collaborate 15: integration strategies for successful mobile apps

© 2014 Data Systems International, Inc.

INTEGRATION STRATEGIESFOR SUCCESSFUL MOBILE APPLICATIONS

Gordon Van HuizenChief Technology Officer, DSI

© 2014 Data Systems International, Inc.

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1 WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT MOBILE?

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ROLE AND ENVIRONMENT DRIVE REQUIREMENTS

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ROLE AND ENVIRONMENT DRIVE REQUIREMENTS

Feature Breadth and Depth

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ROLE AND ENVIRONMENT DRIVE REQUIREMENTS

Feature Breadth and Depth Interaction Model

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ROLE AND ENVIRONMENT DRIVE REQUIREMENTS

Feature Breadth and Depth Interaction Model

Connectivity Modes

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ROLE AND ENVIRONMENT DRIVE REQUIREMENTS

Feature Breadth and Depth Interaction Model

Connectivity ModesDevice Selection

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COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES

‣Variable Bandwidth‣Network Latency‣Intermittent Connectivity‣Extended Periods Off-line

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Sense, Interpret and Leverage Better Signals

INTERNET OF THINGS: SENSORS & M2M

‣Optimized use of materials, inventory and assets

‣Better, more dynamic planning and decision making

‣M2M and IoT integration today is almost entirely bespoke

‣Standards are coming, but slowly

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2 WHAT ARE TODAY’S BEST PRACTICES FOR MOBILE INTEGRATION?

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LAYERS OF AN OMNI-CHANNEL ARCHITECTURE

Source: Gartner “Address the Limitations of a Mobile-First Application Strategy With a Multichannel Architecture”

(December 2013)

DevicesSmartphones, Tablets, Desktop PCs

Interaction LayerProvide Channel-Optimized User Experiences

Composition LayerProvide Channel-Independent Services

Back-End ServicesEnterprise Systems, Third-Party Services

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Mobile Must Adapt and Evolve while Systems of Record Must Remain Rock Solid

MOBILITY REQUIRES A BI-MODAL APPROACH

Source: Gartner “Achieving Digital Agility With Bimodal IT — Without Making a Mess” (March 2015)

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Also Improves Responsiveness of “Always-Connected” Apps

ADDRESSING OFF-LINE REQUIREMENTS

DATA SYNCHRONIZATION TRANSACTION QUEUING

Between mobile devices and middleware tier or back end

Between mobile devices and middleware tier

Required for full off-line mode of mobile apps

Can be augmented with transactional queuing to update back-end systems

Supports functional integration with back-end systems

Can be more complicated to implement

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A Range of Options – No One Size Fits All

INTEGRATION MECHANISMS

DATA ACCESSFUNCTIONAL

CONNECTORS WEB SERVICES / APIs

• Simple and expedient

• Standardized interfaces and approach

• Easiest to synchronize across multiple tiers

• Weakest for validation and ensuring integrity

• Typically highest performance

• Not standardized

• Connector provider must

certify against new releases

• Can support validation and transaction queuing

• Typically simpler

• Standards-based

• Dominant model for Cloud

• Typically does not support synchronization or queuing

© 2014 Data Systems International, Inc.

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CONFLICTS CAN AND WILL OCCUR OFF-LINE

ANTICIPATE AND ADDRESS OFF-LINE CONFLICTS

‣ Detect synchronization conflicts

‣ Unwind actions taken, as needed

‣ Inform all appropriate parties

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THE KEYS TO SUCCESS

‣ Plan from the beginning to support multiple devices, form factors and interaction models

‣ Perform integration and create business logic in a channel-independent layers

‣ Select the integration mechanism(s) to meet business and mobile user requirements

‣ Address connectivity challenges, including conflicts than will occur when users continue to work off-line

‣ Anticipate that M2M and IoT integraton will become increasingly necessary, beneficial and viable

© 2014 Data Systems International, Inc.

VISIT US AT dsiglobal.com

Gordon Van HuizenGordon.VanHuizen@dsiglobal.com