3Com has announced it is working with Computer Associates International, to bring mobile connectivity to Computer Associates` Harmony line of Information Management Solutions. The integration of the Palm Computing platform and Computer Associates enterprise information solutions will enable people to quickly and easily access information resident in complex corporate networks and legacy enterprise databases via Palm Computing platform products such as the 3Com Palm III and PalmPilot Professional Edition connected organisers. This relationship builds on 3Com`s strategy to bring a broad range of mobile computing solutions for the enterprise and vertical markets to the industry-leading Palm Computing platform. The companies will jointly work on extensions to Computer Associates technology for user interface development and deployment that serves the Harmony solution suite. With these extensions, developers can build new applications that put information from enterprise sources onto Palm Computing platform products, including the IBM WorkPad PC companion, the Franklin Covey Electronic Day Planner, and future products from Symbol Technologies in addition to the 3Com Palm III and PalmPilot Professional Edition connected organisers. Harmony is a comprehensive information infrastructure that allows organisations to exploit new technologies while integrating existing applications and data sources. Unprecedented in its scope, Harmony provides an extensible, vendor-neutral, standards-friendly platform on which CA and other vendors can build durable solutions. "CA`s support of the Palm Computing platform demonstrates the increasingly critical role of mobile connectivity in the enterprise and vertical markets," says Mark Bercow, vice president of strategic alliances and platform development for 3Com`s Palm Computing division. "This alliance will give Computer Associates` customers portable access to legacy systems and growing information resources from virtually anywhere." The Harmony strategy, introduced at CA-World in New Orleans, represents a comprehensive solution to enterprise information application development needs. "As the development of the Harmony strategy continues, we anticipate integrating Palm Computing platform devices throughout our large client base, and we foresee tremendous benefits across a wide range of vertical industries," says Yogesh Gupta, Computer Associates senior vice president of product strategy. "Our customers require the best possible solutions for mobile information access, the Palm Computing platform is an ideal foundation on which to deliver them." Over 7,000 developers are creating software applications, conduits and hardware add-ons for the Palm Computing platform, with over 1,000 titles and products already available. An open architecture for handheld computing, the Palm Computing platform provides an ideal basis for third-party developers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to create and deliver successful mobile computing solutions. The platform consists of five primary components: the reference hardware design, the device operating system called the Palm OS; the HotSync conduit data synchronisation technology; the platform component tools including an applications programming interface (API) that enables developers to write applications; and the software interface capabilities to support hardware add-ons.
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