Java in the Mobile Enterprise
An overview of iAnywhere Solutions' comprehensive support for Java through its m-Business platform
Fueled by the need for mobility and the promise of information anywhere, the next wave in the e-Business revolution is mobile and wireless e-Business, or m-Business. Organizations are demanding the ability to access business critical information, anywhere, anytime, to improve productivity, streamline operations and create new revenue streams.
Mobile and wireless computing provides a significant competitive advantage. Professionals are able to conduct an increasing number of business activities outside traditional office settings, ranging from e-mail and line of business applications such as sales and field force automation, to vertical opportunities such as mobile banking. With the proliferation of laptop and handheld devices, popularity of the Internet and the growth of wireless data communications, the mobile and wireless market is growing quickly.
It's no secret that building mobile and wireless solutions is complex, and requires advanced technical skills to bring successful solutions to market quickly. Organizations are faced with technical barriers when developing m-Business solutions, such as integrating disparate networks, devices and operating systems. Companies must also overcome enterprise integration issues to ensure the seamless flow of information between enterprise systems and mobile devices. Java is an effective tool for overcoming these challenges.
iAnywhere Solutions supports the Java promise of write once, run anywhere, with its m-Business platform. The iAnywhere Solutions m-Business platform is an integrated, end-to-end software architecture for extending the reach of e-Business applications, enterprise data and Internet content to mobile, wireless, remote and embedded devices. Built on leading data management, enterprise synchronization, wireless application server and messaging technologies, the m-Business platform uniquely enables the development of "always available" applications, enabling workers to be productive and access corporate data and applications anywhere, anytime.
iAnywhere Solutions' m-Business platform provides comprehensive Java support with a 100% pure Java mobile database, support for Java stored procedures and synchronization scripts, a J2EE certified wireless application server, a complete JMS-based mobile messaging service and Java-based administration tools. Companies can minimize development and deployment time, as well as maintenance costs by developing their application once in Java and deploying it to multiple operating systems and devices across their organization. Programmers can use a common language across all parts of their wired or wireless application deployment, vastly increasing productivity and speeding time to deployment.
Typically, mobile and wireless applications are deployed in one of two ways: with a smart client or thin client, browser-based architecture. Choosing which depends on the individual business goals and technical requirements of your mobile deployment. With more than 6 million seats of its technology at work for more than 10,000 customers worldwide, iAnywhere Solutions has more than a decade of experience in helping customers build successful m-Business solutions. Java can play a key role in maximizing productivity in developing for each of these architectures. Let's take a closer look.
J2SE, J2ME and the Smart Client
Smart client applications target devices with local storage capacity, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), “smart phones†and laptops. iAnywhere Solutions pioneered the concept of the “always available†smart client application, which regardless of device, connection or application type, enables access to critical information anywhere, anytime. This architecture eliminates many of the issues associated with slow, unreliable wireless networks. Smart client applications allow the user to interact with locally stored information rather than accessing applications over a wireless network connection-greatly increasing application performance and battery life. In addition, as only the changed information needs to be synchronized back to the enterprise, costs associated with connection time are minimized. Smart client applications can be effectively written in Java and run on a wide range of devices.
For a smart client application with a Java application on the client device, there are two options for Java platforms: Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE) and Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME). Applications based on J2SE are standalone Java applications, usually using Personal Java. Personal Java is a subset of J2SE with a smaller Java Runtime Environment (JRE) suitable for the limited storage capacity of PDAs. Java Virtual Machines (JVMs) based on J2SE exist for a wide variety of client devices including Pocket PC and Symbian OS, Linux and Palm OS devices.
When considering J2ME, there are a variety of options available. There are various profiles that are suitable for different devices. The profile of interest for smart client applications is the upcoming Personal Profile. This profile is expected to replace Personal Java over time, and become the platform of choice for Java applications on devices such as PDAs and high-end smart phones.
| Getting Started with Mobile e-Mail For many enterprises, one of the most important enterprise applications to provide to mobile workers is e-mail. By giving mobile workers access to e-mail from their mobile and wireless devices, an enterprise can experience significant returns in cost and worker productivity. By using a smart-client model, workers can connect to the wireless network, synchronize their enterprise e-mail to their device, and then disconnect. This enables workers to compose e-mail messages, reply to e-mail and view their calendar information while disconnected from the network, saving money and frustration. Then, when the user wants to send e-mail, or check for new mail, they can simply reconnect and synchronize again. iAnywhere Mobile Mail provides available an out-of-the-box solution to give mobile workers access to their Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange e-mail and personal information from handheld devices. |
Local Data Store
The local data store of a smart-client application allows the user to have access to data when and where it is needed, even when not connected or out of coverage. The user can view, add or edit data on the mobile device. Despite a small footprint, the data store should be robust and secure, and must integrate with the enterprise database while maintaining data integrity. Ideally, the data should be accessible in the same way that it would be from the enterprise database.
| “Always Available†Solutions Ensure Access to Enterprise Information Regardless of device, connection or application type, iAnywhere Solutions ensures “always available†access to data and corporate applications - empowering workers to be productive with the information they need, when they need it. Its SQL Anywhere Studio, the industry leading data management and enterprise synchronization solution for mobile, workgroup and embedded database solutions, provides the cornerstone for developing smart client applications. SQL Anywhere Studio components include Adaptive Server Anywhere, MobiLink and the UltraLite deployment option. |
There are several options to implement local data storage that range from flat files to fully functional SQL databases. Part of iAnywhere Solutions' SQL Anywhere Studio data management and enterprise synchronization solution, Adaptive Server Anywhere (ASA) is a relational, transaction-based SQL database designed for mobile, workgroup and embedded use that can be deployed to smart client devices. In addition to a Type 4 JDBC driver, Adaptive Server Anywhere supports Java stored procedures and the ability to create user defined datatypes based on Java classes.
UltraLite is a deployment technology for Adaptive Server Anywhere databases, aimed at memory-constrained environments such as PDAs and smart phones. UltraLite is available in a pure Java version, with all access to the UltraLite database accomplished through the UltraLite JDBC driver. Applications can be written once in Java and deployed to Palm OS, Pocket PC, Symbian and other operating systems, or to any device with a JVM.
Synchronization
Local data storage, however, is not enough to create a useful mobile enterprise application. The application must integrate with the enterprise database through data synchronization. Synchronization allows the mobile user to send changes from the local data store on the device to the consolidated database at the enterprise. During the synchronization process, the device database is updated with the latest data from the enterprise and any changes made to the local data store are updated on the back end. This bi-directional synchronization, in addition to conflict detection and resolution logic, allows data integrity to be maintained on both the wireless and enterprise databases. Not all data needs to be synchronized at the same time; only mission critical data needs to be synchronized wirelessly. Using the priority synchronization capability, less critical data, such as a graphics or unnecessary text, can be synchronized in a more reliable and less expensive way, such as through cradle synchronization.
iAnywhere Solutions' MobiLink is the synchronization technology that enables synchronization between Adaptive Server Anywhere or UltraLite remote databases and an ODBC-compliant consolidated database, such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise or another Adaptive Server Anywhere database. For non-ODBC-compliant data sources, iAnywhere Solutions offers Java-based adapters for enterprise connectivity.
MobiLink communicates over IP-based, HTTP, HotSync or serial connection with the local database. The MobiLink server uses synchronization scripts and rules to determine which data to synchronize and how to resolve conflicts. Synchronization scripts can be written in Java to connect with equal efficiency to different backend databases. Most large organizations have a number of different back end systems that require synchronizing scripts in their own language. iAnywhere Solutions enables programmers to write synchronization scripts once in Java, and have them work on each of their different systems.
Messaging
In addition to synchronization, enterprises often require the ability to send messages from the enterprise server to the mobile client, in order to transmit important data between server and client. Ideally, messages should be deliverable through many networks and to many devices and if one end of the delivery chain is not available at a given time, the message should not be destroyed but queued up for later delivery. iAnywhere Solutions provides a store and forward message system that can be accessed through a Java interface and easily integrated into an existing smart client application. Messaging can be incorporated to give applications the ability to talk to one another, or for the server to send messages to client applications, such as low inventory warnings or order approval notifications.
| Managing Smart Client Applications As organizations deploy smart client applications, they are faced with the challenge of software and content distribution to remote and mobile devices, as well as tracking hardware and software assets and configurations. iAnywhere Mobile Manager provides a complete solution for centralized management of hardware and applications for mobile and remote systems. Featuring enterprise class scalability, reliable fault-tolerance, and an intuitive, easy to use interface, iAnywhere Mobile Manager substantially reduces the cost and simplifies the deployment and support of m-Business solutions. |
A Wireless J2EE Framework
The second type of mobile and wireless architecture is browser-based, or “thin-clientâ€, applications for the wireless Internet. A thin-client deployment provides direct access to enterprise data, which is suitable for a dynamic environment where users need real-time access to up-to-date information. With traditional browser-based applications, all of the integrated business logic, including access to corporate databases, ERP systems or other data sources, remains on the server. Unlike smart client applications, thin client applications do not have persistent data storage. In order to access data, a reliable network connection is required. Corporations with users in areas of poor wireless coverage or insufficient bandwidth may find it beneficial to deploy smart client applications instead.
Java allows developers to use the same skill set as smart client applications to create scalable, cross-platform, server-based solutions, helping to overcome the challenges of multiple devices, networks and protocols.
| Taking Enterprise Applications Wireless iAnywhere m-Business Studio is a comprehensive, integrated software package for extending the reach of e-Business applications, enterprise data and Internet content to mobile and wireless devices, including smartphones, PDAs and laptops. Building on leading wireless application server, messaging, data management and enterprise synchronization technologies, this package provides the core foundation necessary for conducting mobile and wireless e-Business, or "m-Business," while managing the risk and reducing the costs and development time typically associated with successful projects. |
iAnywhere m-Business Studio includes a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) certified wireless application server and provides a Java-based framework to easily develop applications that can deliver device-appropriate content to a variety of wireless devices. This framework is ideal for server applications that require performance, scalability and integration with diverse enterprise systems. J2EE is geared for enterprise applications, providing client support using Java servlets and Java Server Pages (JSPs), and component based development using Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs).
The Wireless Internet
Thin client applications for the wireless Internet are built using the same architecture as traditional wired web applications. Java servlets and JSPs can be used to link content from different data sources and generate dynamic content. By developing applications using JSPs, developers can leverage the full power of the Java language. At the same time, non-Java developers can use familiar, simple tags to enable the generation of dynamic content.
Along with the numerous built-in functions and classes, iAnywhere m-Business Studio's wireless application server provides a JSP tag library to make it easy for JSP developers to access the same functionality that is available to servlet developers. Also included is a JSP tag library, giving programmers a straightforward way to generate custom content for different devices and to access the features of the wireless application server. The tags allow easy access to objects and a simple way to control the flow of the program and the format of the pages being delivered. The tag library includes modules to simplify device detection, content presentation, database access and session management.
Messaging and Alerts
iAnywhere m-Business Studio also provides mobile messaging services, enabling users to both queue outbound requests and asynchronously receive outbound messages delivered from the network. These messaging services offer advanced wireless features such as store-and-forward message queuing for guaranteed delivery, push messaging and security features, such as user authentication and encryption. In addition, messages can be used to alert users or to initiate an action, such as data synchronization.
iAnywhere m-Business Studio uses queues on both the server and the client to store messages when the user is out of coverage or working offline. These messages are then transparently delivered as soon as the network becomes available. iAnywhere m-Business Studio's messaging architecture is based on Java Messaging Service (JMS), offering network and device independence and the ability for users to receive messages even when they are roaming between networks. In addition, the JMS layer enables programmers to write messaging scripts using a single API to interact with a variety of messaging types including e-mail, short messaging service (SMS), HDML and WAP alerts, and XML.
Your One-Stop Source for Java Enabled Mobile and Wireless Solutions
Whether a company chooses to develop and deploy a thin client or smart client application to their mobile workers, iAnywhere Solutions' extensive support of Java technologies throughout its m-Business platform can help to increase productivity and speed time to deployment. Our integrated, end-to-end software architecture and the flexibility and transportability of Java directly address the most common difficulties of mobile and wireless applications: multiple devices, network connection types and enterprise systems.
iAnywhere Solutions is the market leading provider of mobile and wireless solutions that enable anywhere, anytime access to enterprise information and applications. With our award-winning m-Business technology platform, engineering and professional services teams and strategic partnerships, iAnywhere Solutions provides a one-stop source for developing, implementing and deploying successful m-Business solutions. Our comprehensive m-Business platform enables the mobile enterprise through e-mail to line of business applications, such as sales force automation, field service and customer relationship management. iAnywhere Solutions eliminates the need for customers to integrate offerings from a variety of vendors, maximizing efficiency, minimizing frustration and ultimately accelerating time to market.
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