The mobile enterprise isn't dead--it's hibernating
Summary
Topics
The dream of "pervasive computing," as IBM calls it, may be on hold--but few doubt that mobile devices will be considered strategic again eventually. For business, mobility has little to do with browsing on a tiny screen and everything to do with delivering enterprise messaging and applications to whatever device an employee uses. When the zeal for computing anywhere revives, will you be ready? Which decisions made today will affect your ability to support a range of mobile devices in the future?
Two words--think Java. The majority of large IT shops already use a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) application server such as WebLogic or WebSphere to power e-commerce Web sites and integrate legacy systems. Already, you can choose from among dozens of J2EE-compliant mobile servers, which run on top of the application server to deliver slimmed-down versions of enterprise apps to a variety of devices. For those leaning toward .Net, Microsoft has its own Mobile Information Server--if you're comfortable with a choice of exactly one vendor.
But freedom of choice isn't the only reason to consider a J2EE offering. The main reason is that client-side Java, as defined by the Java 2 Mobile Edition (J2ME) specification, is shaping up to be the most promising answer for mobile enterprise applications--and Microsoft will never support that. Already, several companies--including Aligo, 4thpass, and Covigo--offer software for developing and deploying J2ME applications on PDAs, phones, and so on.
Wait, client-side Java? For many of us, that conjures unpleasant memories of buggy little applets that could crash Windows like nothing else. But that's because they were largely toys written by amateurs--and Java specifications have come a long way since 1997. Conveniently, all but a few mobile devices have Java Virtual Machines, including a host of smart phones.
Besides, consider the alternatives when you're deploying enterprise applications on wee devices. You can take the thin-client HTML route, which leads you to clunky, WAP-like apps along with the need for a more-or-less continuous connection to the host (give or take some page caching). Or you can develop for the Palm OS or Windows CE, say, and build a fine enterprise app that leaves you with two problems: a lot of overhead for a one-off app plus upgrades and patches that must be deployed manually, just like in the bad old client/server days.
Mobile Java apps can split the difference. Unlike HTML, Java provides the freedom to design a user interface that makes the most of tight quarters--and, of course, users can save files and work without a connection. Best of all, because Java applications are downloadable, you avoid client/server deployment nightmares. Aligo's M1-Server offering is particularly intriguing--it enables developers to write mobile Java apps that can be deployed anywhere, without worrying about the details of wireless protocols and individual devices. And the forthcoming 3.0 release promises elegant maintenance and versioning of client apps over wireless connections.
Right now, you may not want to consider anything other than keeping your IT ship afloat. But when the economy bounces back, so will enthusiasm for wireless, and some companies may want to jump in early to gain advantage. So learn from the past. Rather than consider some proprietary mobile technology that will lock you in--a big reason the first wave of wireless flopped--cultivate your existing Java development resources so that when the time comes, you can ramp up to mobile with the least pain. After all, today's forgotten initiative is tomorrow's top priority.
Is the mobile enterprise the furthest thing from your mind? Or do you have an application development strategy in your back pocket? E-mail Eric or Talk Back below.
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