The Future of Wireless Business Applications

The Future of Wireless Business
Applications

Eugene Signorini
Vice President, Research
Mobility Applications and Infrastructure
esignorini@yankeegroup.com

© Copyright 2008. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.

What Do We Mean by Wireless Business Applications?

• For the purposes of this discussion:
– The delivery of business information and applications over wireless connectivity to
handheld devices, such as feature phones and smart phones
– Where wireless is seen as the principal delivery mechanism for the exchange of
business information
– Wide-area wireless connectivity (i.e., cellular data) as the principal wireless network for
connectivity
– Wireless business-to-employee (B2E) applications, meaning applications to support
mobile workers with information access

© Copyright 2008. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved. The Future of Wireless Business Applications September 25, 2008 Page 2

Wireless Applications Are Being Influenced by
Numerous Forces

Supply-Side Factors Demand-Side Factors

• Wireless network evolution • Consumerization of the
Wireless enterprise
• Device form factors and
platform evolution Business • The “prosumer” majority
Applications
• Application service • End-user application
delivery and Web 2.0 discovery
• “Open” vs. “end-to-end”


What Do Wireless Apps Look Like Today?

Which of the following IT strategies are most important
• E-mail and PIM remain the
in your opinion and will impact your strategic business
key driving wireless application decisions for the future?
applications today.
Replacing legacy apps with service-
• Most enterprises have oriented apps to provide IT agility and 55%
empower line of business
deployed mobile
applications in silos. Enabling mobile access to corporate
45%
apps through wireless technology
• Currently, less than 20% of
Reducing app silos to become process-
the 50 million mobile centric
41%
workers in the United States
have wireless wide-area data Implementing collaboration
35%
access to business technologies to improve productivity

applications and
Bringing elements of the consumer web
information. to our IT strategies and business apps
33%

• But mobility is becoming Providing more in-context info within
33%
more strategic—finally. current and future business apps

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Percent of Respondents

Source: Yankee Group Anywhere Enterprise—Large: 2007 US Mobility and Business Applications Survey


There Will Be No “Killer” Device in the Enterprise

• Conventional cellular What percentage of your mobile workforce
phones will remain the most currently uses the following devices? Which will
commonly used mobile they be using in 3 years?
device through 2010. Conventional cellular phones 38%
37%
• Notebook PCs will not be Smart phones 25%
33%
replaced by mobile Notebook computers with short- 23%
handheld devices. range Wi-Fi connectivity 30%
Notebook computers without 18%
wireless connectivity 22%
• IT decision-makers will Notebooks with wireless wide-area 15%
warm to adopting integrated connectivity 23%
PDAs with short-range Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi and cellular dual- connectivity
14%
20%
mode devices. 14%
PDAs without wireless connectivity 15%
• Although wireless Dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular phones
13%
22%
connectivity is a critical Ruggedized notebooks or 10%
component for mobile handhelds 14%

devices, notebooks and 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

PDAs without it won’t Percent of Respondents

disappear overnight. Will use in 3 years Currently use
n = 302


What Does Open Access Mean for Apps?
A Historical Analogy…

Infrastructure • Devices:
– Appliances, consumer
electronics, heating/cooling,
transportation
• Standards:

Original Killer App Real Killer App • Device Ratings:
– Based on electricity
consumption
• Volts/amps/watts

Source: Yankee Group, 2008


…for a Future Perspective

Infrastructure • Devices:
– Consumer appliances,
consumer electronics,
heating/cooling, automotive
• Standards:
WiMAX
LTE
UMB
• Device Ratings:
Original Killer App Real Killer App
– Based on bits and data
consumption
• Bandwidth/latency/speed

Source: Yankee Group, 2008


Consumerization Will Drive Technology in the Enterprise

• Workers by and large feel How strongly do you agree or disagree with
more productive today than the following statements?
they were 2 years ago.

• Mobile professionals feel
My personal technology is more
their personal technology is
advanced than my workplace 49% 26%
more advanced than their technology
workplace technology.

I would be more productive in
my business activities if I had
access to many of the 54% 19%
applications and technologies I
use in my personal life

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Percent of Respondents
Strongly Agree/Somewhat Agree
Somewhat Disagree/Strongly Disagree
n = 302


The “Prosumer” Majority Will Influence Decision-Making

Buys through consumer Buys through IT channels
retail channels Mobile Solution (i.e., operator direct sales,
r
a to systems integrators)
er

IT
op

ch
ile

a
nn
ob

el
M

The Enterprise
IT/LoB
Prosumer Manager
• Prosumers obtain mobile service • The company is liable for the bill.
themselves.
• IT or line-of-business manager
• This category includes corporate- controls the decision-making process.
sponsored users and workers who
• 33 million US subscribers in 2007
expense bills back to company.
• 34 million US subscribers in 2007


Wireless Applications Are Not Just About Software

• Back-end applications
• Middleware
• Multi-network
• Developer
• Roaming
environments
• Security
• Security
Software • Latency
• Bandwidth

• Form factor
• Operating
system Mobile Devices Networks
• User interface
• Power
consumption
• Security and
management

Successful wireless applications find the sweet spot.


Wireless Application Architecture: No Universal Approach

Homegrown In-House Development
(e.g., using mobile database or Application Components
development environments, or web-
Custom-Built
development tools) and Approaches
Thin Client Fully Connected
Third-Party Developer
(e.g., SI, VAR, contractor)

Secure Browser
Packaged + Customization
(e.g., mobile platform, mobile database
with custom-built apps and workflows, Forms-Based
typically systems integrator)
Messaging/Query
Mobile Middleware/Gateway
SOA/Composite
with Front-End Application
(e.g., mobile software provider with pre-
Applications
“Packaged”

built components or workflows)
Database
Synchronization
Mobile Extensions
(e.g., ISVs providing extensions of
existing back-end applications)

End-to-End Mobile Thick Client Disconnected
Applications
(e.g., mobile-specific ISV application
providing off-the-shelf functionality)
Off-the-Shelf


What Does the Future Hold for Mobile Apps?

• Wireless applications will: How interested would you be in incorporating the
– Begin to incorporate following functionality in your mobile applications?
mobile-specific capabilities
Presence 39%
– Transform from mobile
extensions to true mobile Web browsing for services or
39%
applications
applications
Remote device management 36%
– Become increasingly
componentized Location capabilities 35%
– Mean extending enterprise
Push-to-talk services 32%
content instead of back-end
system replication Instant messaging 31%
– Focus on collaboration and
Dispatch/paging 29%
interaction rather than access
RFID asset tracking 28%

Imaging/digital photos 23%

Video recording 22%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Percent of Respondents Answering “Very Interested”



Three Phases of Wireless Application Evolution

Dynamic Mobile Apps

Collaborative and
Application Mashups
Maturity

Optimized Point
Solutions

Today 2 to 4 Years 5+ Years

Time


Upcoming events

• Live Webinar: Anywhere Consumer Segmentation
– Presented by Joshua Martin
– October 30, 2008
– 10:00 am-11:00 am EDT (14:00 GMT)

• Mobile Internet World
– Boston, MA, USA
– October 21-23, 2008


Thank You

Eugene Signorini
Vice President
Research Mobility Applications and
Infrastructure
esignorini@yankeegroup.com

Come and visit us at one of our upcoming events For schedules, please
or tune in to one of our free webinars. visit our web site:

www.yankeegroup.com


The Future of Wireless Business Applications

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