Showing posts with label sybase. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sybase. Show all posts

SAP and the Enterprise Mobility Message

I had the opportunity over the past few weeks to meet with many SAP customers to discuss enterprise mobility.  I was surprised over the course of these weeks that none of the folks at the companies that I spoke with had attended SAPPHIRENOW 2010 or 2011.  As a result, most had very little knowledge of SAP's enterprise mobility plans, solutions or roadmaps.  Even less had knowledge of the Sybase Unwired Platform or Afaria.  In many cases it was as if I were the first to be sharing this information with them.

All of the companies that I met with were keenly interested in mobility and were working on mobility strategies and projects.  It is obvious to me, as a result of these meetings, that there is an entire community of SAP customers that have missed the enterprise mobility message.  I think it would be beneficial for SAP to develop additional marketing strategies to try to target this apparently large community of SAP users and decision makers that don't seem to currently be in the loop on SAP's mobility strategies and solutions.

I would encourage SAP to aggressively promote their mobility solutions and strategies into this community as all were in the process of developing or implementing mobility strategies.  Many of these companies were very large companies, and someone in the company may know all about SAP's mobility roadmap, but not the folks developing the strategy.

Upcoming Events

ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform



*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Brussels Eggs with Benedict Mobility Breakfast Series, June 30th

Eggs with Benedict Brussels
Another day and another city eating breakfasts (still without the promised eggs) and speaking on enterprise mobility and strategies.  We had a good group today in Brussels and we learned a lot from each other.  One of the companies in attendance has over 10,000 SAP users in EMEA alone.  Wow!  They were attending to learn more about putting together a global mobility strategy.

Two members of the audience traveled from different countries just to attend our breakfast series on enterprise mobility.

I learned from one of the attendees about a digital pen that they use in South Africa for "proof-of-delivery" applications.  It is called Anoto and enables the user to write on pre-formatted forms and the embedded scanner in the pen digitizes the data and the location it was written on the form.  This data is uploaded to the integrated enterprise system and is extremely accurate.  They have been using it in production for some time now with great results.

One of the attendees shared that the executives in their company had approved buying expensive smartphones, but not mobile applications to go with them.  As a result, the smartphones are only used for voice, text and email, although recently the pressure has been increasing for mobile applications.

Another attendee reported that their CEO was insisting that he use only an iPad to manage the entire global company, but this is still just a dream as no budget has been approved to deliver the require mobile solutions.  The will is there by all parties, just not the resources yet.

More feedback was that the highest demand internally at one company in attendance was for mobile CRM for their field sales organization.  They want to use iPads because of the technical nature and complexity of their products.

Also in attendance was an experienced investor, consultant and former telecom CEO there to learn more about the latest developments in enterprise mobility.  We had some very interesting discussions following the meeting.  He is looking for investment opportunities within enterprise mobility.

At each of these meetings held across Europe this week I have asked the same question, "Where is your company on the mobility maturity curve?"  So far all of the attendees have answered that they are a 1 or 2 on a 4 point maturity scale.  There is a huge amount of pent up demand for mobile solutions reported, but resources, time and budget have not yet been fully dedicated.

Today I also spoke to an SAP customer with over 80,000 employees.  The attendees from this company were not aware that SAP acquired Sybase and that SAP/Sybase had mobility offerings.  They had been trying to figure out how to develop or find existing mobile SAP Workflow apps.  They were not aware that SAP already has this.  SAP, you owe me.

Tomorrow I wrap up a very busy week of meetings, breakfasts and travel by presenting the last Eggs with Benedict meeting in London.  My tour sponsors at K2 Partnering have promised me that they will provide Eggs Benedict for breakfast tomorrow.  I will hold them to it.

Upcoming Events

Eggs with Benedict - European Tour - Mobility Strategies and More, June 27 – July 1, 2011
ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform


*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Frankfurt Eggs with Benedict Mobility Breakfast Series, June 29th

Today, the folks from K2 Partnering and I had another very interesting breakfast meeting, this time in Frankfurt, Germany. The audience included representatives from SAP and SAP CPG customers.

The folks from the CPG company had over 10 years worth of production mobility experience.  They shared information about their custom built mobility app that had retail, SFA and merchandizing features. It ran on the Windows Mobile OS, and has been in production for many years.  This mobile application was developed in the rich/thick client model and includes a mobile database, and is customized for every region based upon the products sold there.  Administrators custom configure each region's mobility applications using a purpose built configuration tool.

The big problem with the CPG customer’s existing mobile application is that it requires Windows Mobile  6.5 and devices that use it OS.  Today, smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.5 are nearly impossible to find and the company must scour the internet for replacement devices.  Their replacement needs are substantial as they have many thousands of users.

They are now developing a replacement custom mobile application that will run on the Android OS. Why Android? One reason is because Microsoft would not help them figure out a way to support a database on Windows Phone 7. Another reason seemed to be that the CPG company had already gone down a dead end street with a Microsoft mobile OS. They did not want to be in the same situation again.

Another interesting note, Sybase had talked to them earlier this year and had not helped them understand how SUP would be useful for this project. This is unfortunate as it seems to me to be a good fit.  I think they may not have had the right mobility expert involved in these discussions.  They did recognize big value in Afaria, but that also seemed to lose focus over time.

During my presentations I emphasized that enterprise mobility is NOT about just supporting today’s available mobile devices, but about supporting mobile capabilities for today and tomorrow. In other words enterprises must take a long term platform view of mobility and prepare to support all the major mobile OS platforms today and tomorrow, rather than specific brands and device models.  The IT audience in attendance agreed, but said their executives were focused on specific devices such as supporting iPads and iPhones. It is indeed a challenge.

Today’s mobile devices create enthusiasm and passion amongst senior management which open up budgets and encourage projects, but the IT team must temper this enthusiasm long enough to implement a solid infrastructure and platform to support future mobility solutions as well.

Even in Germany, there were no eggs served for breakfast.  Tomorrow I am speaking in Brussels and will see if there are eggs there.

Upcoming Events

Eggs with Benedict - European Tour - Mobility Strategies and More, June 27 – July 1, 2011
ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform




*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Geneva Eggs With Benedict Mobility Breakfast Meeting, June 27th

Eggs With Benedict Geneva
Today the folks from K2 Partnering and I were in Geneva, Switzerland for a mobility breakfast meeting.  It was a beautiful venue on the lake.  We met mobility experts from many different companies and had numerous discussions about interesting projects.

Did you know that in some places in Africa medicine bottles have phone numbers on them so you can text to validate the medicine's authenticity?  Seems counterfeit medicine is a huge problem in Africa.

Did you know some companies are wanting to capture and utilize the knowledge of their remote workers around the world by implementing social networking and knowledge management solutions?  Seems many remote workers do not even have computers.  Companies are considering supplying them with mobile phones with SMS capabilities to integrate with these solutions.  Very interesting!

Another issue - It is often very difficult for a remote worker to find in-house experts in the same company in different parts of the world?  Seems many in-house experts are only known through personal relationships.  Large companies want to optimize the value of their institutional knowledge and expertise through mobility. 

I am always interested to learn how different systems integrators around the world view the Sybase Unwired Platform and SAP's mobility strategy.  I spoke to an SI today that believes Afaria is top notch, but is less convinced about the rest of SUP.  He wondered why SAP did not just expand DOE to cover the mobility feature gap.  I shared my opinion that there are many motivations for acquiring a company beyond just a particular product feature set.  There is market position, image, perception, momentum, brand evolution and a need to start strong and command attention.  Everyone must start and build.  Sybase was a good place to start and build.

The SIs I spoke with today are seeing a lot of mobility interest from their clients in central Europe.  They have numerous opportunities and a strong mobility sales pipelines.

Tomorrow I will be in Frankfurt for another Eggs With Benedict mobility breakfast meeting.  Again I was disappointed that there were no real eggs for breakfast in Geneva.  How many croissants can one person eat?  There is still time to join me for breakfast in Brussels and London later this week to learn if I will ever see a real egg at these meetings.

Upcoming Events

Eggs with Benedict - European Tour - Mobility Strategies and More, June 27 – July 1, 2011
ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform



*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Paris Eggs with Benedict Breakfast Meeting, June 26th

We kicked off the Eggs with Benedict mobility series of breakfast meetings yesterday in sweltering Paris, France. Strangely there were no eggs at my breakfast, only croissants, esspresso and fruit.  We had an intimate group of attendees that were passionate about mobility and we explored some very interesting subjects related to the global challenges and demands on IT organizations for mobile solutions.

One CTO from a global cement manufacturer shared that he had just returned from Zambia where he met with his African IT organization and mobility was a central discussion point. The challenges they have are often basic infrastructure issues, like how to connect to the internet.

It was also interesting to learn that a global company was trying to figure out a way to connect with over half of their 78,000 employees who had no access to computers. They were looking at how mobility could solve this issue.

I also heard about how valuable SMS (texting) is to companies in many less developed countries. Basic mobile phones can support SMS, and many SMS solutions can provide incredible value. Banking, payments, notification of departure times for deliveries, etc., can all be done using SMS. One production text-based mobility solution discussed automatically notifying customers when their shipment left the depot. These were just a few of the many SMS based mobile solutions discussed over breakfast.

The discussion around SMS solutions helped me to better understand the value of Sybase’s 365 offerings to the overall mobility picture. Many of us who focus the majority of our time in the Western economies often forget there is much value outside of just expensive smartphones and tablets. We have yet to fully tap the power of SMS, but need motivates ingenuity.

The common thread with the meeting attendees was that enterprise mobility is a priority.  Now on to Geneva for the next Eggs with Benedict mobility breakfast meeting, perhaps there will be eggs.

Upcoming Events

Eggs with Benedict - European Tour - Mobility Strategies and More, June 27 – July 1, 2011
ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobile Field Services and Service Optimization - Not This Time

Yesterday we called our lawn sprinkler company and requested service.  The service was on a section that had been repaired earlier.  I was calling them back to repair the same section.

Here is what an optimzied service would have looked like:
  • The mobile service ticket would have alerted the service technician that this was the second visit for the same issue.
  • The service technician would call me and ask a few questions before driving all the way out to my house.  This would save time and money.
  • The service technician would then bring the required parts with him, thus reducing time and fuel and allowing for more work to be done in a day.
Instead, the service technician did not call, did not review the service ticket until arriving, did not look up my account details, and did not review my past service tickets and issues.  He drove all the way out, looked at the problem, realized he needed parts, drove all the way back to get the parts, and returned 30 minutes later.  A simple five minute visit took nearly an hour.  The cost was the same for the 5 minute visit as it was for 1 hour.

I remember another incident with my plumber.  I called and scheduled a service call.  I said I will take a photo and email it to you so you can see the problem and know what to be prepared for prior to coming out.  The dispatcher said, "What would I do with a photo?"  Never mind....

You probably don't want to be a service technician at my house.  I exhibit a freakish interest in your job, ask too many questions about the way your business operates and follow you around with a note pad. 

Upcoming Events

Eggs with Benedict - European Tour - Mobility Strategies and More, June 27 – July 1, 2011
ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform


*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Going to Australia to Speak on Mobility and Field Services - July 11-13th

Manly, Australia
I have been invited to speak at the ClickConnect APAC 2011 event in Manly, Sydney, Australia on the subjects of enterprise mobility and mobile field services July 11th-13th.  I was in Manly and Sydney in March speaking at the Mastering SAP Technologies conference and it was beautiful and an extraordinary place for a conference so was happy to accept. 

This event is open to companies that are involved in field services, service optimization and/or are looking to implement enterprise mobility strategies and solutions.

The focus of the event is on how service organisations can achieve high performance of their people, assets and overall service delivery by overcoming specific barriers that may stand in the way.

Folks from SAP, Sybase, ClickSoftware and many other service companies that have already successfully implemented mobile and service optimization solutions will be speaking.  If you are interested in attending click here for more information.

I will be leading a number of sessions on enterprise mobility strategies and the real-time, network centric operational approach to field services, and reporting on my most recent mobility research.  I hope to see you there!

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobility Insights for Tuesday

Mobile technologies can be so clever and interesting.  They can provide so many useful tools.  Let me share a few recent examples and experiences.

Example #1 - My good friend Jody Sedrick and his team here in Boise (home of the Boise State Bronco football team) have a mobile application called Find Things Fast that enables you to organize and quickly find your stuff.  First you take a photo of your possessions, and then identify the storage container and location of each. The end result is that you can quickly find your favorite winter sweater by searching your application and seeing quickly which box it is in, and where the box is located in the garage. This is like a consumer version of an enterprise asset management system. Very cool! 

Example #2 - Last week, while traveling, working and playing in Europe I used my iPhone (the WiFi connection) constantly for information, maps, looking up the history of a region and language translation. I also used skype on my iPhone to speak with my clients overseas. This would have been cost prohibitive without skype. I could not have done my job, while traveling, without the internet and mobile devices. 

Example #3 - I found an iPhone application called TextGrabber that enables you to take a photograph of a business card, article or page, and the app will automatically use OCR (optical character recognition) on the photo and import the text into a note page.  Now I can quote, cite or reference a statement in an article, word for word without re-typing.  This app cost something like .99 cents.

Example #4 - My wife kept a travel journal of our family vacation this year.  While sitting in an outdoor cafe or traveling on a train she would write about our experiences.  She did nearly all of her typing on an iPhone and then transferred it to her MacBook Pro later for additional editing.  She can type very fast and comfortably on her iPhone.  She proved the ability to take extensive notes and seamlessly transfer them back and forth with her laptop.  This is very useful for people that produce a lot of written content in mobile environments.

Example #5 - I read about a new language translation app for smartphones that enable you to take a photograph of any menu, sign, page, etc, and then the app will use both OCR (optical character recognition) technology and language translation software to convert the photo into print and then translate it for you.  Wow!  No more surprise dishes at the French restaurant.

Upcoming Events

Live Webinar - Learn how Carefusion mobilized SAP CRM Field Service with Syclo, June 22, 2011
Eggs with Benedict - European Tour - Mobility Strategies and More, June 27 – July 1, 2011
ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform



*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobility Can Change the World and Healthcare

Puneet Suppal
My friend Puneet Suppal from SAP wrote a great article this week that emphasizes some of the ways mobile technologies can improve and revolutionize the healthcare industry.  It is motivating to read these kinds of stories.  There are so many different ways that mobile technologies can improve things.  Let me highlight just a few.

When I want healthcare or medical answers I routinely look them up on my smartphone.  I simply enter http://www.webmd.com/ or any number of other quality sites to read up on the topic.  I found out recently that I am allergic to wheat.  I discovered this by looking up the symptoms and reading about it on my iPhone.  I then scheduled a blood test with my doctor to confirm.  The powerful part of this scenario is that mobile devices and smartphones can enable anyone, any place in the world that has access to the internet, the same capabilities for accessing information.  Smartphones and the internet can unlock the digitized knowledge of the world and make it accessible to even the remotest corners of the earth.

I worked on a mobility project a few years back that helped medicine be delivered to various parts of Africa.  Donors wanted proof of delivery of the medicine in order to continue the program.  We delivered a mobile supply chain management and "chain of custody" solution that documented the shipment and delivery of the medicine to final destination.  This entire solution utilized smartphones.

There are all kinds of advances in the medical device industry that utilizes mobile solutions and M2M technologies.  This week it was announced that Cinterion is planning to embed a cellular wireless chip into a heart arrhythmia monitoring device.  The device can monitor patients for up to 28 days and also enables care providers to communicate with patients via the device.

Last week I published an interview with Vivint's Scott Taylor on their use of smartphones and M2M (machine to machine) technologies in the home management and security solutions industries.  The capabilities Scott demonstrated on his iPhone are revolutionizing that industry as well.

It is an exciting time to be involved in enterprise mobility.

Upcoming Events

Live Webinar - Learn how Carefusion mobilized SAP CRM Field Service with Syclo, June 22, 2011
Eggs with Benedict - European Tour - Mobility Strategies and More, June 27 – July 1, 2011
ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform






*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Response to My Article on Sybase's Embedded Mobile Databases and HTML5

I received feedback on my article, "What Does HTML5 Mean for Sybase's Embedded Mobile Database Business?"  from Sybase's Tom Lee this week.  Comments don't show up well on this blogging platform so I wanted to publish it here so you could be sure to read it.  Please add your comments as well!

Tom Slee:  Kevin - interesting comments, but I have a few disagreements. I'm speaking as part of the Sybase mobile and embedded database team, but opinions are my own.

HTML5 is now, as you know, a much bigger spec than just the local database. It includes a lot of video and other UI enhancements (canvas and so on). What's more, the Web SQL Database that you are referring to is no longer part of the HTML5 spec (although it is still present in mobile browsers, still supported, and has a bright future - just not as part of a formal spec.) See http://www.w3.org/TR/webdatabase/

So I think the changing face of HTML5 leads to a couple of confusions in your article. Sybase SUP 2.0, which I think is what you are referring to when you say "September is when SAP estimates they will be releasing their HTML5 container" [Kevin's comment - No, I am referring to SUP 2.1) does not have offline database capability. The container model stores some data offline, but not rich or structured data.

Also, the Web SQL Database has no synchronization component. That means that while it is fine for storing app-specific data, any attempt to keep that data up to date with what's in an enterprise store must be done by a developer. As you know, the data sync/enterprise integration issue is -- like all data consistency problems -- complex, especially in enterprise applications. Sybase products solve that problem for developers.

Who knows where pricing and licensing will go? That depends on many developments in the mobile enterprise space and I have no crystal ball. But I am confident that there is still a future for the offline data model in mobile enterprise applications, and for software that tackles the complex issues around enterprise integration.

Thanks Tom!!!!

Any comments to add?

Upcoming Events

Webinar: Enabling the Agile Business through Mobile Strategy June 21, 2011
Live Webinar - Learn how Carefusion mobilized SAP CRM Field Service with Syclo, June 22, 2011
Eggs with Benedict - European Tour - Mobility Strategies and More, June 27 – July 1, 2011
ClickConnect APAC 2011, July 11 – 13, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011, July 13 – 15, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform



*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobile Expert Video Series: Sybase's Shawn McEwen

I met up with my long time friend Shawn McEwen on the shores of the Mediterranean last week and cornered him for an interview on Afaria and cloud computing, and why he was wearing dress shoes in the sand.


Upcoming Events

Live Webinar - Learn how Carefusion mobilized SAP CRM Field Service with Syclo, June 22, 2011
Syclo Mobile Conference 2011
Chicago Mart Plaza
July 13-15
www.syclo.com/smc2011

ClickConnect APAC 2011
Manly, Australia
July 11-13th
http://www.clicksoftware.com/www.clicksoftware.com/clickconnect-apac.htm

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
- No comments:
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Mobile Expert User Video: Portugal Telecom's Manuel Rosa de Silva

Mauel Rosa de Silva is an Executive Member of the Board at Portugal Telecom.  I met with him in Cannes, France in a hotel suite overlooking the town and peaceful Mediterranean to discuss enterprise mobility.

Portgual Telecom is a huge international media and entertainment company with locations around the world.  They are aggressively embracing the concept and strategy of the real-time enterprise.  They have recently implemented a number of different field services optimization solutions from ClickSoftware including deploying ClickMobile to 4,000 field engineers using Motorola MC65 mobile handhelds.



Upcoming Live Events

ClickConnect Europe Customer User Forum, June 8th-10th in Cannes, F
Live Webinar - Learn how Carefusion mobilized SAP CRM Field Service with Syclo, June 22, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Pre-recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Exclusive SAP Mentor and Blogger Briefing:  Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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What I Learned About Mobility at SAPPHIRENOW 2011, Part 2

In an article that I wrote pre-SAPPHIRENOW 2011, I shared what I hoped to learn at the conference.  In this article I share what I did learn.  I have included the original list and added what I have since learned.

1.  I hope that SAP and Sybase will unveil ambitious, innovative and powerful mobile solutions at Sapphire 2011.  What I learned - SAP announced 19 mobile applications, three to be released in June.  I understood the three to be EAM (enterprise asset management), CRM Field Services and Retail Execution.  The 16 or so later this year will utilize the HTML5 container to be released in SUP 2.1 in September.

2.  I want to know how SAP is going to address mobility in the cloud.  What I learned - Sybase's 360 business manages over 1.5 billion text messages per day.  I also know there is a lot of work with the MNOs (mobile network operators) to run Afaria in the cloud.  I think there is more for me to learn here.  I think SAP is doing more than I learned about.

3.  I want to learn how SAP is going to integrate M2M (machine to machine) wireless communications.  What I learned - SAP's CO-CEO Jim Snabe mentioned "sensors" seven times in 24 hours when I was in the room with him.  He spoke about "sense and respond" and directly about M2M (machine to machine) kinds of sensors and their role.  In a later keynote session with a group of futurists, they communicated that embedded sensors, M2M and wireless chips will be one of the next big revolutions.

4.  I want to see if SAP/Sybase have figured out how to simplify their enterprise mobility message and guidance for companies. What I learned - See my mobility photos from Day 1.  SAP created a mobility campus with about 10 booths showing specific mobility topics.  This was a good move SAP, but where was the booth on how to develop a mobility strategy?  I worked with the SAP PCN (premier customer network) round tables to help them think through strategies, but what about all the other companies?  I believe the right technology exists today, but there is still so much confusion that companies are hesitant to buy.  There is need for more work to be done helping companies determine and develop their mobility strategies.
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What I Learned about Mobility at SAPPHIRE Now 2011, Part 1

In April, I recorded a video and wrote an article sharing what I wanted to learn at SAPPHIRENOW 2011.  In an upcoming article I will address those items, but in the mean time, here are my notes from the conference.
  1. John Chen, CEO of Sybase said, "We expect to build only 10% of mobility apps, the ecosystem the rest."
  2. John Chen CEO of Sybase said, "We have 2,000 mobile deals in the pipeline."
  3. Marty Beard said that the Sybase 365 business grew over 100% last year.  This is the SMS solution that Sybase has.  It supports 1.5 billion text messages per day now.
  4. SAP announced 19 new mobile apps.
  5. Sybase announced SUP 2.0 with SDK
  6. SAP announced mobility partnership with Accenture.
  7. SAP will release three mobile applications in the June 2011 time frame, the rest in the September time frame.
  8. SAP will release SUP 2.1 in the September 2011 time frame and this will support the HTML5 container.
  9. Two of the first SAP mobile applications will be CRM Services and Retail Execution for CPG companies.  SAP's Nick Brown talks about them here.
  10. Jim Snabe announced an SAP Mobility Application store.
  11. SAP announced a new iPad application that provides a 360 degree view of a customer including; customer details, invoices, payments, deals, status etc.
  12. I personally hear SAP's Co-CEO Jim Snabe mention sensors 7 times in 24 hours.  He used an oft repeated phrase at SAPPHIRENOW 2011, "sense and respond."  In several cases he was definitely referred to M2M (machine to machine) communications and embedded wireless sensors.
  13. SAP's 2011/2012 strategy seems to be to focus on1)In-memory for speed, 2) extend the reach of business via mobile, 3) people collaboration with social media.
  14. I heard from the stage that SAP Co-CEOs manage SAP on iPads.
  15. The "Integrated Enterprise" is a big focus this year at SAPPHIRENOW 2011. You must be integrated to be real-time.  Mobility plays a big role in this.
  16. Terabytes worth of customer data is collected but never analyzed. Important patterns never get discovered and insights are not shared.
  17. Co-CEO Bill McDermott chooses to open his keynote talking about mobile retailing and mobile marketing applications shopping and comparing prices on smartphones.
  18. The panel of futurist at SAPPHIRENOW 2011 share my opinion expressed here regularly that embedded sensors, M2M and wireless chips will be one of the next big revolutions.
  19. Theme among futurist on the panel is that the computerization of healthcare will be revolutionary and change everything about healthcare.
  20. SAP keynote focused so far on real time analytics and mobility. The power of in-memory computing extended to mobile devices.
  21. Opening day keynote focused on real time analytics and mobility. The power of in-memory computing extended to mobile devices.
  22. I attended the opening day breakfast meeting arranged by SAP's PCN (premier customer network) and the discussion was dominated by enterprise mobility topics.
  23. In 2010 Sybase had a booth.  This year they had a campus.  See my photos of the mobility theater.
  24. MCAP is the acronym for mobile consumer apps.
  25. I worked with SAP's largest customers at the PCN mobility round table during 4 round table sessions.  Security is still their biggest mobility issue.  I was surprised that these large companies did not know more about Sybase's Afaria.  In most cases, I know Afaria could satisfy all of their security requirements, but they were not aware of it.  Here is your assignment Sybase and SAP!!!
  26. Mobile strategy and mobile security seemed to be the two key points needed by the companies I spent time with at SAPPHIRENOW 2011.
  27. I was surprised by how many big companies still have not started on enterprise mobility.  They all seemed to be feeling the pressure to deliver mobile applications, but many had yet to start.
Part 2 of this article will be my responses to the items I wanted to learn about, listed here, that I posed in advance of SAPPHIRENOW 2011.

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobile Expert Video Series: ClickSoftware's Moshe BenBassat, Part 2

This is Part 2 of an interview with ClickSoftware's Founder/CEO Dr. BenBassat at SAPPHIRENOW 2011 on mobile enterprise strategies.  In this part we discuss ClickSoftware's recently announced mobile app store called ClickApp Store.  Watch Part 1 here.





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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobile Expert Video Series: Smartsoft Mobile's Dan Homrich

In the Mobility Theater this week I saw the SAP team demonstrating an enterprise asset management application on an iPad that was developed by SAP partner Smartsoft Mobile.  I caught up with Smartsoft Mobile's CEO Dan Homrich to learn about the application and his mobility strategy.





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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobile Expert Video Series: SAP's Thortsen Stephan

Learn about SAP's mobility announcements this week from SAP's Thortsen Stephan in this interview.  He explains SUP 2.0.




*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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SAPPHIRENOW 2011 Day 2 Mobility Photos!

SAP Co-CEOs
Day 2 at SAPPHIRENOW 2011 was "Mobility Day" with many mobility related announcements.  The three from SAP were on:
  1. SUP (Sybase Unwired Platform) version 2.0
  2. SAP and Accenture partnering to deliver mobile apps
  3. SAP announced 19 new mobile applications to be released by September 2011
Here is the photo slideshow related to enterprise mobility for Day 2.

SLIDE SHOW!



*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobile Expert Video Series: ClickSoftware's Shamayun Miah

I met Shamayun from ClickSoftware at the Brussels Enterprise Mobility Exchange and sat down with him to learn what is new and interesting with ClickSoftware's enterprise mobility strategy, and Sybase and SAP partnerships.





*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
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Mobile Expert Video Series: Sourcevolution's Pierre-Paul Samson

I met Pierre-Paul in Brussels at the Enterprise Mobility Exchange.  He was sharing information on their mobility platform called Freedomone at the conference.





*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,
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Interviews with Kevin Benedict