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June 5, 2000, Volume 3 - Number 9

The Pervasive Invasion

Mobile and Wireless Computing Will Demand New IT Flexibility

“Does every last potential moment of thought or reflection now have to be invaded by these things?” “Even at 35,000 feet you can’t escape anymore.” “I don’t want my cell phone to tell me that slacks are on sale just because I happen to be walking by somebody’s department store. That’s creepy.”

These are the kinds of comments I hear whenever I bring up the next big thing: pervasive computing. Call it mobile, call it wireless, but the ultimate result will be computing that is anywhere, anytime—for better or worse. IT organizations that currently treat this “fad” as a nuisance, or simply outside their dominion, had better wake up.

Pervasive computing is coming of age at the same time other key developments are progressing: networked computing and the Internet, of course, but also e- customer relationship management (eCRM) and customer-driven transaction processing. Personalization, “opt-in” permission-based marketing, and ambitious efforts to create closed-loop analytic applications will soon intersect with the world of mobile and wireless devices. Technical hurdles remain, but in the near future, global positioning systems will allow e-business applications to care as much about where you are as who you are. Customers and other users will demand instant information on their PDAs and Internet-enabled cell phones; at the same time, business will gain realtime information that will raise the IQ of analytic dimensions and aggregations beyond what clickstream analysis could ever provide.

We are headed for some exciting and startling times as pervasive computing realizes its potential. Some applications will be unquestionably beneficial: immediate notification of important events will let us act quickly and effectively in consequence to all sorts of news, for example.

However, along with the benefits will come new security and privacy risks. And for some, the ability to act spontaneously and perhaps without the “hassle” of deeper reflection could be a devil’s bargain. Discussing pervasive e-commerce at Intermedia Group’s recent Computing Without Bounds conference (Boston, April 17-19), Stellcom’s Larry Mittag offered a wise admonition: “Just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be done.” But will our technology-driven economy really pause for those who say “enough!” to pervasive computing?

In any case, people who would like to say “enough!” are going to find themselves on the wrong side of history. International Data Corp. (IDC) predicts that something like 62 million people will access the Internet via wireless devices by 2003—a quantum increase over current levels.

Most market research predictions about new technologies are, to put it gently, fanciful. But when standards are established in the United States and bandwidth issues are resolved, IDC’s estimate may prove conservative. Consider that e-commerce and pervasive computing go hand-in-hand: Mobile and wireless devices are just the kind of commodities (customized with lots of bells and whistles, of course) that do well through the Web sales channel. At the same time, such devices will likely become the preferred mode of participating in e-commerce. E-retailers and even B2B service providers are sure to offer free devices in exchange for doing e-business with them. The wireless device will be the consumer’s magic wand that sends products racing home.

And think of how much more open generation Y—with its abundant access to pagers, cell phones, and other personal devices—will be to pervasive computing. Increasingly, the young will understand computing to be a mobile, not stationary activity. Even before we get to true wearable computing, devices will become sleek, well-designed status symbols with highly paid endorsements by pop icons, athletes, and super models. Somewhere out there, a digital Calvin Klein is coming of age.

Vertical applications will push the frontier, sending innovations back into the mainstream. Mobile and wireless devices will become essential for healthcare workers supporting home-care patients. Insurance claims representatives, lawyers, police officers, INS agents, and others who must be in constant touch with realtime databases will push the envelope for data types and integrated information. And salespeople in all industries will need the support of speedy transaction rates and high availability.

IT Goes Spacewalking

The Internet has already broken down many barriers between IT and the user. Unable to hide behind layers of applications and intermediate business users, IT is increasingly responsible for the customer’s experience with mission-critical applications. At first glance, pervasive computing seems like IT’s worst nightmare: a mushrooming headache of strange new devices; bizarre support requirements from users; and competing, unhelpful industry standards. Pervasive computing will no doubt increase IT’s need to outsource help desks and other aspects of the support apparatus to meet service-level agreements.

However, pervasive computing will also be a boon to IT, putting savvy organizations right at the center of new economy business models. Heretofore inaccessible streams of data will increase the size and scope of data warehouses and sophisticated analytic applications. Storage area networks, personal area networks, and other connectivity innovations will keep IT on the cutting edge.

Data Synchronization

If one topic could reopen competition in the database industry, synchronization could be it. While thin-client Internet architectures will take care of many concerns, more sophisticated pervasive computing applications will force IT to take a careful look at the options for keeping mobile and wireless devices in sync with central systems. Oracle, Sybase, IBM, Microsoft, and Informix offer a range of replication, data staging, and other synchronization options. But will they stand up to pervasive computing? Some of the new mobile and embedded database players such as Pointbase, Intersystems, Pervasive, and Informix Cloudscape may find themselves competing on a suddenly more level playing field. Innovative specialists, in particular Synchrologic, which is already embedded in some leading corporate application solutions, could thrive.

We will even revisit many of the familiar debates from the old client/server days: Perhaps not “unplug your Internet,” but certainly a desire for more data and application functionality on devices, independent of the central hub. The new twist will be supporting occasionally connected users—already a formidable wrinkle for application developers and database managers. Component applications and message-based middleware offer a greater range of options than IT had in client/server days. Similarly, directories, business-rule engines, and other “metaprise” middleware promise to ease business process entanglements.

Pervasive computing, by definition, must be flexible. But will IT, users, and the public be ready to handle such a quantum leap in flexibility?

David Stodder (dstodder@cmp.com) is editorial director of Intelligent Enterprise.