It is quite normal that an employee reads his/her mail on vacation and people want to do some work while sitting on the couch.
- Bring Your Own Device: more often it happens that employees own a iPhone or smartphone to buy their business applications to do this.
- More and more apps to access back-office systems. How do you put the infrastructure in the hand and make you safe and manageable?
- More employees have phones: Mobile devices are no longer only entitled to the management or the sales staff.
- Appstores: Employees are used to select their and install them. They also want to do this with business apps.
As an IT manager you deal with these trends and will have to answer a few questions before selecting the right mobile strategy:
- Do I allow private devices on the corporate network? (And if not, why not?)
- How do I prevent the safety risks, when approving personal devices?
- How do I make sure the infrastructurewill not become a mess, because many apps need to have connections with back office systems?
- How do I take care of the user management of mobile users? And how do I prevent former employees from having access to corporate data?
- How do I tell which apps can be used?,
- How do I give the staff an overview of the business apps that are allowed in the company? And then; can they install the apps themselves, while a back office connection is required?
- How do I take care of dealing with Appstores that are tied to personal credit cards?
Just some questions that your company should think about before a mobile strategy can be formulated.
This Blog post was written by Rick Farris, Systems Engineer at Navara Mobile Middleware.
More info on mobilizing workflows: contact Navara at +1 (0)866 759 5794 or via our website at Navara.com
Since the introduction of Windows Phone 7 (as the successor to Windows Mobile) Microsoft’s market share in the smartphone business in the U.S. dropped by 38% (market share is 6%), these are alarming figures for Microsoft. Last week it was announced that there are now 30,000 apps available for the platform. This is realized in a relatively short period , but of course a low figure when comparedto the 425,000 Apps in the Apple Apstore and 250,000 Apps on the Android Market.
Phone 7 for business use?
Because SharePoint and Office (Hub) are supported on Phone 7 the OS works pretty good for simple (or standard) business use. The search for business apps however is harder on the Windows 7 Phone Marketplace.
For the business user, it is for example also important to access to ERP, CRM and other back office systems. This can be done through apps or via a browser solution supported by HTML5. See our earlier post: HTML5 and solution for multiplatform development on mobile! Currently 7 Phone does not support HTML5 yet, the expectation is that this will change by the end of 2011.
RAM Mobile offers solutions to your business applications on any smartphone available to its mobile development platform through Navara. For more information contact: Ken Heard, Country Manager for Navara in the US.
Filed under: APP Development, Mobile Security, Mobility Developments | Tags: bring your own device, byod, mdm, mobile security
The pressure on IT departments to support mobile devices (including tablets and smartphones in the enterprise is growing. Employees often have a Smartphone on which they deiscover Apps that they also will use for business purposes.
This fact created the new trend ‘Bring Your Own Device’ and is sometimes also stimulated by companies in order to save costs on devices due to the recession.
So far it is claimed that in this case Mobile Device Management (MDM) is the solution for potential support or security issues. An MDM system will let the corporate IT Support Department manage the device owned by the employee. The IT Dept can determine which Apps are allowed and will be able to swipe the device over the air in case of lost or theft.
As an employee this is not what you probably would imagine as the best solutionAs an employee I want the business apps to run smoothly, but the IT department has nothing to do with my notes, SMS/texts and pictures or other things that I might have on my smartphone. No MDM on my Smartphone! I want to manage my own phone!
To avoid this, companies must migrate to Mobile Application Platforms that support Mobile Application Management (MAM). MAM ensures that business apps (including security) are protected, while the user can privately do whatever he or she wants.
The IT department will have to make sure that all business apps protected by a username / password and the data connections automatically will be through https. Also updates will have to be triggered and done automatically without an employee having to visit the App Store for updates (those are manual and therefore a potential risk).
Should an employee leave the company or a device is stolen, the corporate data should be protected also and of course be wiped over the air.
If these measures are in place, the user won’t have to care about their personal data and the employer is sure the corporate data is save.
I wonder if IT departments agree with me, so feel free to give me your comments!
RAM Mobile Data (and Navara) offers solutions to your business applications on smartphones, made available through its mobile development platform, Navara. For more information contact: Ken Heard, Country Manager for Navara in the US.
Filed under: APP Development, Mobility for ITSM, Mobility for Service | Tags: service mobile, workflow mobile
When a company decides to automate and give their mobile workers a smartphone or tablet to increase working efficiency, it is very important to take the opportunity to optimize the relevant workflows in the process.
Analyze existing workflows
A company often has existing workflows which were defined, set up or otherwise created in the past, not taking mobility into account. Not every company has its workflows documented, either. If you want to start automating mobile workers, documenting your processes is highly recommended. Experience with other companies shows this benefits the efficiency of the solution and the adoption by employees increases as well.
Mobile workflows are not paper-based workflows
The fact that a traditional way of working has been successful does not necessarily mean that it will work equally well in an automated, mobile environment. Through the use of automation, efficiencies can often be achieved by combining processes, for example. This can range from scheduling through remote task execution and even invoicing. The steps between these processes are substantially different and you should think carefully about them. You may even discover that there are preparatory tasks and post-activity tasks that aren’t yet accounted for in your existing processes. Such tasks could be good candidates to address as you mobilize your workflows.
How to start
Experience has shown that involvement by all departments works best. Have your department heads together for a session. Support from an experienced consultant in the field of mobile solutions is recommended to encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Draw the process on a flip-chart or whiteboard, discuss it and check it with the people in the field after you have generated your early drafts. Only then do the automated processes start to take shape.
Build a prototype first
Only if you think carefully about the new processes will you achieve optimal efficiency. Also very important: involve the users who will be using the solution in all stages of your efforts. This will ensure that the acceptance (or adoption) will be much higher! Next, identify one workflow from your list, and generate a prototype (or pilot solution) that everyone can try out and give you feedback on before you build it all the way out. Many workers have a difficult time envisioning an application, a mobilized one in particular, until they have something they can actually see and experience. You will likely get ideas and revisions for your other workflows from your team as a result, saving you additional time and effort. (Check our earlier posting on Mercedes Benz and prototyping here.)
Next steps
RAM Mobile Data (and Navara) offers solutions to your business applications on smartphones, made available through its mobile development platform, Navara. For more information contact: Ken Heard, Country Manager for Navara in the US.
It’s interesting to read all of the excitement and market analysis from various sources about the rates of adoption for mobile devices. Not too long ago, I was writing about how Android had overtaken Apple in terms of overall device sales. Not surprising, since there are simply so many Android device options compared to Apple’s handfull (several available versions of the iPhone and iPad).
Also interesting is the latest report from Pew Internet which recently announced their findings that e-reader adoption has outpaced tablet adoption in the last 6 months in the United States, doubling from 6% to 12% and outpacing the 8% growth tablet devices have seen during this same period.
This report also made mention of another subject I wrote about recently, which is that many people now own two or more mobile devices, each for its own purpose (repeating the trend we saw when PDAs and cell phones coexisted, in my opinion).
So? What might explain this sudden burst for e-readers, and the continued, steady rate of adoption for all mobile devices in general, including the nascent and suprising growth of e-readers, and the fact that many adults now own more than one mobile device? It’s the user experience, sometimes also referred to as UX.
UX is what launched Apple (even well before the iPhone), set the bar for ease of use, and set the stage for the current competition we see between the mobile device providers, products, software and services today. It is also what will ultimately determine the winners and survivors within this highly fragmented space. The point is this: if you are developing mobile applications or providing products and services in this market, it is imperitive that you ensure that your company is focused on the user experience or you will quickly find yourself overtaken by those who are doing a more thoughtful job of delighting the end user.
This Blog post was written by Rick Farris, Systems Engineer at Navara Mobile Middleware.
More info on mobilizing workflows: contact Navara at +1 (0)866 759 5794 or via our website at Navara.com
Filed under: APP Development, Mobility for Marketing, Mobility for Service | Tags: fieldservice, mobile app, mobilizing workflows
The iPad and other tablets have certainly had a dramatic effect on marketplace interest and demand for mobilizing applications, data and streamlining processes. What is very interesting also is the “wild-west” type atmosphere that is out there. With a myriad of platforms, products and service providers out there, and many, many point solutions which might not be the most cost-effective way to “go mobile”, companies seem to struggle with their technology strategy until they have a proof-of-concept that they can touch and experience. By then it can be too late to avoid escalating costs in the long-term.
Mercedes Benz in the US, for example, launched a small pilot for their sales force just to see what would happen. Their original idea was to use the wireless version of the iPad. What happened next was a surprise. As it turned out, the adoption was so effective and efficient, the sales representatives wanted to be able to take the iPad in the car with them to streamline the buying process and paperwork. The result? Mercedes Benz bought the pricier 3G iPad instead and decided to roll the solution out to all dealerships nationwide!
The bottom line is this: until companies can better visualize and understand what is possible and the benefits and efficiencies that can be realized, many are stuck wondering how they will get started with mobilizing their workflows and data. The solution? Develop a pilot project with one workflow and let the users give feedback after they experience it, you’ll likely be surprised with the result.
The conclusion? Unless you can say for certain that you only have a single usage scenario that you’ll ever implement, point solutions should be avoided to keep the cost of ownership low in the long term. Point solutions have the disadvantage of not being applicable to other workflows and additional data which are not a part of the offering. A flexible platform is needed to accomodate the growth and interest as the requirements for mobilization expand from your original expectation.
This Blog post was written by Rick Farris, Systems Engineer at Navara Mobile Middleware.
More info on mobilizing workflows: contact Navara at +1 (0)866 759 5794 or via our website at Navara.com
