Loosely organized teams and workgroups are replacing the traditional rigid management-worker hierarchy in corporates. Decision-making is being more widely distributed, with teams gaining greater authority to react quickly to conditions in local markets. Helping the decentralization of corporations are advancements in technology such as mobile computing (offered by Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and lightweight notebook computers) that enable remote and mobile users to access critical data and applications with ever greater ease. However, just as the corporate management structure has evolved, the computing infrastructure must adapt to accommodate the unique needs of mobile workers.

Traditional application architectures and deployment tools for mobile computing are based on the model established by distributed client-server computing. Such an approach gives rise to issues of cost, MIS management (training and support outside the office), access to mission-critical applications from the field, performance over restricted bandwidth, and security. These demand a new approach to ensure that mobile users have the tools they need to be as efficient and productive as their counterparts at headquarters.

This article discusses the challenges of the traditional approach. It also introduces a new approach of server-based computing, which overcomes these challenges and also offers additional benefits.

Challenges of the traditional approach

The traditional approach raises the big concern of bottom-line cost, which includes the expense associated with hardware, software, and personnel involved with the application’s rollout and its on-going maintenance. According to the Gartner Group, the cost of ownership for a mobile computer is 58 percent higher than a comparable desktop, primarily due to the greater capital investment (including replacement when the all-too-common thefts occur) and administrative expense.

Let’s look at some costs involved. Notebook computers and other devices must often be upgraded with larger hard disk drives or more memory to run an organization’s latest program. If the application requires a processor or operating system upgrade, the roll-out costs can grow to include completely new hardware. Finally, the MIS manager will incur expenses when traveling for hardware installation, upgrades, or loading and configuring the application.

Another issue is of MIS management. While hardware and software costs can most often be readily identified, those associated with on-going MIS management—client-side maintenance, roll-out support, training—are less clear. The management of mobile computers can be significantly higher than desktop devices due to the costs of locating and tracking the computer and safeguarding remote data. Technical support and training, too, can be costly for the company and a source of frustration for the employee. In simple terms, it is difficult to deliver adequate support over long distances and different time zones to mobile workers.

Another issue is that of access to mission-critical applications from the road. This arises, in part, from the portable nature of mobile devices, which lack the substantial RAM and processing power required to adequately handle robust applications.

Bandwidth issues give rise to concerns of performance. While application performance is usually not a problem on the local area network (LAN), with connections between clients and servers averaging 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps, wide area network (WAN) connections available for users between networks average only 28.8 kbps or less. Dial-up or WAN connections are designed and optimized to run over multi-Mbps local links and not remote links.

Mobile computing also increases the need for security. Safeguards for mobile devices and the confidential corporate information they hold become critical as traveling employees face the risk of hardware theft and loss of confidential corporate data.