Duane Businessperson Dry. Culvert Campus I CICS 500 – Information Systems for Decision Making 917/strategy university I l. Introduction. There are thousands of applications that have been developed for mobile devices which perform a myriad of tasks and processes. In the beginning most of these applications were games. Businesses later Joined the mobile revolution and developed their own business based applications to run on these mobile devices.
Many mobile business applications can now streamline business processes, reduce operational processing times and provide better customer service. The mobile revolution has forced many industries to reengineering their business processes to accommodate the many mobile devices. In order for a business to remain competitive within their particular industry they must engage the mobile platform. In fact today, the customers demand and expect that these applications be available for their use.
For this final term paper I have been asked to: (1) Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of mobile-based applications especially those which utilize GAPS to capture collocation data and customer data and quickly upload to processing server without seers having to use a desktop system (2) Evaluate the benefits afforded to the customer from mobile applications. (3) Examine the challenges of developers to design mobile applications to meet the various mobile devices specifications especially their many screen formats. (4) Describe methodologies to use to select the mobile platform to support your applications. 5) Mobile-devices require high availability, discuss ways of supporting this demand availability (6) Mobile device are very vulnerable to hackers and other security threats, suggest methods to mitigate hose risks and, (7) Use at least three quality resources excluding Wisped and similar websites. II. Mobile devices and utilization of GAPS Technology. What is collocation? Let’s develop a working definition: Collocation is the process of identifying the location of an individual or item utilizing a mobile-device such as an pad, smart phone, etc. The individual or item is located by using such tracking technologies as GAPS.
GAPS stands for the Global Positioning System (GAPS). GAPS is a space-based satellite line of sight navigation system which is capable of providing action, date and time of a device under all weather conditions virtually anywhere on the plant. GAPS was developed by the US Government for primarily worldwide military operations and was later extended to include civil and commercial operations. I nee systems are Tree Ana accolades Dye any ops entailed palace (I. E. Phone, pad, etc. ). The term IP collocation utilizes databases that map internet IP addresses assigned to the tracking device to geographic locations (I. . Goggle Maps). IP collocation offers a myriad of business, military and civic applications such as: (1) Direct marketing. The ability to send marketing ads and notifications based on user profiles and current locations. The users can request information on a particular restaurant and the information is returned on the requested restaurant within a five mile radius of the requester’s location. If the query is negative, alternative restaurants can be suggested within a five mile radius. The restaurant selected can be mapped from the requester’s current location to the restaurants exact location.
The phone number if available is also provided, so the requester can call to request a serration. Restaurants with their own unique applications can notify the customer when they are within five miles, provide coupons and other customer incentives, and offer the capability to make online reservations and check wait times. Other applications such as social sites I. E. Dating are able to match potential mates based on their matching profiles and on their locality using zip codes or GAPS locations. (2) Context-sensitive content delivery. If you request food you get food not shoes.
As you become more selective the information becomes more content sensitive. Photos can e tagged with location and time to facilitate the processing of insurance claims. Coupled with data mining techniques applications can be tailored to the customer’s preferences delivering a user unique experience. (3) Real time tracking/monitoring. Hospital stays are now shorter because mobile devices can track patient’s vital signs regardless of their whereabouts. Low risk criminals can be tracked via mobile ankle bracelets which frees up Jail space and time of parole officers. Inventories can be tracked real-time from the origination to the destination.
Which is the main stay of Wall-Marts’ Just in-time inventory system. (4) Other applications include: marking the boundaries of large tracks of land for surveys, by farmers to maximize crop yields and military operations including the tracking of the movement of friendly and opposing forces and the navigation of munitions to enemy targets. Key efficiencies gained from GAPS applications are explained in article by Rodney titled “Key Benefits of Mobile Computing Technology: (1) Elimination of paperwork. For example bar code readers collect, store and transmit the data electronically and inventories are adjusted digitally without any paper. ) Accuracy. Electronic data entry is able to control the accuracy of the data entered. Once the data is transmitted it’s in the system available for all to use. (3) Real-time delivery. Requesters are able to query and receive information in real-time. (4) Cost reduction. Less paper, better accuracy/ reduced mistakes results in increased worker productivity and ultimately reduced operating costs reductions. (5) Improved customer relations. A real time response to customer inquires which enhance customer satisfaction; increases customer loyalty and retention. 6) Better decision making. Information that is accurate and is captured real-time, facilitates better decision making and organizational effectiveness. (7) Lower cost applications. Compared to traditional software products mobile applications are relatively low investments with greater production efficiencies. The return on investment (ROI) is recovered in a shorter period of time vice the traditional life cycle development of traditional software applications (Roan, 2013) and, (B) Model computing Is environmental Eternally; less paper Ana greenhouse gases.
Mobile computing has added another dimension on how we communicate with our customers. Field mobility solutions improve information quality, decrease transaction times, break down business barriers and give the competitive advantage – all of which are required component of a successful business” (ibid). Additionally, this technology is fairly easy to integrate with existing platforms and offers easy and quick computing solutions. The number of mobile applications is expected to reach $758 with 70% of the applications geared towards smart phones Joseph, 2009).
Not only are commercial, civic and private organizations utilizing this technology, armatures worldwide have also engaged this technology adding thousands of other unique applications to the thousands currently available. Organizations whether they are civic, commercial or private must Join the mobile revolution to remain competitive and relevant. Ill. Benefits of mobile computing for the end user. The embryo of the mobile applications really began with the introduction of electronic commerce or E-commerce for short.
E-commerce introduced the ability to purchase retail goods by using a PC over the internet. E-commerce later expanded to included financial services such as banking and then expanded to support educational, government, civic and social requirements. As smart devices, mainly cell phones became more popular and powerful, E-commerce services and activities were now accessible on these devices as well the traditional desktop/laptop. As the new smart devices overtook the traditional PC/laptop as the product of choice application developers began to design specific applications to support these devices.
Fueled with the expansion of the G networks which are the backbone of which the majority of these devices transverse the internet has only added to this growth exponentially (Dimension 2012). Let’s now look at the benefits that these mobile devices provide. Actually it’s not the device but the applications that support the end-user. The end user can be a customer, employee or private party who derives benefit from the use of these applications and especially the ones that use GAPS. Benefits include: (1) the ability to access the global marketplace.
The Marketplace is inclusive of products and services or access to business, private or civil web sites and data resources. Any resource if permitted is accessible from various devices from Just about any location in the oral. (2) Convenient access to services, products and information is available 24/7/365. End-users are no longer limited by the old Monday-Friday 9-5 operation. (3) Speed of engaging internet activities when desired by you, the end-user. Personnel data is available on demand. (4) The ability to compare and contrast services, products and organizations to make better informed decisions. 5) The ability to engage in world-wide forums to learn and gain knowledge in products and services (Consumer Bulletin, 2012). (6) Other benefits include: easy to use, simplicity as in the Phone one-touch access, instant notifications and scheduling capability (appointments/reservations) in the palm of your hand. The driving force (applications) of these mobile devices from a business perspective I (1) Email (2) collaborative applications. (3) Outlet proactively applications (4 forces automation applications and (5) Direct marketing activities.
The benefits achieved are higher revenues and profitability, improved access to business resources and tailored business applications available worldwide. (TIPS, 3). Regardless of who the end-user these applications provide desired services which re in high demand, expected and utilized aggressively by all. ‘V. Challenges for the Mobile Applications Developer. By far the biggest challenge for mobile developers is the development of applications that are able to accommodate the various screen specifications. Specifically screens come in many different sizes and resolutions.
It’s almost impossible to develop a one- size-fit-all application. Developers may have to develop applications with various versions to accommodate the majority of mobile users. There has been major improvement in the ability to show more colors and varying contrasts however the ajar challenge is that the screen must be able to show all of these various colors and contrast under all types of lighting conditions May of which are not idea settings. For example what looks good under normal conditions may be unacceptable under bright or dim lights.
Secondly, developers may not understand or make the best use of all of the mobile device buttons and functions. PC keyboards for the most part are standard but mobile devices have a variety of keys and non- standard layouts. The best solution is to find the common keys used by the majority of devices and limit your selection to those. Thirdly the fonts are either the right size for one device, too small for another or too large for others. How do you get the font size right sized for the majority of the devices? Fourthly the curses is all important for interaction with the user.
For the PC the mouse is used to manipulate the cursor. For a smart device the cursors may be manipulate by a touch screen, stylus, trackball, touch pad etc. Again like fonts what works on one device may not work on another. Now add the possibility of your cursor being manipulated by your voice you have added another layer of complexity. Fifth, what is the default orientation for the keyboard? Is the default display for the keyboard landscape or portrait? Or is the keyboard display picked on the position of the device? All of these challenges are driven by the specifications of the mobile devices screen sizes (Afghanistan, 2013).
Other challenging beside the screen include: (1) APS must be able to work across a number of operating environments. (2) Much of the mobile application development is through trial and error. There is no vast archive of best business practices. (3) Developers must be able to incorporate the GAPS technology of which they may not be milliamp. Mobile tracking requirements necessitate a whole new set of developer skill sets. (4) Failure to recognize your target audience. If you app is not targeted to a specific user you are probably wasting resources.
If you build one over the world generic APS they will probably be of no use to anyone. You need to target your market by knowing what devices they use, what features they desire and build only to those specifications. If you build and app to function over a “Druid” because you like the Druid, but 90% of your target market is using the Phone, you will have for sure missed the mark! 5) Developers tend to put too many useless bells and whistles into software products that tend to confuse rather than enhance the product. The rule of autumn to Tallow Is K V. Which Platform(s) Should We Support?
Which platform(s) should we support? The main three are Apple, Android and Microsoft? From my own personnel perspective which operating platform to support shouldn’t be driven by the different types of available platforms but by the specific user requirement? You need to ask the following questions: (1) what are the current operating systems being used by your target market. If 90% of your users are on the Android operating system than support the Android SO not the Apple or Microsoft platforms. If your target audience is 50% Apple and 50% Microsoft you may need to split your efforts between both operating systems.
If 90% of your target market is on Android but the shift is changing rapidly towards the Apple SO you may have to sustain Android operations while you shift to the Apple SO. Bottom-line the platform you should support should optimize the coverage of the majority of your target market. Additional issues to consider are available resources (money, people and expertise) and what platforms are compatible with your current applications. Once you have answered these questions you will be in a better position to make smart decisions on which mobile SO(s) to support.
Form a professional perspective the following tips are provided: a. Show how your mobile strategy supports the overall corporate strategy? ” Instead of adjusting your goals to what’s available today, you need to build your mobile strategy around what’s right for your business based on where you expect the technology is expected be in the next 18 to 36 months” (Oracle, 2011). B. There are two mobile environments options to choose from “sites and applications”. Sites operate from within a browser and need no additional download on the device. Applications need download to the device to operate.
Both have advantages and disadvantages you need to choose what’s best for your organization. C. Know what your target audience is using and develop a coverage strategy accordingly. When in doubt the Phone is the safest starting point. D. You need to decide whether to own or outsource your technology. Somewhere you have decided from in-house to a fully outsourced service solution. . Identify current technologies and resources that you can leverage and reuse within your mobile strategy. F. Align your mobile strategy against your short and long term strategic strategy.
Again good business practices and a common sense approach should help you arrive at the correct solution of which platform(s) to support (Dimension, 2012). VI. Enhancing Availability and Reliability of Mobile Services. If you have the best APS Ana no one can access teen teen you nave wasted your time Ana money. Availability is key to your success. To improve the availability of your mobile services we need to egging our discussion according to Mariner by answering the following questions: a. Is there one network (I. E. Ericson a provider of the G network) that can support all of the multiple service providers (I. E.
AT&T, Verizon)? Is there one in development? Or which network supports the majority of the wireless service providers? You need to pick a network that is able to provide the coverage (geographical) and data requirements (bandwidth 24/7) to support your applications and you need to build your infrastructure and applications to take advantage of future network enhancements (I. E. 56 and beyond). In addition the network that supports the most service providers will probably deliver the most services at the least cost because of competition. B. Which network supports the majority of the BOYD (Bring Your Own Devices)?
The network that supports the major ZOOS (Apple, MS, and Android) is the one you should probably pick. Unless your application or unique SO is not supported. C. Which network and which service provider can support scalability and increased capacitate without requiring costly rebuilds? You need to be able to scale up or down and add enhancements without reinventing your current platform. . How is security addressed at the network level? Will it be compatible with your current infrastructure or better yet, will it enhance your operations or put you at a greater risk?
I will talk in the next section about security concerns within the mobile community but, for now, it’s safe to say you need to have APS and networks that enhance the best security features to ensure reliability and availability. Again a common sense approach, that includes the industries best business practices integrated with a detail Strategic Plan of how we transition from our current” architecture to our “transition” architecture to our “to be” architecture are key to a successfully mobile computing strategy..
Who are we supporting, what services and tools are available to support our requirements and what resources can we provide or need to meet our objectives? VI’. Security – The Last Mile in Mobile Computing. The big issue in the business world is the security of networks from malicious hackers and the protection of private information from identity thieves. If this is not the number one issue within your organization it should be number two for sure. The petition of your organization can be ruined on your failure to prove adequate security for the protection of your network and its data.
Security will continue to consume resources (dollars and people) for now and in the future. It’s a subject you will need to stay abreast of and a program you will need to fund. The front in cost of security, while expensive, is much cheaper than the cost of a future security breech. I nee Key to securing model evolves Ana tenet networks Is Dye unreasoning tenet unique vulnerabilities and implementing procedures and applications that mitigate their risks. Mobile devices are more subject to hacking because of size limitations.
To have the same security features of a PC the mobile device would grow to the size of a PC which defeats the purpose of mobility. The major threats to the mobile industry are as follows: (1) The actual physical lost or theft of the device and the device is not password protected is the greatest threat. Activate the password feature and the wipe feature after so many attempts to access. (2) Mobile devices are the target of new pashing activities whereby the customer is tricked to visit a fake website that steals your information. An informed customer is a mart customer.
Insure your workforce and your customer base is aware of these activities via training or live notifications. (3) Mobile worms in bedded in email messages as attachments. You click and the worm assumes control over your phone. Again and informed user is the best defense. Open attachments only from trusted sources. Developers, service providers and network providers will need to continue to screen and develop tools to block pashing and worm activity at the highest level before they are pushed to the user. (4) GAPS information is transmitted in the clear. Hackers can track your whereabouts r disable your SMS card.
The industry as a whole will need to develop and encryption solution To be safe you may want to turn off the GAPS feature when not needed however, this will defeat the features of most of the most have applications. Good news the SMS issue usually affects cheap phones so, buy a better phone. (5) Know the applications specific default privacy settings and change them to protect your data. (6) Transmission over mobile networks can be scanned and information data can be captured. Solution use encryption (Dimension, 2012). (7) Third party APS that infect and steal information from smart devices.
Join user forums that track blacklisted application. VIII. Final observations. There was an interesting quote I found in and ad that suns up the IT’s professionals’ role within the corporate world as our value added. “IT professionals who successfully bridge the gap between BOYD convenience and airtight security will find themselves in a great position to transform their department’s role into that of a strategic business partner. Why? Because in addition to facilitating collaboration, agility, flexibility and productivity across the enterprise, they are also protecting critical assets of the corporation “Nipper, 2013).
