Mobile Enterprise Weblog writes:
From an enterprise perspective, mobility presents a challenge for device management, policy enforcement and mobile access to enterprise data and applications.
And platforms are emerging to do each of these things.
But the question remains: why are these platforms distinct and separate?
Why is there a platform like Extended Systems’ OneBridge for device management; BlackBerry Enterprise Server for mobile e-mail; and a plethora of separate servers for writing business logic, and accessing enterprise data and applications?
The annoying analyst habit of grouping these allegedly disparate platforms in completely separate categories makes absolutely no sense to me. In each case, we’re talking about a server, some software and ongoing IT support requirements. Each new server brings with it a business model that simply doesn’t scale.
As businesses deploy these platforms ad hoc in different areas to accomplish slightly different tasks, they’re committing themselves to a legacy with no scale and no architecture. Next thing we know, companies will have three to four platforms doing similar things with converging feature sets.
It’s only a matter of time before the data and apps platforms add e-mail and messaging capabilities. And it’s only a matter of time before someone builds device management into an e-mail platform.
