Mobilising corporate applications

What is the best way for a business to extend its mobile functionality and integrate systems seamlessly?

Vile: More people are looking for mobile access to applications

I have often been asked recently about the options for extending corporate applications using mobile technology. More and more people are looking beyond mobile email to how they can use wireless access for critical business applications.
One of the most commonly considered functions is field service management, and the lessons learned here are relevant elsewhere.

The main options for wireless-extending existing applications are:

Bolt-on packages: Some application vendors provide these themselves and most have third-party options as well. This is essentially a module that extends the application, typically reusing much of the basic set-up.

This is good if your aim is mobilising a single packaged application such as SAP or Oracle. But it can be a pain if you want data/functionality from multiple back-end systems to be presented together on the device.

Value-added services: The basic idea is the same as the bolt-on approach, except the solution is hosted, typically by the operator. As operators are mostly into repeatable solutions given their business model, this approach is often more prescriptive than the bolt-on one, and is generally targeted at simpler requirements. But many application extension requirements are quite simple, so there is a place for this approach.

Open middleware platforms: This is where you procure a middleware platform that can be used to bridge the gap between back-end applications and mobile devices.

These solutions generally come with a development environment or allow you to use open tools such as Eclipse to design and build software.

Many of these systems are delivered with pre-defined templates for working with the most common back-end applications, but these are just a starting point for your own development. The advantage of this approach is that you have the freedom to extend any application or mix of applications.

Whichever route you take, the imperative is to understand your requirement, and bear in mind the medium term at least. I am not an advocate of over-arching mobile strategies that cut across all types of application, as the sector is so fast-moving. The concept of five-year mobility strategies is just nonsense as there are too many variables that you cannot possibly tie down.

There is also a strong argument that mobile access should be an element incorporated into other strategies for mobile working, process automation, collaboration, communication and so on, rather than a strategy in its own right.
However, it is critical to put in place a sensible policy framework to address areas such as security/compliance, integration standards, device selection, operational management and support.

It is important to think about what needs to integrate with what is already there, and what you can legitimately “reinvent” for mobile without creating disjoints and conflicts. You may have invested in a security infrastructure, for example, and be reluctant to put a parallel policy management in place for the mobile domain.
Before you make a move, educate yourself, then make choices that will work for the immediate project and for any medium-term requirements.

Dale Vile is managing director of analyst Freeform Dynamics. Read the blog at: http://freeform.computing.co.uk