Apps that have been developed to perform a myriad of tasks and processes.
Initially, most of these applications were games intended to be played on
mobile devices. The popularity of these applications led businesses to ponder
whether some of their business process applications that run on desktop
platforms and the Web could be redesigned to run on mobile devices. The answer
was a resounding yes! For example, Nationwide developed the Nationwide Mobile,
a free iPhone App that allows its insurance policyholders to file a claim on
the spot when an accident occurs. The application can snap pictures of the
accident and attach them to the claim data and upload the claim information to
a server. This reduces the length of time to process a claim filed this way.
Nationwide competitors have followed suit and developed iPhone, iPad, and
Android applications of their own. Policyholders can receive messages via
Facebook or Twitter. Other business processes that have been re-engineered as a
result of mobile computing include Quick Response (QR) codes which have
replaced one-dimensional bar codes. They are read using mobile devices,
accepting credit card payments from an iPhone, iPad or Android device,
depositing checks using an iPhone without visiting a bank, and many more.
1. Assess the effectiveness and efficiency mobile-based
applications provide to capture geolocation data and customer data, and quickly
upload to a processing server without users having to use a desktop system.
2. Evaluate benefits realized by consumers because of the
ability to gain access to their own data via mobile applications.
3. Examine the challenges of developing applications that
run on mobile devices because of the small screen size.
4. Describe the methods that can be used to decide which
platform to support, i.e., iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone, or Android.
5. Mobile applications require high availability because end
users need to have continuous access to IT and IS systems.
6. Discuss ways of providing high availability.
7. Mobile devices are subjected to hacking at a higher rate
than non-mobile devices. Discuss methods of making mobile devices more secure.
