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Mobile computing is evolving at an exponential rate and whilst this is
an exciting trend in terms of technological development it is also giving
rise to growing difficulties for many organizations. For IT and network
support professionals, PDAs and mobile devices pose new challenges in
terms of network management, access to corporate information resources,
and ownership of data.
Different PDA operating systems, including EPOC, Windows CE, and Palm
OS, along with emerging protocols such as WAP and IrDA, pose significant
challenges in terms of integration with existing systems. As well as
synchronizing information across organizations with a large mobile
element, there are also problems of access, service, storage, and back-up
to address.
Mobile and pervasive computing have, understandably, captured the
imagination of many large organizations. The ability to provide remote
personnel with Web and LAN-level access to corporate data and resources
has enormous implications for competitive edge. However, separating the
reality from the promise is also important. Much has already been made of
Bluetooth and short-range communications, for example, but this appears
to be considerably behind schedule and way short of delivering actual
products to the market.
Nobody could have predicted the rate of growth or the diversity of the
market for mobile devices, with palmtops and hand-held PCs now widespread
in large and small organizations alike, and a new generation of 'smart
phones' promising to provide a more integrated form of voice and data
functionality.
This Xephon Report includes the results of Xephon's IBEX Survey on the
use of PDAs and mobile devices within the large enterprise, which
provides invaluable insights into current trends and industry patterns.
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