point-to-point vs. meap - the right approach for an integrated mobility solutions - whitepaper by...

POINT-TO-POINT vs. MEAPTHE RIGHT APPROACH FOR AN INTEGRATED

MOBILITY SOLUTION

A RapidValue Solutions Whitepaper Feb - 2013

RapidValueEnabling MobilityA RapidValue Solutions Whitepaper Feb - 2013

020202

Executive Summary

There are two commonly used approaches for building integrated mobility solutions: Point-to-point integration and Mobile Enterprise Application Platform (MEAP). This paper explains why an enterprise mobility integration solution is needed, describes and compares the two approaches, and provides a guide for how to choose the right mobility integration technique for your organization. The paper also examines various MEAP platforms available and the key differences between popular platforms. From a mobile application development standpoint, there is another widely used approach: cross-platform development frameworks. These frameworks allow developers to build once and deploy across multiple device platforms. However, these frameworks lack integration and mobile device management capabilities, and therefore we have excluded them from consideration for the purposes of this whitepaper. To learn more about cross-platform development, download our whitepaper: “How to Choose the Right Architecture for your Mobile Application” - http://www.rapidvaluesolutions.com/whitepaper/

Enterprise mobility has transformed the way businesses engage with customers, partners and staff while exchanging critical information. Innovative applications are only part of an overall mobility solution – integrating them with existing systems in a scalable manner is equally important and can be even more challenging.

RapidValueEnabling Mobility

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Enterprise Mobility Solutions Gone are the days when employees would sit in front of their desktop computers all day to do their work and communicate with coworkers and clients. More and more companies are adapting enterprise mobility solutions to make it easier for their employees to work out of the office using mobile devices and cloud services to perform business tasks.

Point-to-Point: An application deployment technique which allows mobile users within the organization to perform a business operation and engage with co-workers and customers. It is mainly designed for smaller organizations.

The two most popular enterprise mobility deployment techniques are:

01Mobile Enterprise Application Platform (MEAP): An application middleware designed specifically for mobile enterprise application users. It allows controlled access to all mobile applications hosted on a particular platform. Employees and enterprise customers can access and exchange data from any mobile device to perform a number of business operations.

02Definition of MEAPThere is a general tendency to combine MEAP/middleware tools with cross-platform mobile development tools. We would define MEAP as a platform that includes:

– Comprehensive integration capabilities – Connectivity to corporate systems such as ERP, CRM, etc.

– Mobile application development – Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for building mobile applications

– Mobile Device Management (MDM) capabilities – Support for device provisioning, secure transmission of data, remote configuration, mobile asset tracking, policy identification and adaptation, etc.

– Mobile Application Management (MAM) capabilities – Support for provisioning and access control to mobile applications used in business settings (configuration settings, user authentication, push notification services, application usage analytics, etc.)



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As the name implies, cross-platform development frameworks provide the ability to develop once and deploy across multiple platforms, but mainly on the client/device side with minimal support for integration. Since this paper is about integrated mobility solutions, we focus on the MEAP approach, with the view that cross-platform frameworks are outside the scope of the discussion.

MEAP Examples

Cross- Platform Development Frameworks Examples

Point-to-Point Solutions vs. MEAPPoint-to-Point Approach

Typically, a Point-to-Point (P2P) integration solution is used to develop an independent native application for each business requirement, using individual resources/middleware to handle the data and control layer of the application. This solution is useful when data segregation is possible and independent security for the application is required.

NATIVE APPS AS REQUIRED AND

BASED ON LOCATION

MULTIPLE MIDDLEWARE

FOR EACH APPLICATION

DATA WAREHOUSE

POINT-TO-POINT DEPLOYMENT ARCHITECTURE



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P2P Solution User experience is rich (typically based on native application development).

Less expensive to build compared to MEAP if the features required are straightforward.

Performance is higher compared to MEAP since there are fewer applications to handle.

Requires additional integration with identity management.

Requires third-party connectors to integrate with external systems.

Need to build each application based on the specific business requirement, with limited reusability.

Any changes required in the application need developer involvement.

ProsApproach Cons

MEAP Approach

MOBILE ENTERPRISE APPLICATION

PLATFORM (MEAP)

Gartner Group has developed a concept called the Rule of Three for determining when to use a Mobile Enterprise Application Platform (MEAP). According to the rule, you should use the MEAP approach for enterprise mobility if the business requirements include (i) Three or more mobile applications, (ii) Three or more mobile OS (Operating Systems) and (iii) Integration with at least three back-end data sources.

IPAD

DESKTOP

IPHONE

BLACKBERRY

MEAP DEPLOYMENT ARCHITECTURE



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MEAP ARCHITECTURE BLOCK DIAGRAM

MOBILE DEVICE MANAGEMENT

INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT

AUTH

EAI ADAPTERS | SERVICE BUS

WEB SERVICES

DATABASE CONNECTIONS

HTTP(S)

VPN

HTTP(S)

VPN

SERVER (CLOU

D O

R ON

-PREMISE)

DEVICE

POLICY ENFORCEMENT

SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION

CLIENT AGENT

SERVER APPLICATION

LOGIC

CLIENT APPLICATION

UI+ LOGIC

EAI TOOLS + LOGIC

DIRECTORY SERVICES

WEB APPLICATION

SERVER

MULTICHANNEL ACCESS GATEWAY

OFFLINE NATIVE STORAGE

CLIENT APPLICATION

RUNTIMEHTML5

BROWSER

OFFLINE BROWSER STORAGE

RELATIONAL NoSQL

DATABASE

ENTERPRISE PACKAGES

DATA SOURCES

MEAP Highly scalable architecture.

Pre-integrated to identity management system.

Supports multiple platforms – native (iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry), web (XHTML browsers) and hybrid applications.

Can leverage device features seamlessly.

Plug-in or connectors are available to communicate with systems such as SAP, Oracle, CRMs, etc.

Web service layer runs on DMZ to secure the entire infrastructure.

The solution can be deployed on premises or in a cloud.

User interface and usability are sub-optimal.

Initial implementation time is higher.

Initial investment is high – requires upfront payment for the solution, maintenance fee and user based fee.

Dedicated administrator is required to maintain the MEAP server.

ProsApproach Cons


Source: robtiffany.com


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Comparing Point-to-Point and MEAP The following table summarizes the key differences between Point-to-Point solutions and MEAP.

User Interface

Cross-device platform support

One solution across a wide range of mobile devices

Point-to-Point SolutionParameters Mobile Middleware/MEAP

Not as great as point-to-point Typically a native application – rich user experience

Unique solution for every mobile device/ mobile OS

Device Management

Each device update needs to be man-aged individually

– Each application update needs to be managed separately

– Multiple proprietary tool sets are required for managing & monitoring applications, security and devices

– New applications can be placed in a pre-defined shared location in the middleware

– Centralized management of data

– Single tool for managing all devices, applications and security

– Builds are specific to each type of device

– Remote locking of mobile devices and remote wiping of data are supported

– Data resides in a centralized server

– Controlled at one location with single console

– Flexibility in expanding mobility

– Seamless user experience with increase in number of users and/or mobile applications on the platform

Flexibility & Change Management

Remote Installation and Updates

Connectivity

Security

Scalability & Redundancy

Implementation Cost

Multiple integrations required to connect all backend systems

Initial investment is low

Each point-to-point solution has its own security controls

Decreases as number of hosted mobile applications increases

High, with optimized services between client and server networks

Requires additional hardware and software to support additional users and/or mobile applications

Not part of the solution but possible to distribute them over the air individually

Allows OTA provisioning to many devices and mobile operating systems simultaneously

Pre-integrated with all kinds of backend databases and other applications

Initial investment is high

Performance



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Summary Comparison Between Two Key MEAPsThe table below summarizes the differences between two popular MEAPs: Kony and SAP Unwired. We have selected only these two MEAPs for comparison to illustrate key parameters you should evaluate before deciding on the right MEAP for your enterprise.

Kony

NATIVE APPLICATION CAPABILITIES

PLATFORMS SUPPORTED

Parameters SAP Unwired

Yes

Yes

Yes

Single code base for all native UI components

Access to all native capabilities

Native code generation

Native UI components have to be developed specific to each platform using native languages

Supported with code written in native

Not at present

Rich UXUser experience Browser-dependent. Code must be written specifically for each native platform

iPhone, Android, BlackBerry (4.2.1 and above), Win-dows Phone (5.0 up to Windows 8), Symbian, Palm, J2ME

Windows 7

Device platforms

Desktop clients/kiosks

Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1, 6.5 (Standard and Professional), Windows XP, Vista and 7 (32 bit and 64 bit), BlackBerry 5.0 and 6.0, iOS 4.2 and 4.3

Windows XP, Vista and 7

Eight dedicated websites for 15+ browsers, five form factors, from WML to HTML5

Device-optimized mobile web Not at present

Overall Cost Customizations are expensive. IT cost increases with increase in team size (mobile enterprise app users)

– Lower administrative, maintenance and support costs

– Cost-effective if many mobile enterprise applications are to be supported supported



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PLATFORM FEATURES

7+Number of operating systems for native applications supported

7+

YesAccess to HTML5 capabilities Yes

Lua/JavascriptLanguage used Mainly Java, .Net and Objective C are also used

YesCross-platform debugger Not at present

YesQuick UI preview on all platforms

None. Need to build and compile the projects to view the UI

YesForeign function support from single codebase

Not at present

YesAbility to seamlessly create native deployable binaries for all platforms

Requires usage of platform specific native SDK tools (to be configured and understood)

Yes, all glue code is auto-generated

Extensions – ability to augment existing APIs without knowledge of underlying SDK

Yes, but glue code has to be manually written for each of native SDK

YesDrag & drop widgets for UI development

Needs to be done outside the developer platform

Not required Coding required for consuming data from network services and mapping it to the UI widgets (80% of the application codebase)

Yes, all data mapping code has to be handwritten

By default purely native, optionally WebUI can be used for rendering

Wrapper-based solution (uses WebView for rendering)

Yes, a hybrid web based container approach

Yes. Also supports offline sync

Synchronization capabilities Yes. Also supports offline sync

YesAbility to download a new version of the application without accessing app stores

Yes

Yes, supported via Kony App Store and Kony App Management Container

Mobile Application Management with App management capability

Requires additional license and compo-nent via Afaria



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Eclipse plugin from KonyIntegrated Development Environment (IDE)

Eclipse IDE

Web Services support – REST/SOAP

Backend system integration Sybase ASE 12.x and 15.x, Sybase SQL Anywhere 11.x, Oracle 10g and 11g, MS SQL Server 2005 and 2008, UDB 9.1, SAP R/3 4.6 and higher, SOAP and REST (XML) Services

YesExtensible connectors to consume data from SAP, web services, XML, Java API

Yes

YesOracle backend support Yes

YesConnectors to Siebel, PeopleSoft and SharePoint

Information not available

Five ways to connect to SAP JCO, Gateway (OData), Web Services, HTTP, iWay , and SAP Namespace (inside SAP) – i.e. no middleware

Connectors to SAP Supports JCO, Gateway and Web Services

SMS/MMS – 2-Way and common push APIs

SMS/MMS (2-Way & push) Not supported

INTEGRATION AND CONNECTORS



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Choosing the Right Approach What approach works best for your enterprise? While each organization will have a different mobility strategy, when it comes to selecting mobile enterprise applications, you will reach a point where you have to decide between a point-to-point solution and MEAP. As always, the right solution for your organization depends on your business requirements. The following figure illustrates key factors that will help you decide on a mobility solution that’s appropriate for your organization.

POINT-TO-POINT SOLUTION

– Focus is on building a small number of applications to run on a few mobile operating systems only (Blackberry, iOS, Android, Windows mobile)

– Out-of-the-box solution is acceptable, and does not require much customization

– Requires very few internal updates

MEAP (MOBILE

MIDDLE WARE)

– Requires device-agnostic solution

– Host multiple mobile applications across multiple mobile operating systems

– Simplifies integration to back-end systems

– Cost-effective over the long term

POINT-TO-POINT SOLUTION VS. MEAP

DECISION MAKING CHART

According to industry experts, a MEAP solution works best for organizations looking for over three mobile applications or above 150 users. This decision-making chart will help you select between the two enterprise mobility approaches. However, before making a decision, you need to understand the pros and cons of both types of enterprise mobility solutions and the cost involved in switching between the two solutions in the future should that become necessary.

50 100 150 2001 2 3 4

Lo

Hi MEAP PERFORMANCE

MEAP TCO

POINT SOLUTION PERFORMANCE

POINT SOLUTION TCO

PERFORMANCE

TCO PER USER

Users

Applications

Source: [Sybase White Paper]: What’s the point? Comparison of Middleware Vs. Point Solutions



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Conclusion Of all the factors driving the need for mobility, the main parameters to consider are the number of applications, the device platforms to be supported, the amount of flexibility and control you need for managing the servers and how quickly you plan to scale up. A point-to-point solution is the most cost-effective and fastest approach for an immediate, single mobile application deployment. MEAP is best suited for organizations with a well-defined mobility strategy and a vision for expanding their use of mobile applications. If you have any questions or need more information about building an integrated mobility solution, give us a call at 877-690-4744 or visit us at RapidValueSolutions.com. We look forward to hearing from you!



0202020203020210Mobility Information Series – Jan 2013


About RapidValueRapidValue is a leading provider of end-to-end mobility solutions to enterprises worldwide. We offer a range of mobility services across industry verticals, drawing upon a team of 175+ experts in mobility consulting and application development, along with experience delivering over 200 mobility projects. RapidValue delivers its services to the world’s top brands and Fortune 1000 companies, and has offices in the United States and India.

www.rapidvaluesolutions.com www.rapidvaluesolutions.com/blog

+1 877.690.4844 [email protected]


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