Enterprise software now seeks mobile interface to enrich user experience
User experience no longer remains restricted to the consumer domain. It’s becoming critical even for enterprise technology players as consumerisation of IT takes the software industry by storm. A good example is HP Software’s Application Transformation Solutions that will now integrate traditional applications with mobile enterprise applications to drive greater user engagement.
There is a paradigm shift at hand and it’s clearly changing the way we measure the value of technology. If we as an industry measured technology by its ability to save money, the reality is that today, we need to evaluate it based on how we can use it grow, make customers more loyal and dedicated,” says Paul Evans, HP Software World Wide Technology Lead for Application Transformation.
This principle is right at the heart of most enterprise strategy today as organizations seek to enhance user experience even in traditional computing environments. Going mobile seems the best way forward.
Mobile applications to help make that leap
The growing adoption of smartphones and mobile applications has transformed the value creation game and drives competitive differentiation in more ways than one. In fact, many in the industry believe that the economic survival of enterprises now depends on their ability to respond to customer and citizen demands, generated through enterprise applications as well as social applications such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
No wonder then that HP’s Evans believes that integrating with customers is going to be the single biggest mega trend for organizations and blending in the mobile environment is expected to help enterprises take the next big leap towards their customers.
“As a major enterprise software house, we see mobile applications being as critical to our business, expect for that fact that although they abide by similar rules, they need to be built differently,” he adds.
It’s also interesting to consider the upward path users have traced with the internet, leading the industry to a generation where individuals are now beginning to interact with the entire ecosystem. “Applications today need to be built for the entire generation and we are beginning to realise that we can do as much at home as we do at work and enrichment of that experience matters. Technology blurs the lines between customer expectations in their work and home environments,” Evans explains.
From transaction to interactivity
Today application interactivity can tangibly deliver competitive advantage, a significant change from typical transactional systems that offered little interactivity beyond the enterprise. “Now it’s all about building new applications that are more interactive, refreshed and enabled to deliver new ways to collaborate,” emphasizes Evans. Critical to this plan is to build enterprise quality mobile applications.
The mandate behind HP’s Application Transformation initiative for example is based on the premise that if an organisation delivers services to customers through applications they enjoy using, they come back for more. The expanded HP Applications Transformation solutions portfolio therefore enables clients to design, build and manage applications that drive interaction between people and enterprises while optimising traditional application environments to deliver an improved user experience.
“It all comes down to the fact that users are beginning to question why they need to interact with environments differently when at work and outside?”emphasises Evans. A justifiably correct question, not just for HP Software, but for the industry and service groups as a whole to answer.
If traditional investments in IT were so far aimed at reducing costs, now the ballgame is about extending the user experience to deliver collaboration and intuitive interfaces.
Thankfully, for HP Software and many other key enterprise software leaders this marks the start of a great two-way conversation as customer demand is backed by a groundswell in supporting applications. GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2012 with its focused sessions on Consumerisation of IT will certainly set the ball rolling for enterprises to join the discussion. Make sure you are part of this.
Kavitha Rajasekhar, is well established Technology Editor and Content Strategist
brings to the table over 13 years in enterprise IT writing and market development
experience across Middle East and India. During her career, Kavitha has held many key roles including Director CIO Programmes and Managing Editor of IT at leading publishing house CPI in Dubai, where she managed the portfolio of technology magazines and successfully delivered a strong events and conference. She currently runs her independent content practice. You can write to her at kavitharajasekhar@eim.ae
Nancy Beckman
Jul 27. 2012
“users are beginning to question why they need to interact with environments differently when at work and outside”
The “office” as we know it is evolving. Employees don’t have to work from 9-5 in a cubicle anymore to get things done. They could easily do great work from their home office or even a hotel room while on vacation if need be, thanks to the fact that technology does wherever you go all because of mobile.
Yerideth
Aug 24. 2012
One of the main challenges is dinefitely security, but businesses shouldn’t shy away from cloud solutions because of security concerns. There are many ways to address security issues in the cloud, and it can be very secure. Just go in with a plan.
Sean John
Aug 10. 2012
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lifestyle
Sep 04. 2012
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