Mobile Expert Interview: Motorola Solution's Mark Kirsten

Enterprise mobility is evolving at an incredible rate and it is hard to keep up with all the changes.  Let me try to get us all up to speed on Motorola Solutions.  Motorola Solutions bought Symbol Technologies (the rugged handheld and barcode device manufacturer) in 2007.   Motorola Solutions purchased RhoMobile (enterprise mobile platform developer) in 2011.  Zebra Technologies is now acquiring Motorola Solutions (the non-government side of the business).  Zebra is also making a play at being a player in the Internet of Things space. Did you get all that?

In this Mobile Expert Interview segment, I have the pleasure of interviewing Motorola Solutions' Mark Kirsten about their evolving enterprise mobility platform strategies and developments.  Enjoy!

Video Link: http://youtu.be/JfAVgm5HXz0?list=UUGizQCw2Zbs3eTLwp7icoqw

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Writer, Speaker, Editor

Senior Analyst, Digital Transformation, EBA, Center for the Future of Work Cognizant

View my profile on LinkedIn

Learn about mobile strategies at MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Browse the Mobile Solution Directory

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

Recommended Strategy Book Code Halos

Recommended iPad App Code Halos for iPads

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

What Mobile Software Vendor will Oracle Buy in 2012?

What mobile software vendor will Oracle buy in 2012?  This is the question I asked, and sixty-six people shared their thoughts.  Here are their answers:

• 42% - Antenna Software
• 27% - Kony Solutions
• 13% - Verivo (formerly Pyxis Mobile)
• 12% - Syclo
• 4%   - Rhomobile

I asked this question because SAP bought Sybase, IBM bought WorkLight, HP bought webOS (oops!), and it seems like Oracle must make a move into enterprise mobility soon.  The market will not wait for Oracle, so if Oracle wants to control their future they need to act.

*************************************************************

Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile Industry Analyst, Consultant and SAP Mentor Volunteer

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility and Sybase Unwired Platform Groups

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Motorola's RhoElements is this Strategy a Trend?

In October of 2011, Motorola Solutions (MSI), the segment of Motorola that split off to focus on business solutions, acquired RhoMobile.   Rhomobile is a software company that develops mobile business and government solutions, and MEAPs (mobile enterprise application platforms).  The day that Motorola announced this acquisition, they also announced a new solution from RhoMobile called RhoElements, a hybrid HTML5 platform for Windows Mobile, Windows CE and Android based Motorola devices.

This is an interesting strategy for a traditional manufacturer of Windows Mobile and Windows CE based barcode scanners, ruggedized smartphones, handheld and tablet computers.  It appears that MSI is no longer willing to wait for Microsoft based OS answers and upgrade paths.  

Over the past few years, Microsoft has severely damaged the ruggedized hardware market through neglect and a refusal to provide an upgrade path for their Windows Mobile and Windows CE mobile operating systems.  This has forced the ruggedized hardware manufacturers to try to compete and sell expensive mobile hardware, with outdated operating systems, against a tsunami of innovative, inexpensive, new consumer-oriented smartphones and tablets.  The ruggedized handheld manufacturers have seen their markets shrink as a result.

This Microsoft engineered disadvantage is motivating the manufacturers of industrial grade mobile devices to look for alternative solutions and upgrade paths.  It appears that MSI has acquired theirs with RhoMobile.  Rather than wait for Microsoft, MSI released RhoElement which appears to enable HTML5 based mobile applications to run on the old Windows CE and Windows Mobile browsers as this excerpt from DevProConnect states, "RhoElements is designed to allow businesses to quickly and cost-effectively develop and deploy web-based applications on existing Motorola Windows Embedded Handheld (formerly known as Windows Mobile) and Windows Embedded Compact (Win-CE) mobile computers as well as Motorola's recently announced ET1 Android-based enterprise tablet."

MSI bought a MEAP with RhoMobile that they hope to make a "universal" standard.  RhoElement already supports Windows Mobile 6.5 and Android, and they have promised to soon support all of the other popular OSs.

Let's now take a closer look at some of the motivations that MSI has given for the acquisition of RhoMobile:

• We (MSI and RhoMobile) have a shared focus on the enterprise with a strong commitment to partners.
• MSI will provide the scale, resources, and industry knowledge to accelerate universal adoption of Rho technology.
• MSI is strategically committed to the Rhomobile suite of products.
• MSI is committed to supporting the Rhomobile community and continuing the open source heritage of Rhodes.

My analysis is that given the lack of answers and no Microsoft provided upgrade path, MSI is strategically changing paths.  They have seen the negative impact on their business caused by a dependence on Microsoft and have sought and found a non-operating system dependent path to innovation which is a RhoElement,  HTML5 hybrid approach to enterprise mobility solutions.

It will be very interesting to see if others like Intermec, PSION, Honeywell, Trimble and others also decide to acquire a non-Microsoft path.

*************************************************************

Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile Industry Analyst, Consultant and SAP Mentor Volunteer

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility and Sybase Unwired Platform Groups

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Read The M2M News Monthly

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.