Platform wars heat up for mobile enterprise content

Device compatibility issues are making it increasingly important for enterprises to pick the right vendors for their mobile content platforms, according to mobile enterprise content management company Chalk Media Corp.The mobile enterprise content world is dominated by Research in Motion Ltd. with the near omnipresence of the BlackBerry. And while Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile is catching up, Apple Inc. is languishing in its walled garden. This is why Chalk is betting on the ongoing dominance of the BlackBerry in the enterprise space, and on the demand for "pushed" content, especially for training scenarios."We have three different content authoring environments at the moment," Jody Glidden, Chalk's COO and CTO, tells Report on Wireless. "One is PowerPoint, another Word, the third audio and/or video podcasts. All produce content in a format that is appropriate for Research in Motion's BlackBerry.""Pushcasts make sense," says Glidden. "We can deliver training content to senior managers and executives that can be accessed at their convenience. And we can measure if the content has been received and understood."Recent announcements from Chalk include a license agreement with a North American municipality, a 10,000 seat deal with a Fortune 200 defense contractor, another with an advertising agency, and one with Symetra Financial Corp. As well, Chalk recently inked a reseller agreement with Schiffl Mobile.Despite all the buzz, however, these deals are likely small in total dollar amounts, reflecting two hurdles faced by mobile content providers and enablers in the enterprise space: consumer driven Web 2.0 technologies are not pushing content into the enterprise, and platform "silos" and uncertainty mean that vendors and carriers can't yet fully leverage an integrated ecosystem.Even with the iPhone gaining some traction in the enterprise space, it's not yet ready for a head-to-head battle with RIM's BlackBerry. For Chalk, the iPhone isn't even an option."The iPhone doesn't yet have the capabilities for pushing content," says Glidden. "It also doesn't have the security, and the security is a nine out of ten in terms of priority for our customers."At present it would be difficult to create an instant messaging program that would work well on the iPhone; Apple has made it hard for third party developers to create background applications, and this is slowing adoption - especially in the enterprise space. As a result, the next platform for Chalk will likely be Windows Mobile.A phone isn't "smart" if the OS kernel is closed"We define a smart phone as any device that allows developers access to the operating system," says Rick Sizemore, co-founder and chief strategy and development officer at Scottsdale AZ-headquartered research firm MultiMedia Intelligence.This puts the ball squarely into the vendors' court - a fair call, given that closed OS environments will make it hard for content providers and their enablers - the third party developers - to create meaningful, cross-platform solutions.Sizemore sees Microsoft as the company to watch in this space. Only about 30% of Microsoft's kernel is closed off from developers, and most of this has to do with protecting licences and security."In our opinion it's Microsoft that has the best chance going forward," he says. "Love them or hate them - their tool set is cross-platform, it's the easiest and most powerful to work with. Apple has pretty much a closed, walled garden. If you want to do anything with Apple you have to deal with Apple."From an enterprise user's perspective, one of the most frustrating things about the iPhone is that the battery socket is sealed, which means that a back-up battery can't be used while the primary is being charged."In a few years the handsets will be more like thin clients," says Sizemore. "Some will be more sophisticated than we have today, some less. At the business level some users will still demand mostly e-mail, whereas others will want presentations or spreadsheets. The problem is the screen size - this is why AT&T Inc.'s Tilt is an interesting phone."The Tilt is the ultimate phone for the enterprise: it's a full blown pocket PC, has MS Office application functionality, and LED projection capabilities."It does all the iPhone can do and more - you can project your presentation onto a wall, and have access to backup power."And what of all the innovation in the mobile consumer space? Will we see this show up in enterprise environments? Web 2.0 technologies such as social networking and instant messaging got traction in the consumer and youth markets before enterprises caught on. But content delivery in the mobile space is about enabling typical business applications like PowerPoint and Excel, often for training or sales support.Tim Hickernell, associate lead research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group in London ON, sees the consumer space as having limited impact - at least for the near term."Vastly expanded content for mobile devices is game-changing, but only for the consumer market and not the enterprise," says Hickernell. "Enterprise workers outside the office have more comprehensive means of accessing content through virtual private networking (VPN) and remote access technologies than relying on handheld devices."Sizemore concurs. "Enterprises have to make business arguments," he says. "We are entering an economic slowdown, and the video and images that are popular in the consumer space may not be approved in business environments when capital expenditures are on hold."

Platform wars heat up for mobile enterprise content

News | 10/28/2008 3:59 pm EDT

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