Adventures in Building a Sync Tool...

Back in 2008, we wrote a super cool mobile app that helps young hemophilia patients track bleed-events that get shared with their doctors and nurses. Back then, the most popular smart phones ran Windows Mobile, so it was written for that platform. The foundation of the solution was our PointSync Pro Mobile Platform.

Fast forward to 2010...MobileDataForce was asked to make an iPhone version of the application because many of the patients had started carrying iPhone's as their device of choice. This presented an issue, because at that time PointSync did not support synchronization and management tasks for anything but Windows Mobile devices.

To solve this, MDF engineers decided to build a sync tool from scratch, using Web Services to synchronize patient events from the iPhone to the database in the cloud. They started out by building the solution with very basic requirements, which consisted of only data synchronization. At completion of this first phase, they were 400 hours and $25,000 into it.

As patients began using it, it became evident that some critical pieces of the solution were missing. For example, when a sync issue came up, there were no auditing or troubleshooting tools to help support staff diagnose and resolve the problem. MDF engineers went back to the drawing board and added basic troubleshooting to the solution, causing the overall cost to rise far beyond the original expectations. In the end, only 10% of the functionality found in PointSync was incorporated into this custom sync solution.

With over 500,000 lines of code and a strong history since 2005, PointSync Pro 2.5 (and higher) now supports iPhone devices. In fact, we now support iPhone, Android AND BlackBerry devices.  If you're considering building your own sync technology for your mobile enterprise solution, carefully consider everything it should do.  Your list should include:

• Data synchronization and application/file deployment
• Cross-platform support for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile
• Support for end-to-end data encryption
• Allow mobile workers to work in a disconnected mode when connectivity is unavailable
• Logging and auditing to help diagnose and resolve technical issues
• Robust integration to databases (SQL Server, MySQL, DB2, SQL Anywhere) and third party systems
• An administrative interface to manage the entire system

At the end of the day, our experience has proven that there's no reason to re-invent this wheel.  PointSync is ready to bolt into your environment right now to provide these necessary functions.  If you need assistance building your mobile application as well, we can help with that too.

For more information on PointSync, please contact our sales team at (208) 384-1200 or visit the MobileDataForce website at www.mobiledataforce.com or the PointSync website atwww.pointsync.com.

Mobility in the Light of Tragedy...

Wow, can mother nature deliver a blow or what?   Looking at the destruction caused by the F4-F5 twister that roared through Joplin, MS shows the stark reality that in just minutes, a reset button can set back decades of development.

More devastating is the loss of human life, personal injury, loss of property and the despair many feel in seeing what they've built and labored over become a scattered pile of rubble.  Our thoughts go out to those that are suffering the great loss caused by this vicious tornado.

We don't want to exploit tragedy as a way to drum up business, however scenarios like this inspire thoughts on using mobile technology in remote or damaged areas.

Take a look at the picture on the left.  Notice anything left standing over about 10 feet tall?  Those 190mph winds took down everything in their path, including access to basic services such as electricity and cellular services.

In situations like this, mobile solutions can really shine for people generating insurance claims and gathering other types of information.  The lightweight form factor, long battery life, photo capture and signature collection enables claims adjusters and inspectors to gather data for an entire day without needing to connect to a power source.  More important, properly engineered, mission critical mobile solutions will allow the operator to continue to collect data in places of devastation where an Internet connection may no longer be available.

We preach about the expectations of 100% connectivity and how building mobile solutions that require an Internet connection generally leads to frustrated users, loss of productivity and unacceptable contingency plans.  To know more about how mobile solutions can work in areas of natural catastrophe or limited connectivity, we have years of experience building mobile solutions for such environments.  

  

Picking the Right Mobile Business App Developer

Right now, there are 350,000 applications available on the Apple App Store.  The Android Market Place has around 250,000 apps available.  There are tons of mobile apps out there.  Some are pretty good and some are pretty much junk.  Making a solid mobile app takes experience and good understanding of the hardware. Even well known software companies like Skype are learning to make mobile apps that work as advertised and don't have nasty side-effects like dead batteries by 3pm in the afternoon.

So how do you select the right company to develop a mobile app for your business?  If it's for business, the app must first meet the needs of the users, know how to manage the capabilities of the hardware and be steadfast in handling and delivering data.  As you shop for a partner to build your mobile solution, consider these 5 factors into your decision making process:

1. Can the mobile solution work with hundreds of users, tapping into the same database at the same time?
2. Can the mobile solution integrate with third-party accounting software, CRM's and other systems?
3. Does the mobile solution include a robust synchronization engine that contains built-in tools that make sure databases don't become corrupt, database conflicts get resolved and data doesn't get lost somewhere in the "cloud"?
4. Does the mobile solution rely on having an Internet connection?  Can the app continue to collect data with a weak or absent connection?
5. Can the mobile application fully control internal hardware (like a barcode scanner) to maximize battery life, while providing functionality when it's needed?

MobileDataForce does not focus on making games, calorie counters and apps of that nature.  We build mobile solutions and data synchronization tools for business use.  If you need to perform inspections, assign/complete work orders, track company assets, enter a sales order or integrate mobility with your existing system, the guy who just wrote a cool checkbook app is probably NOT the right choice.

Whether your business needs a custom mobile solution, or you want to bring a robust sync engine into an app you've already developed, we can help.  For 10+ years we've focused on mobile development, starting way back with the original Palm devices!   And since 2005, our PointSync product has been the backend sync engine for thousands of mobile users.

Want to know more?  Contact us by phone (208-384-1200), email (sales@mobiledataforce.com) or on our websites:  www.mobiledataforce.com or www.pointsync.com.

MEAP and the Mobile Enterprise...

If you've been around enterprise mobility, you might have seen the term MEAP come up from time to time.  Since our PointSync product is a "MEAP", we're pretty comfortable using the term.  But, for those who are not familiar with what a MEAP is and does, here is a 5 minute crash course.  Enjoy!

What Is A MEAP?

MEAP stands for Mobile Enterprise Application Platform.  In laymen’s terms, a MEAP is a server-oriented software that provides specific tools and functions targeted at the deployment and management of the mobile devices in an organization.  Mobile devices are generally viewed as handheld devices and smartphones, but can also include tablets and laptops.

Why Is It Important?

Mobile devices have become a necessary component in business.  Where email was once the “killer app”, today's “must have” apps extend business functions like inventories and customer details to almost anyone working outside the office.  A MEAP is responsible for making sure the sales, inventory, customer, etc data makes the one or two-way trip between the office database and mobile devices.   On a more granular level, a enterprise-class MEAP will know exactly where to place data, where it came from and how to avoid database conflicts.  If you're thinking, "yeah, that's all important stuff!"...  We completely agree!

Where Does PointSync Fit Into the MEAP Product Category?

First, PointSync is a mature product that was introduced in 2005 and includes over a half-million lines of code.  Second, its synchronization technology (the most vital for mobile solutions) is based on industry leading technology from Sybase.  PointSync’s main function is rock-solid data synchronization.  Whether you have 10, 100, or 1,000 mobile users, PointSync masters incoming and outgoing data like a super-powered traffic cop, making sure your data gets to its destination.  Along these lines, PointSync includes special features that roll back data when a sync encounters problems, makes sure devices use unique record ID’s, can restart a problem sync where it left off and allows users to work, even when an Internet connection is not available.  In addition, PointSync contains app deployment tools, database viewers, report generators and allows quick add/delete of synchronized fields.  On a device level, PointSync supports all the popular mobile platforms, including iOS (Apple), Android, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry.

Who Uses A MEAP?

The following three types of organizations can benefit from using or deploying a MEAP:

1. Companies can use a MEAP internally to manage their own fleet of mobile workers
2. For System Integrators, a MEAP is a positive way to provide full solutions which include mobility
3. ISV’s who are looking to increase revenue from a new product stream

Thinking About Building Your Own Synchronization Engine?

We did this and have a great story to tell in a future blog.  If you’d like the details contact our Marketing department for a sneak preview of the details.

Got questions about MEAP's or PointSync?  Please let us know and we'll be happy to give you all the details.  After-all, we've been in the mobility space for over 10 years!

Thanks for reading...  Tim Cerami, Information Architect

Why ISN’T there an app for that?

Remember back in the old days when cell phones had one function and it was to make a PHONE call?  It changed our lives forever…who thought we could ever have the ability to make a phone call anytime and anywhere? Then came the Smartphone.  I think they called it the Smartphone because if we were smart enough to figure it out, we could get our email and sync our calendar to it.  And, if we were patient enough, we could even browse the web on it.  Granted, it was so PAINFULLY slow that only the super-geeks would actually attempt it.  The rest of us would just go home to our computers and connect to the internet via our 56K modem to check movie listings or sports scores.  But the point was that we could. And it was a big deal.  

Now look at us!  Now.  We want it now.  Now, now, NOW!  We can do almost anything on our phones. We can check email, look at social media sites, check the weather, navigate our cars, listen to music, play games against our friends, deposit checks into our bank accounts, the list goes on and on and on….

So how is it, that in a society where we’ve become so accustomed to being able to do almost anything on our phones, that many companies still operate primarily using paper-based systems?  It may be surprising to you, but EVERY SINGLE DAY we talk to customers, both large and small, who have a model similar to this:

·         End customer calls to request a service, order something for delivery, request an inspection, etc.  

·         Operator uses a desktop application to enter customer and business critical information in a local database.

·         A work order of some sort is created and printed out of said application.

·         A mobile worker comes into the office and picks up the work order and heads out the door for the day.

·         Work is completed out in the field and data is collected on paper.

·         The mobile worker drives back into the office at the end of the day to drop off paperwork.

·         A data entry clerk enters information into the desktop application.

The results from this type of model?  Old data, unnecessary miles, inefficient processes,  and, in the end, unhappy customers. The crazy thing is, that while these mobile workers are out and about doing their jobs via pen and paper, many are carrying a Smartphone that is being paid for by their employer.  If you’re already paying for cellular service for your mobile workers, why not give them a tool that will help them do their jobs better and save you money?  Extending your business to the field through a mobile application can provide you with the following benefits:

·         No more “roaming” employees - GPS tracking can let you see where your workforce is.  Face it, some people need a big brother.

·         Keep your workers working – no more driving back to the office to get the next assignment.  Work. Sync. Repeat.

·         The dog can’t eat it – no more lost paperwork or follow up calls to get the information that should have been collected the first time.  No coffee stained work orders or illegible handwriting.

·         Instant results – rather than waiting until the end of the day to run reports, you have a constant stream of data coming in. This allows you to see where improvements need to be made and react immediately.

·         The bottom line – who doesn’t want that number to be bigger?  Save money on paper, data entry wages, gas, and, and, and….

Does this story sound all too familiar?  Is your business experiencing some of these struggles? If the answer is yes, you might be asking yourself “IS there an app for that?”  The answer is…absolutely!  And if there isn’t?  I bet I know somebody that can help you build one….

Three Ways Mobility Can Help Offset Rising Fuel Prices...

If your business includes employees driving a company vehicle to make deliveries, visit customers or provide services, the rising price of fuel is prying extra dollars out of your wallet. So what are your options? Well, you could pass those extra costs onto your customers, right? Logical, yes. Popular, NO! So what if technology could help you keep fuel costs to a minimum, stay competitive and deliver additional cost savings and administrative benefits?

Mobile technology isn't just for large companies like UPS, FedEx and Schwans. There are low cost, well-designed mobile solutions targeted at small to medium sized businesses that deliver the same efficiencies and savings that the big boys enjoy. But with regard to saving fuel, how can replacing your current paper-based system with mobile technology help?  Here are three practical ways:

1. Accurate, Turn-By-Turn Driving Directions - Drivers getting lost in a gas-guzzling, V8 powered delivery van while searching for a destination is very expensive. Every mile spent driving around is costing around 50 cents!  Most mobile devices, even the low cost Android devices, contain a GPS receiver and driving directions software that can take drivers directly to their destination with NO extra roaming. Better yet, buy a solution that allows you to provide your drivers with the most efficient driving route based on where they need to go throughout the day.
   
2. Report To The Office for Assignments...Why? - With a paper-based system, drivers generally have to report to the office for their assignments and THEN hit the road. In many cases, this happens multiple times a day, putting potentially unnecessary miles on a vehicle. What if your technician could finish one job and then use their mobile device to see where they need to go next? Rather than driving back to the office, your mobile workforce could access customer information, address, directions, task lists and more right at their fingertips. Granted, there are certain situations where the driver has to pick up goods to deliver that make that trip unavoidable.  However, if your driver is providing services or can stock the truck in the morning to handle multiple deliveries, then the number of trips can be drastically reduced. Not only does that reduce your fuel costs and vehicle maintenance costs, but also saves you and your drivers valuable time.
   
3. Magically Transfer Assignments to Another Driver - In a perfect world, every delivery or job is completed on time. In the real world, stuff happens! A one hour jobs take three, road construction causes delays, and there is always the occasional accident. When it's 4 o'clock and you still have three more jobs to do, you might want to enlist in the help of a colleague whose day went a little smoother. Using your mobile device, all it takes is the tap of a button to send a job (or two if you're lucky) to another technician. No need to meet up to hand him the work order and no need to spill the details over the phone and hope it gets communicated properly. The work gets done, the customer is happy and again, fuel is saved.

So there you have it.  Three possible ways a mobile solution can help mitigate high fuel prices. Rumor has it the US will see a $6.00 per gallon (regular gas, diesel may be higher) increase in 2011!!!  What will that do to your bottom line?  If your fleet is small or uses especially fuel thirsty vehicles, the extra expenses could deliver a devastating blow.

Going mobile delivers many other benefits outside of the fuel price discussion.  We'll continue to outline them in other blog entries.  If you can't wait, please visit our website to see what going mobile can do for you.

MobileDataForce

www.mobiledataforce.com