Manufacturingtalk has now published our article which examines how to upgrade IT application functionality for the manufacturing industry.
In particular, the article examines subsribing to a SaaS vs. custom-building the software application in-house using rich internet application platforms such as uniPaaS.
For a more in-depth look at the application technology needs of the manufacturing sector and how they can be solved have a look at the following web page and white paper.
Smelling a journalistic opportunity, I managed to grab ten minutes with Regev Yativ, our President and CEO for the Americas, who happened to be visiting Magic Software's HQ during this holiday week.
Regev has been making waves in 2009, particularly with Magic Software's mobile solution offering. Below is the full transcript of our interview:
The Mobile Enterprise Market - An Interview with Regev Yativ. By Sam Green.
SG: What's your take on the shape of the mobile market as we head into 2010?
RY: We are seeing some misconceptions in the mobile market where people tend to confuse the "mass mobile market" and the enterprise mobile market. The mass market requires a very high level of browser based interactivity, AV streaming and a number of other basic functions that are not always relevant for enterprise users. However, since mobile devices are today as basic as bread and butter, it means that enterprise users are being influenced more than ever before by the use and functionality of their devices and are looking to develop new expectations in their work environment as well. They are all focused on what they can do more with their mobile device or PDA.
So the mass market today is more of an influencer than ever before. We must nevertheless remember that it's not the end-game. So when we talk about Magic Software's mobile offering, we are referring specifically to solutions especially designed for enterprises.
SG: What does Magic Software have to offer that's unique?
RY: I believe that the beauty of our offering is its simplicity. The uniPaaS mobile client that we are talking about today is simply an additional deployment mode of an otherwise uniPaaS-developed Rich Internet Application (RIA). This is one of the biggest advantages that Magic Software has to offer today. As a Magic customer, this means you can take a single set of code that you initially intended to deploy as a standard RIA application, and deploy that same code, with some modifications, as a mobile application. This does require some programming changes (such as scaling down the screen, adjusting the presentation etc) however; the level of modification needed is minor when you work in the uniPaaS environment. This is great news for all operators looking to transfer their applications onto mobile devices quickly and smoothly.
SG: What does this mean practically for enterprises out there?
RY: Practically, this means that if I have a mobile workforce in an enterprise environment, or workers based in remote locations, or away-from-office teams, with different smart phones and PDAs that are being operated from anywhere in the world, I can now integrate these workers into my enterprise resource pool and exploit such resources seamlessly, as if they were sitting next door.
As an example, if you're a field engineer, and you're sent to Texas to fix an oil pump in the middle of nowhere, it can be very difficult to get connectivity into your enterprise resources in a conventional way. It may also be impractical to use standard computers and laptops. In such a situation you could now turn to your mobile phone or smart phone and use a uniPaaS mobile client to connect and fully use the functionality of your enterprise application as if you never left the office.
And of course, we must remember that this level of immediate service is worth diamonds to the customer. As one can imagine, each hour that the oil pump is out of operation it costs millions in damages and lost revenues.
SG: What's your main focus for 2010 and beyond regarding mobile solutions?
RY: Currently, Magic Software is already deployed on the Windows CE/mobile environment for several customers. We also have a number of customers now examining this option for deployment in 2010. Along with this, we are planning to come to market in the first quarters of 2010 with specialized web templates and functionality for the most common mobile platforms such as Blackberry and iPhone. Considering that the majority of enterprises in the US run Blackberry and for the most part run Blackberry enterprise servers as well, our main strategy for the coming year will be to invest in perfecting our Blackberry enterprise offering.
The agility of our uniPaaS unitary platform combined with the integration layer that iBOLT brings will be playing a key role in achieving the sort of specialized solutions that Blackberry and other mobile platforms users are looking for in fields ranging from heavy industry to government, local municipalities and corporate sectors.
SG: Tell me more about how Magic Software's iBOLT business integration suite is being used to improve the mobile enterprise experience for customers?
RY: One of the unique advantages of Magic Software is the fact that we have an unrivalled and multi-layered technology stack. At the front-end this takes the shape of the uniPaaS application platform that allows you to rapidly and cost-effectively build and deploy your mobile application as we discussed earlier. At the back-end this takes the form of the iBOLT business integration suite that lets you integrate your mobile application with a host of other business applications in the enterprise.
By linking mobile application development and deployment with enterprise application integration, many of our customers are now able to optimize and streamline their operations. As a result they can better exploit out-of-office resources, and all this works towards saving an enormous amount of money as well as creating new business opportunities.
One of the key messages we are trying to deliver regarding mobility is that it's not enough to convert ‘data' into ‘information'. It's also vital that you have maximum accessibility to this information - allowing decision makers to make accurate business decisions in real time.
To summarize, our strategy is to help our customers reach their full ‘information mobility' potential - from both ends of the enterprise, from corporate management for overall decision making to the workforce for enabling better operations and customer service.
On a personal note, from the constant interaction we have with customers, partners and analysts, we have no doubt that the mobile enterprise market is going to explode in the coming years and we are very excited to be in a position where we can offer and deliver in stages, all the needed solutions to support that.
SG: Thank you for your time and we look forward to hearing from you again later in the year.
RY: Thank you.
Rich Internet applications and their brainchild, software-as-a-service (SaaS), are expensive to build. Today they represent the most challenging development process yet.
Regev Yativ, Magic Software's President & CEO for the Americas tells Enterprise Systems how to get around the complexity of building and deploying RIA and SaaS in this article just out.
Other collateral news - we have a new case study now available - this one is about FKB - a Liechtenstein-based health insurance provider that, using uniPaaS, has become the largest health insurance provider in Lichtenstein with the lowest operating costs in the industry for both Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Website news, we've added even more new items to our solutions section - this time focusing on Magic Software's solutions for specific industry verticals - so far we have healthcare, manufacturing, finance, government and logistics - along with relevant case studies that describe some of the real-life challenges and implementations in each industry.
And lastly, the first of two Get IT Together seminars is happening in Connecticut today. Last minute places are still available for the Nov 12th event in San Diego. If you are interested in attending ring as soon as possible to reserve your place on - 949 250 1718.
Following on from my previous manufacturing posts, I've now compiled the main 5 benefits of Rich Internet Applications (RIA) for manufacturing industries into a new white paper that you can download for free here.
Rich Internet Applications are particularly beneficial to manufacturing companies. That's because the nature of manufacturing requires a combination of powerful business functionality (to handle their diverse work scope - including production, delivery, inventory, sales force etc), that they need to display in a myriad of ways (graphically and in complex table format), and they need it available anywhere (at the production line site as well as on the move in the warehouse etc).
They can get this sort of rich internet functionality today by sourcing it from a SaaS vendor of course. It's quick to assimilate, and cost-effective to run. The only problem is if the vendor doesn't have exactly the type of functionality that the manufacturer needs. There's not much room for customization with an off-the-shelf SaaS product.
There is then an advantage to building your own RIA in house - as long as it can be done without incurring high costs and an over-long development effort!
The white paper first highlights the benefits of RIA to manufacturers and then describes the most efficient and effective path to implementing RIA in-house.
All comments and feeback are welcome!
In a 2009 UK based survey commissioned by the 'The Loyalty Practice at HS&P' it was found that almost one quarter of British consumers say they are less brand loyal now than they were 12 months ago.
According to Louise Isaacs, head of The Loyalty Practice, "With cash-conscious consumers paying closer attention to the purchases they make, businesses are having to fight harder to keep customers coming back."
And his solution: "brands must focus more on engaging customers during their buying cycle to capture more data and build better relationships."
Obvious really - in a business environment where customers are more demanding and brand loyalty harder to capture and keep, customer engagement is key to an organization's success.
In a recent study on engagement by the Economist Intelligence Unit, 80% of executives said that better engagement translates into improved customer loyalty, and 75% said they believed it meant higher profits.
Engagement is critical to transforming customers into active advocates for a product or business. That's where Rich Internet Applications (RIA) are making headway.
In March 2007, Forrester Research published The Business Case for Rich Internet Applications, a report based on interviews with RIA technology providers and designers, as well as Forrester Research clients and customers. The report revealed that "well-designed RIAs can produce eye-popping results that can help prove the value of current investments and make the case for future RIA projects."
RIAs can make customer interactions more compelling, dynamic, and useful - in short - more engaging. And this is what will give businesses that critical edge over their competitors when times are tough - and it looks like these times are settling in for quite a long stay.
We've spoken previously about the need for Information Technology to evolve into Business Technology.
Here's how Forrester explains things:
Every aspect of the enterprise is increasingly embodied in the technology it uses, from process application-driven business operations to Internet-based interactions with customers and suppliers. Although today, only a few enterprises recognize the implications of this trend, within five years most will realize that this "business technology" (BT) is vital to delivering business results. Enterprises will embrace the competitive potential of technology and actively manage its use. BT providers will hone offerings to enhance business results, flexibility, and configurability.
I understand from this the following:
-
Technology is becoming more important to all aspects of a business' operations.
-
Companies will soon realize (if not already) that to remain competitive they need their information technology to deliver real business results.
-
Companies that aquire IT systems that focus on 'business' delivery rather than 'technology' will end up the winners - by cutting their operational costs, improving productivity and increasing market share.
So if you're an enterprise company with an internal IT department or an ISV trying to stay afload against giant SaaS vendors here's your chance to gain a step ahead:
Magic Software is holding a special, one day seminar this November in the United States:
Get IT together will give you the knowledge and tools to more effectively utilize your IT resources and deliver quantifiable business results in a reasonable time.
The seminar is equally suited for business executives and IT professionals alike.
Get IT together is being held in only two locations -
- Uncasville, Connecticut on November 10
- San Diego, California on November 12
This seminar will feature some of industry's leading technology experts in the fields of application development, RIA, SaaS, business integration and IT business optimization.
If you're based in the US, or going to be travelling in the US in the second week of November, don't miss out on your chance to attend this FREE day.
In today's business and economic environment there is literally nothing more important that you can be doing right now than learning how to leverage your IT to perform more for your business.
For more information visit http://www.getittogether.us/ or speak directly to my US collegue Glenn Johnson. You can also give him a call to reserve your place on the number below:
To reserve your place now call: 949 250 1718
Now you can. With Rich Internet Applications you can combine the functionality of fully interactive software with the broad reach and low cost deployment of the Web.
Just ask Magic Software how.
This is the advert I came up with a while back when racking my brains trying to convey the unique advantages of Rich Internet Applications over traditional software.
The key sentence that was playing in my mind at the time was that RIA gives users 'the best of both worlds'.
And what that means is that you get the powerful user experience that only locally installed Client-Server 'desktop' applications can provide (scrolling lists, multiple screen views, rapid data update etc), but you also get the benefit of internet based applications - i.e. anytime, anywhere access to your data, such as from a mobile device.
Anyway, this is the end advertisement image that we went with. If you still don't know what it is, it's supposed to be the body of an Arnold Schwarzenegger type (in his youth, of course) with the mind of an Einstein. Get it? The best of both worlds?? Thought so.
It seems that even paradise is suffering these days. Australia is suffering from a skill-set shortage that, according to this interview, is hampering the ability of businesses to deliver and innovate.
70% of the businesses asked (according to the news item) were worried about skill-set shortages hampering a business's ability to deliver. AND of those, 60% say it is negatively impacting their ability to innovate.
Business innovation (we talk more about this here) is what keeps small economies going. I would also argue that innovation is the only way to resuscitate a large economy suffering from recession and the over-leverage of service and financial sectors.
The costs of acquiring the right IT skills to ensure business innovation are constantly going up it seems, particularly when a business is looking to building a complex rich business application (RIA).
The nature of RIA and SaaS applications and their unique performance benefits means that they require multiple teams of developers to build the separate Client, Server and Communication layers of the application. Normally these would be achieved using a combination of development tools. (see Flex and C# vs. uniPaaS)
Is there a solution then? Of course. Work smarter!
uniPaaS is a culmination of 3 unique technological innovations that allow you to achieve your business objectives faster and easier - in this case to build a rich business internet application using only a single skill-set and programming language.
So no more skill shortages, and no more fears for business delivery and innovation..
Hello Australia!
I put together an article a few months back for the DM Review (with a little help from my good friend Avigdor Luttinger, our Business Development VP) that may be useful if you're a small ISV with an 80's or 90's era Magic Software application - here's the article again in full..
Staying Alive! How to Morph your 80's Era Apps into Rich Internet Applications (RIA) and Software as a Service (SaaS)
The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business application market is now in accelerated growth phase and is set to conquer both the SME and Enterprise space. Salesforce.com is one of the largest and most successful of these SaaS vendors to date and represents the driving force behind today's SaaS trend. So what's now preventing other Enterprise vendors from replicating the success of Salesforce.com and becoming leading SaaS providers themselves?
An important reason could be that they have not yet conquered the dual challenges of Rich Internet Applications (RIA) development and SaaS delivery that would enable them to attract small ISV's and their applications in great enough numbers to offer a full application portfolio. And for good reason:
The RIA Development Hurdle
One of the main conditions for successful Web-based SaaS delivery is RIA orientation. This means that the SaaS application must provide a user-experience at least on-par with traditional client/server applications and the delivery must be via a very thin client that doesn't require any explicit installation and management.
A number of solutions such as Adobe Flex and Microsoft Silverlight have the toolboxes and platforms for RIA that provides the degree of user experience demanded today. However, the level of performance comes at the expense of a heavy development effort - meaning that you have to create separate client and server tiers and the in-between communication layer. And to do this you need a workforce with at least 2 different skill-sets. The result is a more complex project than the prevailing approach that uses a single Java-type development paradigm.
The SaaS Delivery Hurdle
To add to the difficulty of RIA development is the problem of SaaS delivery. One of the major advantages of SaaS (unlike ASP's) is their use of a single application image that can be applied to multiple users. However, while great for usability, this creates a huge challenge when using code-based applications - where your multi-user capability must be built-in to the code. For example, how do you keep track of which user is using what, and when? How do you limit their use in a tailored subscription plan? And how do you work out how much to bill them?
Overcoming the Legacy Application Business Barrier
Salesforce.com is the only player who's effectively answered both the RIA and SaaS challenges by developing their offering from scratch. Today, Salesforce.com has a very nice application, and a series of ISV partner-created add-ons. However, what happens when a small ISV partner, wanting to add-on his application to a major vendor, finds he can't do so easily because his application was built using a traditional programming language? Even players such as Salesforce.com have found themselves with less content than they would perhaps like - because their new proprietary platform is simply unable to assimilate the type of applications built using traditional programming language.
As a result there is a business barrier to ISV's joining SaaS providers in greater numbers -And this barrier is now preventing more Enterprise vendors from replicating the success of Salesforce.com. The challenge of creating a well-rounded SaaS offering based in part upon successfully assimilating ISV's legacy applications remains the primary stumbling block for SaaS providers today.
The Solution - Metadata Driven Application Platforms
Magic Software has perfected the art of the metadata driven application platform. This enables you to migrate and carry over business logic across successive generations of operating system and hardware. So you can easily take a DOS or Novell based Magic Software application and render it into an OS400, Windows, or Web environment - without having to modify the application, and while fully conserving the business logic of the application.
As a result, Magic Software's ecosystem, consisting of perhaps tens of thousands of applications, many of which are packaged and sold by small ISV's, can now be rendered into RIA and SaaS mode without great expense, and without acquiring a workforce with multiple skill-sets.
All of this means that if the big Enterprise players want to successfully build a SaaS portfolio and attract ISV partners and their applications, then they should look no further. Metadata driven application platforms represent a phenomenal opportunity, allowing vendors to harness the potential business logic within an ISV's legacy application. Enterprise vendors can now transform 80's era applications quickly, easily and cost-effectively into the types of products demanded by today's customers and expose new markets to the benefits of the SaaS and RIA revolution.
The 'Rich' in Rich Internet Applications means UX, short for user experience. If the user is not enjoying a more compelling and hassle-free experience then the developer is simply not doing something right.
Here are 50 of some of the very best rich internet applications, as judged by Theresa Neil.
Some of these are really good.
Remember though, let's not loose sight of the trees while we're still in the woods. Yes, some of these RIA's do have great User Interfaces. But this concept should not be confused with User Experience..
Rich user experience requires not only that the user interface be intuitive, fluent and productive, but also that it be functionally rich.
A true rich internet application is therefore one that is able to complete most common business rules without having to constantly resort to remote services to complete the execution. And for that you need functionally rich RIA clients that increase the overall responsiveness of the business application which in turn contributes to higher end-user productivity.
Top-notch graphical design may contribute to overall user experience, but in today's economic environment of leaner IT budgets, too much focus on design can end up impeding productivity.
Enterprises and software vendors looking to make the greatest return on their business application investment should consider platforms that cater first and foremost to User Experience - while keeping the door open to extra graphical and functional enhancements that can be added when the time is right.
We talk more about the trade-off's between User Experience and User Interface in this white paper.