12
Sat, Oct
6 New Articles

Product Review: ADVANCED BusinessLink's Strategi mobileACCESS

Product Reviews
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times
Businesses run System i green-screen applications. Employees use wireless-enabled PDAs and smart phones. It stands to reason that productivity could be enhanced by linking the two to turn handheld devices into System i clientsassuming it can be done in a way that overcomes the screen and keyboard limitations of mobile devices. That's the premise underlying Strategi mobileACCESS from ADVANCED BusinessLink. It easily allows users and system administrators to access 5250 applications on many mobile devices sporting WiFi or cellular wide area network (WAN) connectivity.

On the client side, mobileACCESS runs as a Java program. Consequently, a good Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a requirement for the mobile device. This is available in Windows CE or Windows Mobile 5 or higher, as well as in a few other operating systems, such as Linux, that are found on handheld devices. Apart from the need for a JVM, mobileACCESS is platform-independent. Any operating system that doesn't currently include an adequate JVM will immediately become compatible with mobileACCESS should the OS incorporate a JVM in a future release.

One additional requirement for the mobile device is a link, such as a USB port or one of the industry-standard wireless connectivity alternatives that can be used to load the Java program. At least one usable link is standard on most current mobile devices, so this is rarely a limiting factor.

Screen size is not an issue. The mobileACCESS product supports anything from the smallest to the largest of screens.

On the host side, mobileACCESS does not use any interactive processing, so, no matter how widely it's deployed throughout the enterprise, there is no need to upgrade the System i processor group in order to run mobileACCESS under your existing System i license.

With mobileACCESS, administration can be centralized, as it is entirely host-based. Furthermore, because there is no need to install and support host access software on mobile devices, it's easy and cost-effective to support a large number of remote users. In addition, because mobileACCESS loads natively on System i, it avoids the security threats of gateways and front-end processors.

Traditionally, the biggest impediment to using handheld devices as clients for System i applications has been the limited screen real estate on these devices. Even when the necessary connectivity was available, such as through a built-in Web browser and browser-based green-screen emulation, the small screen size meant that maneuvering through a 5250 application was too cumbersome to be practical unless the application was specially designed for that purpose. Yet custom-designing applications for mobile devices requires costly coding that may make this an unaffordable option.

With mobileACCESS, a couple of novel techniques overcome the screen-size dilemma, without the need for custom development. SmartPanning automatically shifts the displayed text and fields to keep the data entry position on the screen as a user enters data and navigates through the application. Screen Compaction manages the display output to take actions such as eliminating excessive white space to make more productive use of the limited screen size. The use of these techniques makes it possible for mobileACCESS to employ readable font sizes, without diminishing the usability of the application even on a small display. And, if something isn't easily readable, a simple zoom function allows users to take a closer look.

The nature of cellular networks presents an additional problem when accessing applications over a smart phone. Connections occasionally drop. But mobileACCESS deals with this by putting users back to the cursor position they left off on when they sign back in after a dropped connection, thereby preventing any aggravating loss of work and eliminating the need to manually pan through screens in order find where they left off.

Function keys present another challenge. Green-screen applications use them. Few mobile devices have them. To address this issue, mobileACCESS generates icons to represent an application's function keys. This is done automatically, without the need for any programming. Users can use their normal mobile device input method—typically a fingertip or stylus—to select the appropriate icon and simulate the pressing of the function key. Similarly, when a green-screen application displays a menu, hotspots are automatically created. Users can touch those hotspots to navigate through the application.

Green-screen applications often send reports to printers. This is an obvious dilemma for a wireless device that is usually used away from the office. By making spooled reports available on mobile devices, mobileACCESS solves this problem. Each Strategi user has an out queue assigned to him or her. When a spool file is sent to a user's out queue, it appears in his or her Strategi mobileACCESS browser as an HTML document.

According to Sherry Toly, director of marketing at ADVANCED BusinessLink, ''The wow factor of mobileAccess is that productivity is amazing. When you try to make applications work well on a small device, you have a lot of challenges to overcome. Just managing and maintaining connectivity in a wireless world can be difficult. We pull all of the components together to create a high-performance environment.''

ADVANCED BusinessLink's mobileACCESS is a member of the company's Strategi suite of products, which includes solutions for Web-enablement, mobility, and service-oriented architectures (SOA). Founded in 1987 in Sydney, Australia, ADVANCED BusinessLink is now headquartered in the Seattle, Washington, area, but it maintains a sales and support office in Sydney, as well as in Paris, London, and Kuala Lumpur. The company has more than 500 customers in 22 countries. For more information, contact ADVANCED BusinessLink. Contact information is provided below.

Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, a writer, and president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based marketing communications firm, and author of BYTE-ing Satire. Joel has 25 years experience working in IT, first as a programmer/analyst and then as a marketer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto. Contact Joel at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

http://www.mcpressonline.com/articles/images/2002/BusinessLink-mobileACCESSproductreview.v400.jpg


ADVANCED BusinessLink

5808 Lake Washington Blvd.
Suite 100
Kirkland, WA 98033
USA

Web: www.businesslink.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 425.602.4777
Fax: 425.602.4789

Joel Klebanoff

Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, writer, and formerly president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto-based marketing communications firm. He has 30 years' experience in various IT capacities and now specializes in writing articles, white papers, and case studies for IT vendors and publications across North America. Joel is also the author of BYTE-ing Satire, a compilation of a year's worth of his columns. He holds a BS in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto.


MC Press books written by Joel Klebanoff available now on the MC Press Bookstore.

BYTE-ing Satire BYTE-ing Satire
Find out the hilarious answer to the eternal question: "Is technology more hindrance than help?"
List Price $14.95

Now On Sale

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: