Mainstream Mobility

Since tablets and smartphones came into existence only a relatively few years ago, they have grown quickly to become part of the formal information systems of organizations. But there have been gaps, one of which has been the difficulty of integrating those mobile devices with the core parts of the information system - the ERP, CRM and BI elements of the system.

But that lack of integration is changing quickly. Now the major large scale vendors, like SAP, offer some integration with mobile units. Generally the difficulty has centered around security issues and differing and incompatible operating systems of the mobile units. These issues are being addressed.

One way to approach the issues is to build apps in the cloud where security can be more closely controlled. Rogers has announced plans along these lines with its new SAP Mobile Apps. Developed in partnership with SAP AG, the new apps act as interfaces with cloud based SAP systems, enabling the users to make use of the power of the SAP functionality while having the freedom of mobility.

Here is an article announcing the new apps and also providing some background.