The first 5 things to think about when planning an enterprise mobility deployment

Is your organisation investigating ways to eliminate collecting data on paper for your mobile workforce?

This week we are exploring the top 10 important questions you should ask vendors you are evaluating before you make this decision.

1. Does the solution allow me to configure applications with no programming required? Will I need to pay the vendor each time I want to make changes to my applications?

We use the MobileFrame platform where no custom programming is required to create applications custom tailored to your organization's needs. Because business is dynamic, most companies need to make changes to their applications as their business evolves. The solution allows customers to simply open the application in the Task Library, make the changes and deploy them to the field without writing a single line of programming code or paying us for each change.

2. Can I use a variety of hardware in the field? Some of my users want a handheld Windows Mobile device and other users want to use tablets or laptops. What about supporting different hardware manufacturers with different operating systems?
Applications can be deployed to any .NET enabled device such as Windows Mobile, Tablet PC, or Laptops without having to compile code for each device-type or re-compile code when the application changes. The software recognizes what device it is installed on and will automatically call the correct barcode drivers, imagers, etc. Over time many customers purchase additional hardware as their workforce grows.

3. I have data in tables that is constantly changing, such as work order assignments, inventory levels, etc. How do the mobile workers get this new data?

Our Dynamic Enterprise Data feature allows the customer to define how often updated/changed data is sent out to the field. And, business rules can be defined that tell the system to send this new data to everyone assigned to the project or to only those workers who need to see the specific data. For example, if work orders were assigned to a specific technician the system could be set up to automatically send the data only to that technician.

4. How can I integrate the mobile applications with my backend business systems?

The majority of applications deployed today require integration to the customer’s business systems so that mobile workers can access data such as inventory levels, work orders assigned to them, account status, etc.

The Integration Wizard makes this task a very simple process that can be accomplished in minutes instead of the months required by traditional development solutions. It also allows automatic table discovery with point and click integration to any OLEDB or ODBC capable database. Once connected to the external database, the Integration Wizard will create the integration code automatically with no programming required. The wizard even allows the user to schedule how often to retrieve new or changed data in the backend system tables. Once changes are detected, the data is routed to the correct mobile worker with no manual intervention required.

5. How does the solution work if there is no internet connectivity?

Because wireless networks are not always available or reliable, the platform is designed to contain all business logic and data on the handheld device, enabling full functionality both online and offline. When wireless or wired access is available, mobile workers can communicate with the office in real-time. The system can automatically or on command send and receive queued transactions, content and messages via a secure connection. This feature optimizes user productivity while minimizing transmission costs.

Next time 5 more things to think about...

Contact us about MobileWorxs Enterprise Mobility sales@mobileworxs.com

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