Transforming enterprise applications for mobile/byod environments

Transcription

1 Transforming enterprise applications for mobile/byod environments Developing new mobile apps, modernizing existing applications and implementing desktop virtualization

2 Contents Identifying the right approach to mobility/byod Enabling mobility and supporting BYOD requirements with end-to-end capabilities Designing and developing mobile apps Implementing desktop virtualization Realizing the benefits of working with Dell Developing a new app to improve customer service and enhance efficiency Supporting mobile/byod productivity Figures Dell offers end-to-end solution capabilities to help you enable mobility and support BYOD requirements. Dell offers a multistep engagement based on industry best practices. The Application Modernization and Development Solution Set provides all of the services required to bring applications to mobile environments

3 Across a broad array of industries, organizations are rapidly expanding their mobility programs, enabling more users to access enterprise applications and data from a wider range of devices. In many cases, organizations implement a hybrid mobility strategy of issuing corporate-owned mobile devices, instituting bring-yourown-device (BYOD) policies and permitting employees to select from preapproved devices, all in an effort to help enable anytime, anywhere productivity and boost employee satisfaction. Preparing enterprise applications for the increasingly diverse array of mobile devices used for business purposes is a key challenge for IT groups. Applications are the way to access and work with enterprise information. In addition to , calendaring, collaboration and web browser applications, many users need ways to work with customer relationship management (CRM) software and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems as well as industry-specific applications, such as electronic medical records (EMRs) and delivery-tracking software. To deliver these applications to mobile environments, IT groups need the ability to support the wide variety of screen sizes and operating systems used by mobile employees. In addition, they need to accommodate the ways that users interact with mobile devices for example, supporting multi-touch gestures or handsfree input, minimizing the need for extensive typing and enabling users to find what they need quickly through an intuitive interface. At the same time, IT groups must meet unique application and data security requirements. 3

4 How should your organization address all of these considerations? While some organizations might require new mobile app development, others will be better served by modernizing existing applications or virtualizing desktop environments. If you choose desktop virtualization, you should then decide whether to host the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution in-house or opt for a cloud-based solution. All of the decisions involved in mobilizing enterprise applications should be part of the larger BYOD planning process. Your organization will need to determine, for example: Which devices and platforms will be supported with each application? How will enterprise resources be secured as employees use these applications? How will mobilized applications be deployed and managed? Addressing these and other questions will be essential for delivering a responsive, productive experience for users while maintaining security and streamlining management. 1 4

5 Identifying the right approach to mobility/byod There are multiple approaches for bringing enterprise applications to mobile/byod environments. Selecting the right approach requires a thorough assessment of business goals, technical requirements and possible constraints imposed by the existing application or infrastructure. Development: If your organization wants to deliver essential application capabilities in an efficient, user-friendly interface designed specifically for mobile platforms, developing a new mobile app might be the best approach. Through the development process, you can optimize the app for your desired mobile devices, operating systems and use cases. Modernization: In some situations, modifying existing mobile apps or desktop applications for mobile environments will be a preferred approach. Transforming existing applications running on desktop or mobile environments can help you reduce costs and accelerate the time to value. Modifying existing apps also enables you to leverage users existing familiarity with app functionality. Virtualization: Implementing desktop virtualization for laptops or thin clients might be the right approach when your users require access to a full array of features or capabilities offered by existing desktop applications, when you are using closed software (with proprietary application programming interfaces [APIs]), or when security/compliance requirements mandate heightened IT control over the application and the data it accesses. You can select from on-site VDI solutions and cloud-based services that eliminate capital costs and offload deployment, management and support. 5

6 Enabling mobility and supporting BYOD requirements with end-to-end capabilities Dell Mobility Solutions offer end-to-end capabilities to support your mobility/byod goals. To provide employees with the performance and reliability they need for mobile productivity, Dell offers a full range of mobile devices and client systems, software and services. Mobile and client systems include Dell desktops, laptops, Ultrabook systems, tablets and thin clients. Network access solutions facilitate secure anytime, anywhere access to enterprise resources while systems management solutions help simplify IT administration. Application enablement solutions can help you develop new apps and modernize existing apps, enabling you to make sure enterprise applications are available across a wide variety of mobile devices. Dell offers complete solution sets designed to address specific mobility and BYOD needs, including providing mobile access, enabling a cloud experience, optimizing the network and facilitating application modernization and development. With a modular approach, these solution sets allow you to select capabilities that best suit your immediate needs and add new ones as your needs change (see figure). Devices Enterprise workspace Provides access to enterprise data via tablets, laptops, Ultrabooks, desktops and thin clients Protects enterprise content on the device Network access Management App enablement Applications Security Transports enterprise data/applications across domains (at home, worldwide, on campus) Manages devices, applications and user-level policies for access from personal or corporate devices Authorizes enterprise application access Supports local, hybrid and remote execution Protects in-flight data Enterprise applications that provide access to enterprise information Apps, cloud, consulting, ITO, deployment and support services Helps define and implement your strategy and provides ongoing support Dell offers end-to-end solution capabilities to help you enable mobility and support BYOD requirements. 6

7 Designing and developing mobile apps Many organizations lack the in-house expertise and resources to successfully prepare enterprise applications for mobile environments. Fortunately, Dell offers a broad portfolio of solutions to help your organization develop new apps, modernize existing apps and implement desktop virtualization solutions. Dell has established best practices for delivering enterprise applications across mobile environments through extensive in-house projects and numerous customer engagements. The Dell Mobility Application Services team uses a five-step process to determine the right approach and address your organization s precise mobile application needs (see figure). Define Dell consultants assess your organization s requirements and goals, gaining an understanding of how you want users to access information and what types of devices and platforms need to be supported. As part of that process, Dell consultants determine whether the development of mobile apps first requires additional modernization of existing enterprise applications, such as migrating applications from old mainframes to modern, industry-standard platforms. Dell consultants and your organization s team members can decide whether to develop a new app, modify an existing app, implement a virtualized desktop environment or take another approach to support your mobile productivity strategy. Together, your team and the Dell consultants then define a strategy and establish a joint center of excellence group with members from Dell, ecosystem partners and your organization s internal stakeholders. 7

8 Design If you need a new app to be designed, the Dell custom mobile application development team works to design the optimal user interface. The Dell consultants create wireframes and mock-ups that your team helps fine-tune. The user interface takes into account the supported devices and platforms, application requirements and the way users interact with mobile devices. The design could include the creation of charting components or dashboards, or other ways to help users visualize and manage insights generated through business intelligence and analytics applications. The plan might call for modification of an existing interface or website, optimizing the design for mobile platforms. The goal is to produce a design that not only provides secure mobile access to information and enables mobile functionality, but also helps improve productivity. Develop Once the design is approved, expert mobile application developers from Dell can create a custom native app for a single platform, or create a separate app for each platform that the organization wants to support using the programming language of that platform and leveraging key operating system features. Alternatively, developers can build a cross-platform app for multiple mobile or desktop operating systems, such as an app based on HTML5 that can run on ios, Google Android, BlackBerry and Microsoft Windows 8 devices. If your organization wants to make an application available on multiple platforms, Dell developers can use a write once, deploy multiple times Mobile Application Development Platform (MADP). A MADP approach reduces the development cycle and associated costs. It also provides a middleware component, which is hosted in the cloud or on-site, to integrate the applications with your back-end infrastructure. 8

9 Security is among the top concerns in the development process. Developers incorporate industry-standard encryption capabilities and use best practices to help ensure that enabling mobile access to enterprise data through mobile apps does not compromise the security of that data. At the same time, developers help ensure that you can maintain compliance with internal policies and external regulations concerning data security and privacy, including those stemming from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and other regulations. The Dell team might also recommend implementing security solutions to protect applications, data and enterprise networks. For example, Dell SonicWALL Secure Remote Access solutions help facilitate anywhere access to corporate resources while helping to ensure tight security for information and systems. SonicWALL Next-Generation Firewall solutions help secure the network while sustaining performance and simplifying management. You can also select Dell SecureWorks information security services, which offers round-the-clock advice, alerts and support to augment software-based Dell security solutions. Test As a key part of the app development process, the Dell team develops test cases and automated scripts, and then conducts endto-end testing across the planned deployment platforms. Testing covers performance, security, app compatibility (with various operating systems and browsers) and integration with business intelligence, data warehousing (BI/DW) and ERP solutions. 9

10 Support Once testing is complete, the Dell team can perform app store certification and upload to the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store or Blackberry World, as well as to your enterprise app store, to simplify the deployment and distribution processes. Dell also offers mobile-application support options ranging from proactive (with help desk and remediation capabilities) to reactive (with call-out support on a per-incident basis). Dell support can help resolve issues stemming from back-end systems changes or application enhancements mandated by OS-level upgrades. With the constant change in mobile operating systems, mobile application engineering tools and deployment requirements, Dell makes building and supporting mobile applications a one-stop experience with a full range of services. Increase productivity and customer engagement by providing custom applications developed with industry best practices Define Deploy and support Design Develop Test Dell offers a multistep engagement based on industry best practices. 10

11 Organizations can begin app development and modernization projects by selecting the Application Modernization and Development Solution Set, which includes a full range of mobile devices plus the application enablement and services required to bring applications to mobile environments (see figure). With a modular approach, and support for heterogeneous infrastructures and diverse collections of devices, this solution set allows you to select and integrate needed capabilities into users existing IT landscapes. You can port applications to tablets plus a range of smartphones and other mobile devices. Devices Enterprise workspace Dell devices, including tablets, laptops, Ultrabooks, desktops and thin clients Dell Data Protection Encryption Network access App enablement SonicWALL (Secure Remote Access, Mobile Connect, Next-Gen Firewall) App Development Services (native, crossplatform and HTML 5) Desktop Virtualization Solutions Security Security Services Apps, cloud, consulting, ITO, deployment and support services The Application Modernization and Development Solution Set provides all of the services required to bring applications to mobile environments. 11

12 Implementing desktop virtualization If your organization decides to implement desktop virtualization instead of or in addition to developing or modernizing mobile apps, Dell provides a wide range of options. As part of the Dell cloud client-computing portfolio, Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions (DVS) offer pre-configured end-to-end solutions, appliances, cloud-based services and software solutions. Pre-configured, on-site solutions DVS Enterprise offerings include pre-configured, pretested desktop virtualization solutions that can be hosted on-site or in a Dell data center. These solutions incorporate software, servers, storage, networking, endpoints and services to help accelerate deployment and simplify ongoing management of desktop virtualization. With DVS solutions, you can start with a small proof of concept and then scale your environment seamlessly and costeffectively, leveraging existing investments. DVS Enterprise for Citrix and VMware: Production-ready VDI solution that lets you choose Citrix XenDesktop or VMware View software. DVS Enterprise for Windows Server 2012: Pretested, pre-configured solution that provides either a remote desktop shared host (RDSH), pooled virtual machine (VM), personal VM or application-streaming capabilities while leveraging existing Microsoft investments. DVS Enterprise for Active Infrastructure for Citrix and VMware: Prepackaged (pre-cabled and pre-racked) solutions that offer VMware Horizon View and Citrix XenDesktop desktop virtualization software. DVS Enterprise for vworkspace : Fully integrated solution based on Microsoft Hyper-V Server that enables you to select from multiple approaches to desktop virtualization, or deploy a blended model. 12

13 Simplified appliance Small and medium businesses can select a Dell DVS Simplified Appliance, which offers an entry-level appliance-based VDI solution for smaller organizations looking for low-cost per-seat solutions. Integrated, pre-configured hardware, factory-installed software (including Citrix VDI-in-a-Box) plus wizard-driven setup help administrators deploy the solution in hours, not days. Dell ProSupport offers round-the-clock technical assistance to help protect data and assets, minimize downtime and keep software platforms current. The addition of Dell Wyse cloud clients creates a complete, end-to-end solution that can help lower the total cost of ownership. Cloud-based service Organizations of any size can also select the Dell DVS cloudbased Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) offering, which offloads implementation, hosting and support to Dell. The Dell DaaS approach accelerates deployment, eliminates capital expenditures and significantly reduces management burdens while delivering a robust, secure experience to users. Your administrators can manage the virtual desktop images with an intuitive self-service portal. Software solutions Dell software solutions for desktop virtualization give you the flexibility to select the desktop virtualization model or models that fit your needs. For example, Dell vworkspace enables organizations to select a hosted VDI, offline/local VDI or Terminal Server/RD Session Host (TS/RDSH) solution, or a blended model to match the right technologies to individual user needs and to maximize cost-effectiveness. The Dell vworkspace - MokaFive Suite offers an offline approach that lets users keep working even when they do not have internet connectivity changes are resynchronized when the network 13

14 connection is reestablished. MokaFive helps you implement a BYOD strategy by enabling users to run a corporate image in addition to their own desktop environment on their personal computers. Administrators can push incremental changes to the corporate image when necessary without interrupting user productivity. Dell also offers software to add diagnostics, rich visualization and reporting to virtual desktop management. Dell Foglight for Virtual Desktops enables administrators to access real-time and historical data from vworkspace VDI and TS/RDSH implementations to optimize performance, identify issues and resolve problems. Realizing the benefits of working with Dell Working with Dell on mobile application development, modernization and virtualization projects can offer several benefits. Faster time to value: Capitalizing on Dell resources, experience and technology can help you significantly accelerate the development of new mobile apps, modernization of existing apps and implementation of desktop virtualization solutions. Tailored mobile apps: By working with Dell, you can create tailored apps, implement customized virtualized solutions and adapt existing applications to meet specific requirements. End-to-end optimization: Bringing enterprise applications to mobile environments requires an understanding of the entire enterprise infrastructure. With deep IT expertise that spans the entire mobile environment, from the data center to your employees mobile devices, Dell can help you optimize any and all aspects of the infrastructure to deliver the best mobile experience and meet business goals. Lower costs: Implementing an efficient process based on best practices, and leveraging the resources, expertise and technology that Dell provides, can help you lower the costs of mobilizing enterprise applications. 14

15 Developing a new app to improve customer service and enhance efficiency BayWa, a global company that provides strategic business services to the agriculture, building materials and energy sectors, wanted to produce a smartphone app connected to the company s SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The Google Android based app would provide field staff in its agricultural business unit with product information and enable them to help rapidly fill procurement and sales orders on-site. By using a mobile app, the company could improve customer service, enhance efficiencies and increase the accuracy of orders. The company worked with RI-Solution, a provider of retail information systems, services and solutions, to develop a user interface prototype along with the SAP architecture and data transmission technology required for the app. RI-Solution engaged Dell to develop the app and integrate it with BayWa s SAP ERP solution. By working with Dell, the company was able to complete development within two months and provide a seamless transition for users. New services are now supported on a cutting-edge mobile platform. By providing real-time access to procurement data, the company has enhanced customer service, increased internal efficiencies and improved the accuracy of orders. Dell and RI-Solution s integrated approach has provided BayWa with a solid platform for developing additional apps for other divisions. Read the full case study: Dell.com/learn/us/en/555/corporate~case-studies~en/ documents~2012-baywa pdf 15

16 Supporting mobile/byod productivity As organizations continue to expand their mobility and BYOD programs, they will need efficient and effective ways to bring enterprise applications to mobile environments. Dell offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions and expert resources for application development, modernization and virtualization that can help your organization deliver enterprise applications across an increasing variety of mobile environments. Working with Dell enables you to accelerate projects and control costs while delivering mobile solutions that meet user requirements and business goals. Learn more Dell Mobility Solutions: dellmobilitysolutions.com Dell Mobility Application Services: Dell.com/learn/us/en/555/ by-service-type-application-services?c=us&l=en&s=biz Custom Mobile Application Development: Dell.com/learn/us/ en/555/operating-systems/sol-mobile-custom-app 1 For additional considerations and best practices for mobilizing enterprise applications as part of a BYOD strategy, see the white paper Applications the centerpiece of a BYOD environment Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact Dell. Dell, the DELL logo, the DELL badge, Foglight, SonicWALL, vworkspace and Wyse are trademarks of Dell Inc. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. August