What is Mobile Computing?

– In the 1990’s, mobile phones were basically meant

to make voice calls and short messaging services. Those of us who were early
adopters of this technology having only used the fixed line or fax to communicate
found it but hard on the cost side having to pay for both incoming and outgoing
calls.

For another decade or more, mobile phones were basically meant to

communicate on the move and also provided multi-media messaging (MMS).
Thereafter, many cell phones did have added features of consumer devices such
as camera, torch light, clock and alarms, calendars making it a multi-purpose
device for everyday use. However, iIt was the advent of smart phones that
created a revolution in the use of mobile phone for a variety
of applications involving data, software, gaming and business applications.

FOR EVERY COMPUTER APP, A MOBILE APP

The rapid penetration of the mobile phones among all classes of peopl e have set
a new trend for businesses. For every computing application, in parallel a mobile
app is also developed. A website for desktops invariably creates the need for a
mobile site. Now that many people access the net through mobile, websites have
gone into vertical scrolling mode instead of the horizontal mode.

The mobile applications are mostly watered down versions of web

applications and computer applications. However, a reversal is in the offing with
smart phones likely to deliver more versatile and full featured suite of internet
applications, according to Benedict Evans, renowned market analyst speaking at
a web summit held in November.

Earlier it was said that software was eating the world (Marc Andreessen two years
back) and now Evans believes mobile is going to eat the world.

MOBILE OPS
Just as there is an operating system (OS)for computers such as Windows,
Unix Linux, smart phones also are run by an operating system. Popular ones
are Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows,RIM among others. Majority stake in the
market is held by Android followed by iOS. The operating system enables menu
driven applications and programs that are user friendly.

The rapid growth of ecommerce, online bookings globalization of business and

financial services necessitated the need for users to login into a network anytime
and get access to data, update information or manage systems remotely. This in
turn has turned favourable for the growth of mobile computing. On the hardware
side, the revolution unleashed by the abundance of Tablets, smart phones, pocket
digital assistants (PDA) in the market has helped in creating huge demand for
mobile apps and mobile computing solutions.
The demographic shift in population with rising proportion of older age groups has
raised a new requirement that they be happy and connected. In fact, the
generation gap between the young and the old has been bridged with the advent
of user-friendly smart phones and mobile apps, according to an IBM analyst
writing for Forbes.

The rapid evolution of mobile communications from 2G, 3G and now 4G has
ensured that data, applications and information exchange can be had for a variety
of industries and applications. For example, the heart of computing system that
enables transactions in a company is the enterprise resource planning (ERP)
systems. The development of mobility has ensured that salesmen
and marketing team on the move can update data and relevant information in real
time to their headquarters and branch offices. This updation of data would enable
the managerial hierarchy to better co-ordinate or change strategies for the
market based on the goals and targets fixed by the company.

Mobility has ensured that more data is captured from the market place either
through social media, internet, online trading activities, bookings through mobile
apps which in turn helps the industry to analyse the transactional data to aid
marketing efforts.

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY TOPS GARTNER TRENDS

Mobile Technology is at the top of the strategic technological trends that will have
impact on IT industry in 2016 as outlined by Gartner.

According to David Cearley, Vice President and Gartner fellow, designing mobile
apps continues to be in the core strategy of businesses. Along with mobile
devices several other devices of common use that can store and transmit data is
also becoming part of the ‘device mesh’, Gartner report said. Wearable consumer
and electronic devices, automotive devices and environmental devices, sensors in
Internet of Things (IoT) are all adding to the connectivity network.

THE MOBILE COMPUTING STRUCTURE

Just as in any connected network, the mobile computing also involves three
distinct and inter-connected components-

1) Mobile hardware, 2) communication devices including transmission towers,

3) mobile software and apps.

The mobile hardware includes smart phones, PDAs, tablets, tablet PC’s among
others. Each passing year is witnessing the launch of several new models with
more and more advanced features. The storage, processing capacity and screen
resolutions have swiftly gone up making mobile devices at the heart of data
capture, storage, processing and communication.
 Mobile communication includes vast array of protocols, transmission towers,
bandwidth, satellite systems and networks. Data systems are defined so that
there is no collision with existing systems sending or receiving similar kinds of
data.

The overlay infrastructure is radio-wave oriented as the media is unguided or

unbounded. It means that the signals are carried over the air to intended devices
that receive and send similar kind of signals.

In mobile computing, transmission occurs not through physical connectivity but

mostly through satellite or wireless communication enabled networks.

ADVANTAGES OF MOBILE COMPUTING

Image source: pixabay.com

No doubt, mobile technology has proved to be a boon for mankind just as the
personal computer revolution helped us in the 1980’s to organize , store and
process data in a user-friendly manner with the menu driven Windows systems.

Here are some of the advantages of mobile computing:

 No location constraint: Mobile computing frees the user from being tied to a
location and increased bandwidth and speed of transmission makes it possible to
work on the move.
 It saves time and enhances productivity with a better return on investment (RoI)
 It provides entertainment, news and information on the move with streaming data,
video and audio
 Streamlining of business processes: Mobility has enabled streamlining of
business processes, cumbersome emails, paper processing, delays in
communication and transmission.
 Newer job opportunities for IT professionals have emerged and IT businesses
now have an added service in their portfolio which only will keep growing as per
indicative mobile computing trends.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN MOBILE COMPUTING

The growth of mobile computing has spawned several new career optio ns from
hardware servicing to software, operating system, mobile computing applications
(apps) development. The main beneficiaries in this regard are engineering
graduates, post graduates, diploma holders, computer applications professionals
who have done Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) or Master of Computer
Applications (MCA).

Some of the hot job openings are:

Game developers, mobile hardware technicians, IPAD developer, mobile apps

testing specialist, developer for Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Windows, tower
installation and maintenance for network, mobile computing security experts,
equipment mechanics, mobile architects, customer care, marketing su pport,
technical support, Key Performance Indicator (KPI) engineer.

Although technical requirements and competence required for each job functions
vary, broadly speaking they need to have capabilities
in HTML5, Javascript, Jquery, Bluetooth devices, WLAN, GSM, CDMA, WiMAX,
Microsoft Share Point 2007/2010, Info Path, among others.

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES
Apart from job opportunities for engineers and IT professionals, huge
opportunities are awaiting service providers in mobile computing. The huge
market for mobile computing is indeed USA. Statista estimates that over 180
million Americans will own a smart phone, and that number will grow by 10% to
almost 200 mn in 2016. Every American between the age of 16 and 80 are
prospects or customers for industry, according to Jim Blasingame, contributor to
Forbes magazine. He is the author of the award winning book, ‘The Age of the
Customer: Prepare for the moment of relevance’.

According to him, if businesses are not mobile ready they are going to become
extinct like the dinosaurs in no time.
THE FUTURE OF MOBILE COMPUTING
According to researchandmarkets.com, the global enterprise mobility solutions
market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.43%
in the next three years. The mobile computing applications of enterprise mobility
solutions are in managing mobile computing devices, wireless networks and
related services. This is a cloud based technology enabling sustained
connectivity. The report said that revenue generated through software licenses ad
subscription fees have been used as a yardstick for the future estimates of
growth.

According to a Zion Research report, the global enterprise mobility market is expected to
rise from US $85 bn in 2014 to US $ 500 bn in 2020, growing at a compounded annual
growth rate of 24% between 2015 and 2020. The report covers developments in smart
phones, tablets and laptops.

As already outlined, mobility is increasingly been utilized by corporates and retail

users for making payments and other transactions.

According to a recent joint survey by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, 30% of
companies use mobile computing devices to access corporate bank accounts and to make
financial transactions. Even small and medium enterprises are increasingly using mobile
apps for financial transactions.

INCREASED SECURITY
IT majors such as Microsoft has promised to scale up technologies and invest in
security on the net, however, amidst these security concerns, mobile computing
seems to be relatively free from security threats if industry view from United
Kingdom is to be believed.

According to a VMware research, 53% of respondents in the UK and EMEA claimed that
increased security was the critical driver for businesses to adapt to mobile model while
38% believed mobile force effectiveness was a trigger and 35% citied improved end user
experience.
In mobility announcements that made news last month, Microsoft’s new security
capabilities in its Enterprise Mobile Suite made news. The new system has
introduced telemetry data as part of its Mobility Suite. It enables businesses to
see details of the device from which a document was accessed. It is capable of
showing where, when, who and on what device a document was accessed.

The telemetry data in the Mobility Suite enabling this facility and Azure Active
Directory delivers data to customers and reports users’ access to and activities
with corporate data.

According to experts, with a little bit of caution and protective measures, mobile
security threat can be warded off. Anti-virus software is now widely available and
useful tools are provided by Symantec, McAfee and Lookout. It pays to invest in
anti-malware and anti-virus. It is also vital that malware library is up to date.

Enterprises can use mobile device management and mobile application

management to prevent intrusions, data theft which can be used to manage and
enforce security containers. x

Many organisations are now incorporating dual-persona approach to mobile

device management software. Here the enterprise data and personal data would
be compartmentalized separately with enterprise apps and data not accessible to
end users for making changes. The virtual box havng corporate apps will be
secured and end users cannot put unmanaged applications in this box.
Personal content in the device will be stored separately in the file system and not
in the box. Precautions are taken so that corporate data in the box can’t be
shared with applications outside the box. However, it is possible to share
personal and corporate data between works and personal apps as MAM and MDM
tools are there to specify which can be shared and which cannot be.

WEARABLE MOBILE DEVICES & 5 G

After 2G, 3G and 4G, there is already talk of 5G networks that wo uld multiply
transmission speed by 100 times. Also the current issues with respect to battery
charge retention may be a thing of the past with bigger power banks and long-
lasting batteries.

Wearable mobile technology has arrived and could come up with several new
applications related to health, fitness, disease, marketing.

Motorola Mobility has a patent for a mobile system that is capable of identifying
whether the user is lying. It is implanted under the neck and capable of capturing
human voice. Google has reportedly developed several biometric applications for
mobile which are capable of controlling sugar levels which is a boon for diabetes
affected patients.

The future is indeed promising for mobility and the more faster businesses catch
on the bandwagon more returns they could reap.

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