Three considerations when developing solutions to support an Always Available Computing architecture
[Editor's Note: Phil Stanhope works for Adesso Systems, which offers Always Available Computing (AAC) solutions such as are discussed in this article.]
It's no secret that more and more employees are going mobile. IT departments are struggling to meet the anytime, anywhere information and connectivity demands of their growing mobile workforce. According to IDC, there will be 105 million mobile workers by 2006. The Meta Group projects that in the future 75% of the US workforce will be mobile 25% of the time. With these and other forecasts in mind, companies must be prepared to support them-anytime, anywhere.
Developing a mobile strategy
The modern business consists of a collection of highly decentralized business units. However, the centralized architectures of most business applications today are not in sync with the modern, distributed enterprise. These architectures provide maximum support for the main office, some support for remote offices, and hardly any support for the mobile or field worker. This presumption assumes that network availability, and the internal or external use of that network, is the backbone that binds the user to the data they need to get their job(s) done.
When evaluating anytime, anywhere computing strategies the traditional application architectures of client-server and Web-centric systems fall short. These models all assume some level of network connectivity. Yet personal experience tells us that connectivity is not always guaranteed. We've all seen (and can relate to) the "Can you hear me now?" commercials.
As computing has evolved, data has moved closer and closer to the user.
A new application architecture is emerging that presumes that fulltime connectivity cannot be guaranteed. The architecture uses the Always Available Computing model (AAC) to deliver value to an organization. Under the AAC model, mobile workers can utilize applications on a Windows Mobile device (Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, or Smartphone), or on a traditional Windows device (laptop, tablet, or desktop) regardless of network connectivity. To accomplish this, an ACC platform must integrate many of the best attributes and design patterns developed over the past 30 years of computing. Using an AAC platform, businesses have the means to mobilize critical enterprise data assets by expanding the scenarios in which that data can be used.
For example, information about inventory levels, service contract terms, and company asset profiles have traditionally remained inside the company, available only to staff who work at a company office and who have pervasive network access to these information assets. In the ACC platform model, this structured and normally fixed-location information can be pushed to where the action is, giving a worker on the move the ability to use and leverage these strategic resources in their work and thus move decision-making closer to the customer.
The AAC architecture pushes data out to the user, and gives them full functionality without the need for a continuous dedicated connection to the central database.
Three important considerations
Organizations should consider the following ideas as a necessary part of the AAC strategy when developing and implementing their mobile applications:
1: The application must be easily deployed and easily maintained and updated
The push for real-time access to information presumes that enterprise data needs to be available at the edge of a business (where the action is taking place). Also, a mobile strategy must consider the business process structure as a key element. AAC products need to accommodate this by offering end-to-end provisioning capabilities for both structured and unstructured processes along with content.
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