Stop Squeezing Desktop Apps ...

Computerworld -

Joseph Salesky, CEO of ClairMail Inc.

... to fit on a mobile device for end-user access. Instead, turn application access into message processing. That notion comes from ClairMail Inc. in Novato, Calif. According to CEO Joseph Salesky, people are mobile, but desktop applications aren't, and IT's attempt to give the apps some mobility has been like "trying to squeeze an elephant into the doghouse." For example, a lot of desktop software is dependent on using multiple windows on a monitor, Salesky says. But, he points out, small handheld displays mean that "mobile devices don't window well." That's why his start-up company is offering a message- access process for mobile users beginning this week. End users put application access links into their devices' contact lists. When they need access, they simply click on a link, like they would to make a phone call or send an e-mail. Data can be retrieved or entered based on a user's rights, which are checked against the privileges stored in a company's network directories. A ClairMail appliance sits behind the corporate firewall and handles all of the message transactions, so no client-side software is necessary, Salesky says. He adds that combined with an application's user-authentication processes, the ClairMail appliance's knowledge of the "trusted path" to a specific device adds two-factor security, since both the user's identity and the handheld are verified. ClairMail is releasing its technology with scripts for accessing software and services from vendors such as Salesforce.com Inc., Business Objects SA and BMC Software Inc.'s Remedy unit. Next year, the company will release access scripts for Siebel Systems Inc. and SAP AG apps, Salesky says. Annual fees start at $60 per user.

Ron McCabe, CEO of MiraLink Corp.

Forget about the engineer, but still ...
... get long-distance fault tolerance. Ron McCabe, CEO of MiraLink Corp. in Portland, Ore., quips that traditional WAN-based fault-tolerant systems "are so complex, they ship with an engineer." On the other hand, McCabe claims that his company develops appliances that handle fault-tolerant needs and don't require a BSEE grad to tag along with the technology. "Anyone who can manage an IP address or SCSI drive can use it," he boasts. MiraLink's data-mirroring devices use the company's IntelliBuffer software to write data to remote servers while saving the information to the primary system, McCabe says. He adds that in the event of a primary server crash, databases can be rolled back to the transaction processed just before the server hiccup. MiraLink's high-end unit can handle up to 120GB of data per hour. Next month, the company will roll out a low-end appliance, Model 400, which will be able to save as much as 8GB of information to remote servers hourly. It will be priced at under $4,000.

Kevin Haar, CEO of Appistry Inc.

Or virtualize your apps to achieve ...

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