XcelleNet, Inc., the leader in management solutions for the front lines of business, today announced Afaria Outbound Notification, a new management capability that will allow companies to “reach out and touch” devices being used on the front lines. As more businesses deploy mobile technology to support a real-time enterprise (RTE) operating environment, Afaria’s Outbound Notification will enable headquarters to immediately provide these devices with information about events that could impact business transactions or device reliability.
“In today’s economy, success is driven by the use of information technology to react quickly to the unexpected,” said Joe Owen, XcelleNet CTO. “As specified events occur within the enterprise, such as a change in inventory, or a virus-threat, Afaria’s Outbound Notification will contact PCs, laptops, and handhelds wherever they’re being used at the front lines. Applications and content can then be synchronized with headquarters, or the device protected from failure.”
Research firm Gartner, Inc. describes RTE as “an enterprise that competes by using up-to-date information to progressively remove delays to the management and execution of its critical business processes.”(1) To support this, companies are putting more workers in the field and equipping them with computing devices to exchange information with centralized systems. However, when headquarters is not in constant communication with a devices, information shadows—a lack of visibility to products, services or processes, can occur and jeopardize the overall success of an RTE.
XcelleNet’s Afaria is a management solution designed to meet the unique challenges of the front lines. Afaria’s new Outbound Notification feature notifies a device when an event at headquarters requires that the device initiate a communication session with the network to get up-to-date information, such as a price or inventory change that could affect a customer’s order. Notifications are also sent when management tasks, such as delivery of software patches or antivirus files, need to be distributed immediately to assure the on-going reliable operation of the device. Afaria Outbound Notification uses any available IP network or Short Messaging Services (SMS) to reach the device. It supports Win32 clients and provides a web service interface that allows any web service capable system, like a UNIX or Linux server, to initiate notifications.
“Event-driven business processes help enterprises react quickly and precisely to rapidly changing conditions,” said Donna Scott, VP, Distinguished Analyst, Gartner. “Certain segments of the business must have access to up-to-date information as it occurs, particularly mobile workers who are typically the true custodian of the customer relationship. Being able to notify a device to communicate back with headquarters is an important capability that can keep business processes flowing to meet the goal of successful execution across the organization.”
