360 U Varshney et al 2. 4 Devices As there are over one billion hand-held devices in the world now, a significant diversity does exist as far as capabilities, functionalities and wireless access are concerned. Some devices have been more communications-centric(cell phone, etc. ) while others are computing-centric(PDA etc. ) It can be observed that more and more of these differences are disappearing with the emergence of smart phones and multi-mode devices; however, the wireless market still contains a variety of mobile devices. The diversity of devices increases the level of difficulty in deploying applications that allow communications among multiple devices. Such obstacles could be overcome by employing user profiles that perform intelligent routing that determine the device configuration and communicate accordingly. Characteristics such as viewing area, browser capabilities, input methods, storage capabilities, text and graphic support and processor speed must also be addressed We believe that the overall, usability of mobile devices should also be addressed in terms of form factor, intuitive user interfaces, location functions and ability to access multiple wireless networks. 2.5 Wireless strategy One of the crucial functions is to support the distribution of business critical information over wireless infrastructure. The three major obstacles as perceived by many businesses are coverage, reliability and security issues. Each one of these must be a part of the overall wireless strategy. The businesses must develop and implement an overall wireless business plan that not only identifies where the greatest return on investment will come from but also what will be the impact of integrating a wireless solution into their current business processes. Important questions that must be answered prior to implementing a wireless plan include the following what is the current state of wireless technologies. devices and standards? how should the wireless strategy be aligned to meet the corporate goals? what are the benefits and obstacles in implementing a wireless strategy how will the wireless devices be integrated with the existing systems (i.e. nteropera ability, connectivity, analysis of platform requirements and standards )? how will privacy and security of data and information be achieved and enforced Before the organisations decide to do the implementation of wireless technology, they need to address a set of questions to narrow down their focus to a particular set of technology and devices to best address their problems. These questions include but are not limited to Why does an organisation need a wireless application? How will the wireless system development be done? How will the requirements for the system be collected? What role do the users/mobile clients of the system play in the system development Does the organisation have the necessary resources to implement the system?360 U. Varshney et al. 2.4 Devices As there are over one billion hand-held devices in the world now, a significant diversity does exist as far as capabilities, functionalities and wireless access are concerned. Some devices have been more communications-centric (cell phone, etc.), while others are computing-centric (PDA etc.). It can be observed that more and more of these differences are disappearing with the emergence of smart phones and multi-mode devices; however, the wireless market still contains a variety of mobile devices. The diversity of devices increases the level of difficulty in deploying applications that allow communications among multiple devices. Such obstacles could be overcome by employing user profiles that perform intelligent routing that determine the device configuration and communicate accordingly. Characteristics such as viewing area, browser capabilities, input methods, storage capabilities, text and graphic support and processor speed must also be addressed. We believe that the ‘overall’ usability of mobile devices should also be addressed in terms of form factor, intuitive user interfaces, location functions and ability to access multiple wireless networks. 2.5 Wireless strategy One of the crucial functions is to support the distribution of business critical information over wireless infrastructure. The three major obstacles as perceived by many businesses are coverage, reliability and security issues. Each one of these must be a part of the overall wireless strategy. The businesses must develop and implement an overall wireless business plan that not only identifies where the greatest return on investment will come from but also what will be the impact of integrating a wireless solution into their current business processes. Important questions that must be answered prior to implementing a wireless plan include the following: • what is the current state of wireless technologies, devices and standards? • how should the wireless strategy be aligned to meet the corporate goals? • what are the benefits and obstacles in implementing a wireless strategy? • how will the wireless devices be integrated with the existing systems (i.e. interoperability, connectivity, analysis of platform requirements and standards)? • how will privacy and security of data and information be achieved and enforced? Before the organisations decide to do the implementation of wireless technology, they need to address a set of questions to narrow down their focus to a particular set of technology and devices to best address their problems. These questions include but are not limited to • Why does an organisation need a wireless application? • How will the wireless system development be done? • How will the requirements for the system be collected? What role do the users/mobile clients of the system play in the system development? • Does the organisation have the necessary resources to implement the system?