Mobile Software for Business

Enterprise software is often built to run on a network, and to be deployed to many users across an organization. Professional software, which can be used in an enterprise environment, is generally niche software built for a single user in a particular field such as law or medicine. Developer software is used by those who create software for mobile devices, and is often used within the enterprise to build business-specific mobile systems.

You may review current listings of many of these types of software at pocketpcmag.com/encyclopedia.

Enterprise categories include:

• Communications: Enabling data or voice communications between mobile devices, or with wired or wireless networks.
• Customer Relationship Management: Contact data, customer history, sales leads, and calendars.
• Data Access: Look-up and display information from a back-end data store.
• Data Analysis: Perform calculations and aggregations on data for analysis and display information in chart or graph format.
• Data Capture: Acquiring, processing, and displaying data such as GPS location data.
• Data Collection: Forms for entering and transferring data on-site on a mobile device. This kind of system is often used as a replacement for paper-based forms.
• Database Management: Working with information in table/database form. This type of software is widely used in many of the other Enterprise and Professional categories.
• Device Management: Network administrator tools for deploying, securing, and managing mobile devices.
• Form Building:Easy-to-use development tools that allow the creation of simple applications.
• Groupware: Enabling integration and synchronization of information such as contact info on users' mobile devices with other corporate users.
• Sales Force Automation: Order entry and access to real-time customer, inventory, product, and sales data for mobile sales forces and managers.
• Security Solutions: Setting up VPNs, firewalls, and security controls for mobile devices and the invaluable corporate information they can carry.
• Vertical:Enterprise applications that apply to a specific industry or "vertical niche." This will also include the Professional categories listed below.

Professional categories include:

• CAD: Computer Aided Design. Such software lets you view, edit, and even create blueprints for buildings and other objects.
• Education: Tools for empowering teachers (administration, testing, instruction, etc.), students (learning, accessing information, displaying their mastery, etc.), and administrators (supporting teachers and students, etc.).
• Engineering: Engineering calculators and other support tools.
• Healthcare: Tools to assist healthcare workers including references, patient-tracking, billing, etc.
• Law: Tools to access information and manage client activity.
• Pilots/Aviation: Tools to track pilot flight-time, aircraft maintenance, etc.
• Real Estate: Tools to access available real-estate, track buyers and sellers, etc.
• Sales and Marketing: Tools to allow salespeople and managers to track prospects, customers, transactions, etc.
• Transportation: Tools to route fleets most efficiently to conserve fuel and save money, and to track what is being transported, etc.