Companies have invested heavily in their corporate systems, databases and
applications. Providing desktop access to these systems and to this information
has significantly enhanced employee productivity and effectiveness. But workers
in the field (service, installation, delivery, sales, etc.) have historically
enjoyed only limited access to the systems and data available at head office.
In an effort to improve quality, lower costs and increase customer and employee
satisfaction, a growing number of government and corporate enterprises are now
extending their information and applications right out to handheld devices
carried by field employees. Some of these wireless implementations have been
successful while others have been disappointing.
Extending enterprise applications to field forces can improve productivity,
reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction. However, care must be taken in
the design and systems used to overcome the limitations of wireless data
networks and handheld devices.
As most CIOs know, developing customized
application software internally can be a very expensive and time-consuming
approach to a solution. Most companies overlook the complexity of ongoing
development requirements when they undertake a wireless application project.
This document also looks at the various types of solutions available in the
market today and presents the pros and cons of each. It examines the factors to
consider when adding wireless access to existing corporate applications or when
designing new wireless applications for enterprises. These factors include
networking issues, device issues and issues involving the software or platform
needed to make it all work seamlessly.
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