Divitas Offers Handset-Agnostic Collaboration

Divitas Networks said Monday it is bringing enterprise unified communication features to the iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry smartphones.

The offering hooks a company's private branch exchange, instant messaging, location information, and presence with the smartphones. The company describes the software as "enterprise social networking," and this enables things like receiving office-line calls on the handset, as well as having one-click access to colleagues' status and presence.

The company already offers these features on certain Windows Mobile and Symbian smartphones as a native client, but the Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone versions are achieved through a Web-based application. Divitas said taking a Web-based approach means the company did not have to wait for approval processes for various app stores, it can support smartphone platform diversity, and it can make maintenance easier for IT departments.

"Being handset agnostic has always been as important to us as being PBX and WLAN agnostic," said Vivek Khuller, CEO of Divitas, in a statement. "Over the course of the last two years, we listened to our customers, and then came up with a solution that gives them not only the handset choice that they were looking for, but also features such as consistent user experience, customizable features, and minimal device management."

Khuller told InformationWeek that smartphone diversity is only going to increase, particularly as more and more employees are willing to purchase their own mobile devices and pay for the service. He said it is far simpler to adapt a Web-based app for each individual smartphone platform, but he acknowledges that native apps can provide deeper integration with other features on the device. Khuller said a hybrid model could eventually emerge that lets businesses decide if they want a Web-based version, or a native one.

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