Hello, Corporate E-Mail ? Have You Met My Consumer Device ?
Category Administration IBM/Lotus Domino Management
Consumer devices are wreaking havoc with my future-proofing plans for messaging. I have clustered Blackberry Enterprise Servers, clustered Sametime Servers, clustered Domino servers, iNotes w/outboard SSL and even clustered mail archive servers. I support Windows, Macintosh and Linux clients. So, why aren't my users high-fiving me in the hallways ?
Because, I've been so busy stabilizing the back-end systems that I've neglected the shiny new toys that are proliferating on every belt and off every purse. iPhone, iTouch, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson have become hi-tech accessories for the well turned professional.
Where did all these new Mobile Mail Devices come from ? They've been here all along, just outside of my field of focus. I think I've been slow to appreciate a critical IT segment for enterprise messaging: consumer products. Obviously, it was a mistake for me to dis' the first round of the iPhone. But, why shouldn't I have ignored these devices ? They aren't directly supported by my messaging platform, and they have very limited intrinsic e-mail features. These are "consumer" devices, for crying out loud.
My observations missed the connecting link between the consumer devices and the corporate e-mail system. It's the new middleware.
Microsoft has been building off of it's ActiveSync and Apple licensed it for an easy, no-brainer solution for iPhone and Exchange compatibility. The carriers have started supporting e-mail connectivity; Verizon, with a choice of Wireless Sync or RemoSync. Sprint now has their Mobile E-mail Work, which is a front for Seven's network operation that connects the mail client to Exchange. Good Technology was purchased by Motorola. What was once just a few bits and pieces to connect a smattering of Treos to the back-end has grown into big business.
I do have some solutions: Blackberries, Lotus Traveler and the Ultra-Lite iNotes for micro-browsers. I also appreciate that I'm never going to be able to support every possible remote, messaging device (actually, I don't want to support every device). But, I'm equally aware that I'm not moving fast enough to match the pace of consumer releases, or their emphasis on ease-of-use.
This last week I declined to accept an invitation from Plaxo Pulse, because I just didn't need one more web-based personal directory that I can't synchronize with my desktop personal directory. Another example would be the various iCal solutions I can employ, but they aren't simple or cheap enough for my users.
In the meantime, I need to revisit my architecture to ensure that I'm doing the best I can. These handhelds are getting out of hand.
Consumer devices are wreaking havoc with my future-proofing plans for messaging. I have clustered Blackberry Enterprise Servers, clustered Sametime Servers, clustered Domino servers, iNotes w/outboard SSL and even clustered mail archive servers. I support Windows, Macintosh and Linux clients. So, why aren't my users high-fiving me in the hallways ?
Because, I've been so busy stabilizing the back-end systems that I've neglected the shiny new toys that are proliferating on every belt and off every purse. iPhone, iTouch, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson have become hi-tech accessories for the well turned professional.
Where did all these new Mobile Mail Devices come from ? They've been here all along, just outside of my field of focus. I think I've been slow to appreciate a critical IT segment for enterprise messaging: consumer products. Obviously, it was a mistake for me to dis' the first round of the iPhone. But, why shouldn't I have ignored these devices ? They aren't directly supported by my messaging platform, and they have very limited intrinsic e-mail features. These are "consumer" devices, for crying out loud.
My observations missed the connecting link between the consumer devices and the corporate e-mail system. It's the new middleware.
Microsoft has been building off of it's ActiveSync and Apple licensed it for an easy, no-brainer solution for iPhone and Exchange compatibility. The carriers have started supporting e-mail connectivity; Verizon, with a choice of Wireless Sync or RemoSync. Sprint now has their Mobile E-mail Work, which is a front for Seven's network operation that connects the mail client to Exchange. Good Technology was purchased by Motorola. What was once just a few bits and pieces to connect a smattering of Treos to the back-end has grown into big business.
I do have some solutions: Blackberries, Lotus Traveler and the Ultra-Lite iNotes for micro-browsers. I also appreciate that I'm never going to be able to support every possible remote, messaging device (actually, I don't want to support every device). But, I'm equally aware that I'm not moving fast enough to match the pace of consumer releases, or their emphasis on ease-of-use.
This last week I declined to accept an invitation from Plaxo Pulse, because I just didn't need one more web-based personal directory that I can't synchronize with my desktop personal directory. Another example would be the various iCal solutions I can employ, but they aren't simple or cheap enough for my users.
In the meantime, I need to revisit my architecture to ensure that I'm doing the best I can. These handhelds are getting out of hand.
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