To my grandmother a radio was a Wireless, she explained to me, that during her lifetime,
there had been a sea change, from what were often large fixed record players with speakers
connected by cable, to smaller appliances not much more than a speaker which played radio
programmes transmitted through the air, known as the wireless.
The term wireless although still used by older generations was alien to generations X and Y
and subsequent generations who knew the radio as a radio.
Mobility and Mobile Software is a similar such case point and it's time we begin to do something
about it.
Being 'on-line' or 'connected' for the last few generations has mean't having their pc's securely
anchored to a cable network connection. With the pc connected to the cable network
people have been able to use their organisation's Enterprise Resource Planning systems.
Any computer applications which enabled the User to contribute to Business Processes from
a not-a-pc device, eg, Ipaq, Palm Pilot, Nokia Communicator, you know, this is going right
back to the WML days, any of these applications on intermittently connected devices were
called Mobility applications.
And this is how the term Mobility evolved and this is how it has been until today. Mobility
for Baby Boomers and Generation X has symbolised partially connected applications on notebooks
or hand held computers.
Fast forward to 2013, we have a huge percentage of Generation Y who are in their teens, and
also the Millenials who _only_ know being 'connected' anywhere anytime, whether it be wifi
at school/work/favourite hangouts, 3g and 4g.
Generation Y often make their decision on where to spend their spare time based upon wifi availability.
Generation Y don't know being tied to a desk with a cable network connection. And Generation Y symbolise
the difference between my generation and my grandmother's generation regarding wireless and radio.
If we, Baby Boomers and Generation X continue distinguishing between Enterprise and Mobility
applications we are going to be looked at by Generation Y and Millenials as aliens.
As I mentioned in a comment on the Enterprise vs Mobility for the generation growing up with Tablets and
Wireless networks (wifi & 4g etc), there will be no distinction between Mobility Applications and Enterprise
Applications, there will only be the Enterprise Applications and the question will be what device
is used to access those applications and from where and when and in which scenarios.
For Generation Y and Millenials, the way we Generation Xers talk about this area of Enterprise
Mobility, Enterprise vs Mobility, Mobility solutions, the mess we have evolved will only
succeed to confuse the upcoming generations.
It is time to move on from the term Mobility.
It is time to accept that Enterprise Applications are Enterprise Applications regardless
of time or location of Users and the UserAgents/Client. Access to those applications is pervasive across time
and location.
Once we can accept it is time to put Mobility to bed, and think only about Enterprise Applications,
we can then open our minds to looking again at how we think about Enterprise Applications applied
to different times and locations and UserAgents and scenarios.
We will then evolve a standard logical dictionary of terminology for Enterprise Applications in
different scenarios, times, locations, UserAgents, eg:
Enterprise Applications Default Definitions
. SAP Enterprise Applications for Office
Network=fulltime connection
Time=in general working day
Location=on-premise
UserAgent/Client=normally pc or tablet
. SAP Enterprise Applications for Warehouse
Network=fulltime connection
Time=working hours can be 24/7 shifts
Location=on-premise
UserAgent/Client=can be pc, handheld smart device, tablet, scanner etc
. SAP Enterprise Applications for Field Sales
Network=not-fulltime high % connected via 3g/wifi
Time=business hours + evenings / hotels
Location=on-premise and off-premise on the road
UserAgent/Client=normally pc or tablet
. SAP Enterprise Applications for Connected Employees
Network=fulltime and not-fulltime
Time=24/7
Location=on and off premise
UserAgent/Client=Smart Phone
etc etc, this is a suggestion, I am sure the marketing men can do it better, but the point
is to have one brand, the Enterprise Applications, the ERP, the SAP, and then sub brands based
upon scenario, usage, UserAgent/Client etc as opposed to today's confusion of Mobility this Mobile that ERP this
Enterprise that.
We are arriving in an era where there is no distinction between connected and disconnected. The
connectivity possibilities have matured, the UserAgents/Clients/Devices have matured, and it is time we all
matured how we categorise and brand these different areas of the ERP Enterprise Applications
usage scenarios.
SAP NetWeaver Portal on Device is a prime example, Portal on Device
(POD) opens new horizons and usage scope for the SAP Portal POD enables the people on the move,
the Managers on the move, from meeting to meeting, armed with Tablets/IPads to be productive on the
move in between meetings instead of being forced to wait to be productive when they can be anchored to
their pc's on their desks.
Portal On Device raises a new question mark for companies wanting to on-the-move their SAP infrastructure.
There is now no need for mobile applications here, and mobile apps there, access from handheld
devices can now be secured and managed through the single entry point doorway to the enterprise systems,
the SAP Portal. And this is just one example.
Looking forward to feedback on this theme.
All the best,
Andy Silvey.