For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Is The Time Right To Build A Mobile App?

Balance The Buzz With Real Customer Value And Revenue Opportunities

by Brian K. Walker, October 29, 2009

The rapid growth of the iPhone and iPod touch application market has fueled a race to develop these applications on the part of eBusiness and channel strategy professionals. Recently, Forrester published a useful outline to help determine if a mobile . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Mobile Strategy: Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs From Forrester's European Clients About Leveraging Mobile's Growth

by Thomas Husson, October 20, 2009

Client interest in mobile has exploded in the past year, partly thanks to the tremendous success of the iPhone/Apple App Store. Many brands that are starting to create a mobile presence are bombarding us with questions. To help them define — or refine . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Momentum: Enterprise Mobility Year In Review

Analysis Of Mobility Press Announcements Identify Key Vendor Opportunities

by Michele Pelino, October 7, 2009

An analysis of publicly available enterprise mobility announcements between mid-2008 through mid-2009 highlight opportunities for vendors in the mobility ecosystem, including device manufacturers, network operators, application developers, systems integrators, . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Make Your Marketing Sing To Business Mobility Decision-Makers

Vendors Must Use Employee Roles To Identify Preferred Marketing Channels

by Michele Pelino, October 5, 2009

IT professionals, business executives, and end users participate in purchasing decisions for enterprise mobility devices, middleware, services, and mobile applications. These decision-makers use online and offline channels to gather information. Top online . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Mobile App Stores Are Important To Biz Users

App Stores Must Make Their Stores Sing To Business Buyers

by Michele Pelino, May 21, 2009

The Apple App Store for iPhones opened in mid-2008 and grabbed the attention of independent application developers and mobile device users as a software distribution channel for new mobile applications. In turn, the Apple App Store's success is causing . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Is An iPhone App Right For You?

How To Decide If A Mobile Application Should Be Part Of Your Brand's Road Map

by Neil Strother, May 11, 2009

The size of the smartphone market — and the buzz surrounding Apple's iPhone App Store — has many interactive marketers considering whether they should deploy mobile applications. Early success by some brands might lead marketers to mistakenly conclude . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Future View: Mobile Unified Communications Demand And Evolution, 2009 To 2014

Revenue Growth Will Follow As Vendors Facilitate Easier Integration

by Michele Pelino, March 19, 2009

Today, few enterprises integrate unified communications (UC) functions with mobile applications because most companies do not yet understand the value proposition of mobile UC integration. We believe that UC integration into mobile line-of-business (LOB) . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Inquiry Spotlight: Enterprise Mobility, Q4 2008

by Benjamin Gray, Chris Silva, October 7, 2008

From January to June 2008, Forrester's IT infrastructure and operations team fielded 1,332 inquiries, which included a myriad of wide-ranging enterprise mobility technology adoption and strategy questions. As firms evolve their investments in enterprise . . .

For CIOs

CIOs: Are You Ready For Business Mobility?

by Alex Cullen, August 6, 2008

In order to keep pace with the growth of business mobility without falling prey to its potential risks, IT must be able to efficiently address complex issues ranging from service provisioning, device procurement, help desk and infrastructure support, . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

The Mobile Architecture Imperative

Architect For Thin And Thick Mobile Clients For The Next Five Years

by Jeffrey S. Hammond, Ellen Daley, August 1, 2008

The past eight years have shown little business adoption of mobile applications beyond wireless email and a few key applications. As a result, firms have been able to limp along without comprehensive mobile architectures. No longer. Today, the imperative . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Business Mobility Imperative

To Remain Competitive, Establish A Mobile Operations Role Within Your Organization

by Chris Silva, Benjamin Gray, June 9, 2008

Whether brought in by employees or distributed by employers, mobile devices enable flexibility, increase productivity, and protect business continuity. However, most companies take a scattered approach to usage, procurement, management, security, and . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Google Bootstraps An "Open" Mobile Platform

The Open Handset Alliance Gives The Mobile Internet A Needed Boost

by Charles S. Golvin, November 6, 2007

On November 5, 2007, Google, together with a congress of mobile operators, handset makers, software vendors, and others dubbed the Open Handset Alliance, unveiled a mobile device software platform called Android. Built on Linux and entirely open source, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Improve Mobile Site Usability By Addressing Device And Browser Variability

by Vidya L. Drego, September 12, 2007

Experience on the mobile Web is poor. That's no surprise given the confusing landscape of technologies, devices, and browsers that mobile site designers need to support. Every year hundreds of devices flood the market with different browsers, display . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Topic Overview: Enterprise Mobility

Mobility Becomes An Integral Part Of Firms' Network Strategy

by Maribel D. Lopez, July 20, 2007

Forrester broadly defines enterprise mobility as the ability for an enterprise to communicate with suppliers, partners, employees, assets, products, and customers irrespective of location. Mobility requires firms to build solutions that span devices, . . .

iAnywhere Acquires Extended Systems

Mobile Software Market Continues Its Slow Consolidation

by Ellen Daley, August 2, 2005

The mobile software market continues its slow consolidation with the acquisition of Extended Systems by iAnywhere Solutions, the mobile technologies subsidiary of Sybase. iAnywhere gains a platform for integrating its diverse product set, a deeper European . . .

Innovation Is Alive In The Palm Ecosystem

Palm OS Remains A Strong Contender In The Enterprise

by Carl Zetie, October 28, 2004

The Palm ecosystem — including OS developer PalmSource, leading device vendor palmOne, and the slew of vendors that build Palm OS devices, add-ons, and software — has suffered its share of ups and downs in the recent past. Of particular concern was the . . .

Trends 2005: Enterprise Mobility

by Carl Zetie, October 26, 2004

In 2005 mobile applications will be in use in a majority of enterprises and even more widely deployed among small and medium-size businesses. Inherently mobile applications, such as field service and sales, still drive many deployments, but a new trend . . .

Architecting Mobility In The Public Sector

by Gene Leganza, September 14, 2004

The public sector is one of the leading industry segments in the adoption of mobility solutions, according to Forrester's Business Technographics® April 2004 North American Benchmark Study, as well as recent US federal government statistics. Because . . .

RFID Middleware Vendor Profile: ConnecTerra

by Sharyn Leaver, August 13, 2004

ConnecTerra is a small ISV with 30 employees and a handful of customers. The vendor's product, RFTagAware, is a good fit for architecture purists looking for RFID reader coordination and integration capabilities. Firms looking to deploy large networks . . .

RFID Middleware Vendor Profile: Savi Technology

by Sharyn Leaver, August 13, 2004

Savi Technology, the primary provider of RFID technology to the US Department of Defense, has expanded its RFID expertise to commercial applications. Savi Technology's product, SmartChain, is very robust but specifically tuned for container and transportation . . .

RFID Middleware Vendor Profile: Sun Microsystems

by Sharyn Leaver, August 13, 2004

Sun Microsystems is the first large platform vendor to introduce a generally available RFID middleware solution — Java RFID System. Based on EPC and Java standards, this product is a good fit for early adopters with an aggressive schedule for achieving . . .

RFID Middleware Vendor Profile: GlobeRanger

by Sharyn Leaver, August 13, 2004

GlobeRanger is a small pure play with 40 employees and a number of channel partnerships. The vendor's product, iMotion, which can best be described as a development platform for mobile or RFID applications, is sold through indirect channels. It is a good . . .

RFID Middleware Vendor Profile: RF Code

by Sharyn Leaver, August 13, 2004

RF Code is a small vendor with roots in RFID hardware. With just over 50 employees, it has leveraged its RFID expertise to release an RFID middleware product, TAVIS. This product is best suited for firms looking to use RFID to address complex asset management . . .

RFID Middleware Vendor Profile: Manhattan Associates

by Sharyn Leaver, August 13, 2004

Manhattan Associates is a warehouse management application veteran that has jumped headfirst into the RFID middleware market. The vendor's product, Integration Platform for RFID, has straightforward data filtering, routing, and aggregation tools and is . . .

RFID Middleware Vendor Profile: OATSystems

by Sharyn Leaver, August 13, 2004

OATSystems is a small ISV with 80 employees and 27 customers. The vendor's product, OAT EPC-IS Edge Server, is a good fit for early adopters looking for strong reader management and data filtering capabilities, as well as EPC commissioning and track-and-trace . . .