Oxygen makes SAP mobility a reality
“Think before you leap” is the message Oxygen is telling customers considering deploying mobile SAP solutions.
Working in conjunction with partners Sybase, Big Tin Can and UXC Connect, Oxygen’s National Platform and Technology Manager, Mark Finlayson, says Oxygen is well positioned to deliver sensible, robust enterprise mobility solutions, extending core business processes onto mobile devices.
He says in the past, mobile deployments focused on mail and messaging, and were about enhancing user communication on the go.
“Recently, demand for a broader range of mobile capabilities has increased markedly as organisations realise that access to key information, at any time and any place, has moved from a competitive advantage to become a competitive necessity.”
During 2011 corporations have started to deliver new functions to the mobile device for customers, employees, partners and consumers, says Finlayson.
“Employees now expect mobile access to core business processes. Organisations need to have a corporate mobile strategy in place that supports their wider IT&T strategy and business goals. Issues tend to arise when opportunistic mobile deployments are undertaken without thinking through security, connectivity, platform considerations and accessibility.”
Opportunities for mobile enablement exist at all levels of the workforce as well as for customers.
Typical scenarios include executives wanting ‘on the go’ dashboard analytics, line of business managers wanting to execute approvals on the move, or consumers accessing mobile e-commerce to make instant purchasing decisions.
“Planning mobile enablement is important,” says Finlayson. “An organisation should start by defining the clear business benefit it wants to achieve. It should then clarify what business application process supports the delivery of that benefit, and then define the company functions that are affected.”
He says a successful strategy includes modeling business scenarios and identifying key technology and device requirements.
“The technology considerations are very important. How to deploy the mobile applications, their scalability and the ongoing management and administration all need careful consideration.
Organisations need to consider how their users will engage in the processes, the form it will take and the impact it will make,” says Finlayson.
The good news is that the strategy does not need to be extensive. He says the mobile world runs faster than the traditional world.
“Develop some guiding principles that dovetail into the core IT&T strategy, and then work on an effective proof of concept process that will drive out the adoption cycle.
“The old saying of ‘if you build it they will come’, is perfect for the mobile world.
Organisations need to be ready for the adopters and ensure they can accommodate them adequately. There are many considerations, but they are easily addressed through a well thought-out strategy.”
Oxygen partners with specialist SAP mobile company, Sybase, to provide business users with secure mobile access to SAP enterprise applications, and Big Tin Can, a specialist smartphone solutions developer.
Sybase has a range of technologies including an enterprise-grade, highly scalable mobile device management solution that supports a wide range of platforms including Windows® Mobile, BlackBerry®, Palm®, Symbian™, Android™, iPhone® and iPad®."
To find out more about how Oxygen can mobilise your entire SAP suite and custom applications please email Mark Finlayson
