South African companies looking for a similar technology alternative to the much talked about Blackberry, do not have to wait any longer. LayerOne Telecommunications, a company that specialises in providing mobile software, recently launched its new mobile e-mail and PIM (personal information management) service, that allows corporate and consumers to access their e-mail and calendaring in real-time wherever they are in SA and the world. The product, called LayerOne Mobile Groupware and Data, allows people to connect to their corporate e-mail servers with the capability of full synchronisation of e-mail and calendaring using the GPRS networks available in SA, as well as the Internet and wireless networks.
Says Stuart Hardy, Managing Director of LayerOne: "It is becoming clear that the next step in the evolution of technology will be most seen and felt in the mobile space in SA. The introduction of GPRS, wireless hotspots and MyWireless has created a platform to introduce true mobility for corporate workers that spend some or all of their day away from the office. The only piece that has been missing is capable software that allows commonly used mobile devices, such as smart phones and pocket PC devices, to talk to corporate groupware and databases. LayerOne has introduced a service that does just this, but with none of the limitations felt by other technologies and all of the benefits.
"The licence-based technology allows users to fully synchronise with e-mail and calendaring no matter whether they are using Lotus Notes or Microsoft Exchange on the backend. Another component of the service is the Push technology, which allows e-mail and calendar updates to be pushed to the device as they occur as apposed to having to request it. This has many benefits to different types of workers and managers in the field."
LayerOne`s technology is not limited to that of groupware but extends to the integration of other backend systems like SAP, Siebel, Citrix and Oracle, etc. The software has been developed as a plug-and-play service to ensure there is as little new development as possible. This ensures the success of a corporate mobile strategy, in far less time than to develop a company-specific one and at a fraction of the cost. The platform does not rely on latest mail versions, and is not dependant on specific devices being available which are some of the shortfalls of other products.
"In the last few months I have sat down with many companies, and every single one of them are looking for better ways that they can communicate with their remote mobile users, whether they are directors overseas, field sales or field service. There is a massive need for mobile services in the market, and although there are some options, there is no one software that does the entire suite of services to nearly the same level of efficiency that LayerOne achieves," concludes Hardy.
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