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| A generic roadmap that meets the needs of all potential deployments would be quite a valuable document and, unfortunately, impossible to create. What can be offered, however, is advice collected from the pioneers in deploying mobile solutions of the sort that is summarized in the figure below. |
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Most IT departments will deal with mobile technology first as an experiment with an important application, then as an increasing number of requests, and finally as an extension of the supported computing platform.
One of the first problems faced is similar to what happened with web sites in the late 1990s. Usage spontaneously exploded outside of the management of IT. Early implementers recommend a three-stage approach to the initial problem of bringing mobile devices into the fold:
• Connect devices that may not be under corporate management to the network.
• Start managing those devices by putting a standard layer of application and
utility functionality on them.
• Secure the devices and control what may be done with them.
Once a standard platform for mobile computing is offered by an IT department, early implementers recommend first offering horizontal applications such as access to email, calendar, and address book and then later follow up with appropriate vertical mobile solutions based on ERP, CRM, and SCM applications. Early implementers caution that for mobile solutions, one device does not fit all. Usability is key—consideration should be given to where the device will be used, how it will be used and who will be using it (matching form factors to user groups). It’s also important for rollout to occur in stages; pilot users are generally forgiving and will give a solution some time to improve, but end users expect perfection and quickly lose interest in the face of difficulties.
During implementation, some of the most common problems include making incorrect assumptions about bandwidth, network speed, device capabilities, the amount of data required on the device, and the time required to synchronize the data. Planning for synchronization is one of the most problematic areas. Early implementers point out that capacity planning must account for the bursty nature of synchronization. For disconnected devices used in the field, all users may synchronize at about the same times, right at the beginning and end of shifts, for example, which can have a dramatic impact on the need for capacity.
IT departments often underestimate the time needed for the initial sync, which can result in users waiting hours for the initial synchronization of the device to complete over a narrow wireless pipe. Frequently, the initial sync is best accomplished through a wired network. Testing with enough data to really represent the application instead of just a few records goes a long way to finding potential synchronization problems.
One irony of mobile computing is that by planning for a bad network you get a better computing environment. Smart mobile computing reduces latency and enables users to make progress regardless of network connectivity. |
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