Bluetooth is a short-range wireless standard designed to link laptops or PDAs with peripherals such as mobile phones or printers. Bluetooth is sometimes used in warehouse or stock control applications.
One of the problems with mobile clients is that they may only have sporadic contact with central corporate systems, and devices such as PDAs might not be able to store a lot of data locally.
For this reason, there must be some mechanism to ensure that workers have up-to-date data, and that any changes made to data in the field are incorporated back into the central repository. Vendors such as Extended Systems, Intellisync and Sybase subsidiary iAnywhere Solutions all offer middleware systems for this purpose. Most of these consist of a server that handles communication with the mobile clients and keeps the mobile worker's data synchronised with the central data repository.
IAnywhere's Pylon Anywhere, for example, enables remote access to email and PIM information on Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange groupware servers from Palm, Pocket PC, and Symbian devices, as well as Windows laptops. The BlackBerry Enterprise server, available from most UK mobile operators, provides similar features. The latest version of Microsoft's Exchange also supports wireless access.
A more recent trend is for firms to move beyond email and PIM data to look at mobilising other enterprise software such as CRM and enterprise resource planning (ERP) apps. Extended Systems, for example, offers mobile systems for sales, field service and pharmaceuticals, which are built on top of the same platform as its OneBridge Mobile groupware.
Systems such as this typically link to one or more central databases on which the corporate application is built, and may require some developer work by the vendor or a local systems integrator to meet a company's exact needs.
Alternatively, web-based access to applications and data can largely avoid the need for middleware, but not all applications can be "published" to the web, and handheld clients often have only basic browsers that may not support JavaScript or other technology used by such applications.
Another solution is to use a VPN to allow mobile clients to link securely to the corporate network. Pocket PC devices have had a built-in VPN client since the 2002 version of the platform, while Certicom offers versions of it Movian VPN client for Palm, Symbian, and Pocket PC. VPN appliance maker Neoteris (now part of NetScreen) last year added middleware to its Secure Access devices, allowing Pocket PC and Symbian clients to link to corporate resources using just a browser.
The most important piece of the puzzle as far as IT departments are concerned is management. Many enterprise management suites, such as those from Altiris and IBM's Tivoli, now support mobile devices running Palm OS, Pocket PC, and Symbian OS, as well as Windows PCs. Many middleware platforms, such as Extended's OneBridge, also include management tools.
However, the capabilities of management tools vary. Most allow for software deployment to, and configuration of, a firm's mobile clients, but not all have the ability to automatically discover new devices. Some tools, such as those for security policy enforcement, may be optional components.
Security is another major consideration, especially if mobile devices containing corporate information are to be taken off-site. While some middleware platforms allow an administrator to remotely wipe a client, this relies on the user to promptly report a loss or theft. Tools such as those from Pointsec or Asynchrony Solutions can secure access to the client device itself by encrypting all data stored locally, and can protect it with a password.
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