VDC's Mobile and Wireless team spent the last two days at CTIA 2010 in Las Vegas meeting with a broad set of vendors spanning the wireless eco-system. While no-one would ever mistake the show for an Enterprise Mobility event, it was refreshing to see the emphasis being placed on this space by the broader wireless community. We were briefed on some significant announcements that are aimed at addressing some of this sectors' key pain points: namely the development of intuitive and scalable enterprise mobile applications AND the development of a mobile software distribution model that makes sense for the enterprise.
In one of the opening keynotes AT&T made reference to its WorkBench solution - created in partnership with Antenna Software- which is an extension of its Mobile Enterprise Applications Platform (MEAP). WorkBench specifically targets the growing population of iPhones in the enterprise and provides key security and management features.According to AT&T these include: role-based deployment of Web applications; enhanced IT controls for Web applications such as policy management, mobile VPN, over-the-air updates and remote data lock/wipe; and certificate-based authentication. Beyond the WorkBench platform, AT&T also introduced two mobile Web applications for OracleCRM On Demand. AT&T is clearly expanding its footprint in the enterprise mobility sphere - what will be interesting to follow is the impact of products like the WorkBench on established device and security management platforms from vendors like Sybase.
Verizon Wireless- through its vertical solutions team - released Field Force Manager 3.2 the newest version of the company's mobile worker management service, The solution offers more sophisticated features - such as Geo-fencing, improvements to the setup utility and a more dynamic dispatching engine. Moreover, Verizon Wireless is beginning to offer more integrated - and flexible - billing capabilities for its mobile applications. One issue with Verizon is that its enterprise mobility solutions scope and focus are still somewhat uneven and buried in vertical solutions businesses. VDC expects that this will change with Verizon Wireless playing a broader role in enabling a broader suite of both horizontal and vertical mobile solutions and providing more seamless application distribution and payment portals.
Another interesting announcement (although technically announced at Campfire One and not CTIA) came from Googleabout its Apps Marketplace where developers can create apps that integrate with Google Apps and sell them to users and enterprises. According to Google, they can reach over 2 million businesses and 25 million users. Some of the early solutions include a payroll application from Intuit and a project management solution from Manymoon. What is interesting about Google's approach is that according to Google is that once installed to a company's domain, these third-party applications work like native Google applications. This enables their seamless interaction/integration with calendar, email, document and/or contact data to increase productivity. Administrators can manage the applications from the familiar Google Apps control panel, and employees can open them from within Google Apps.
On the mobile hardware side LG announced plans for a more formal partner community for mobile business application vendors to ensure their solutions are optimized for target LG devices (initially focused to Windows Mobile devices). Early partners include Good, Citrix, Sybase, Antenna Software and Pyxis Mobile. Through this program LG intends to provide pre-release versions of their handsets to software partners to test their software and will also provide access to key hardware features.
The momentum behind these initiatives is substantial and they are further validation of the strategic importance of mobility initiatives within enterprises. Gone are the days of siloed and stove piped enterprise mobility solutions. Moreover, the infrastructure required to more efficiently develop, deploy, scale and support enterprise mobility solutions is being put in place. Truly an exciting time for this burgeoning industry.
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