InformationWeek

June 28, 1999

Better Access On The Go

Remote users to get more options for accessing ERP and customer-service apps

By Brian Riggs

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nformation technology managers will be getting new options for letting remote workers access enterprise resource planning and customer-relationship management applications.

3Com Corp. and Aether Technologies Inc., a wireless networking software developer, plan to offer a service that gives handheld devices wireless access to database applications, including ERP and customer-relationship management apps. Also, Lotus Development Corp. is developing software that will let notebooks download portions of business apps so remote users can work offline.

Applications that let remote users easily access business applications are becoming more important: "Today, you can build a Web application with Lotus Domino, but users have to be on the network to use it," says Tom Austin, a Gartner Group analyst. "Now, it will be possible to do network computing without the network there."

The Lotus software, code-named Domino Runtime Services, is expected to take the form of Microsoft ActiveX controls and Netscape plug-ins. Remote users dialing into a company network will be able to use Web browsers to download the application and relevant data to notebooks and then log off. Users can change the data, and, once a connection is reestablished to the company network, the modified data will be automatically synchronized with the Domino server. The software is expected to enter beta testing in the fourth quarter.

Not all remote users have access to browsers at all times, says Patrick McVeigh, president and CEO of OpenSky, a wireless service provider formed by 3Com and Aether. This presents a potential problem to mobile workers who want access to database apps, he says.

McVeigh says OpenSky's wireless data services, to be available early next year, will let personal digital assistants establish secure connections to applications, including Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange E-mail servers, ERP and customer-relationship management databases, and other resources on a company intranet.