5 January, 2010, 21:21 by Glen Salmon
If you will be attending Lotusphere 2010 January 17th through the 21st, then you might find it helpful to have the entire agenda in digital form in your pocket.
There are apps for iPhone, Blackberry, and soon Android phones. Here are links to descriptions and downloads …
For iPhone, the app is called "LSMobile" and its free in the iTunes App Store. (announcement)
For Blackberry, there are two flavors, one for the Storm and one for non-touch devices. It’s free in App World or from these links – Storm or other Blackberries (announcement)
Also, if you use twitter, follow the tag #LS10 !
A number of the IBM Federal team will be there so look for us, tweet @communicatus, or break out your bullroarer !
10 September, 2009, 20:05 by Glen Salmon
I am returning from a set of customer meetings and took the opportunity to conduct a few experiments. The city where I was staying was well connected and more often than not, I was able to locate a free WiFi connection. While that was good for checking person email and staying in touch with family, it didn’t allow me access to my business applications.
In an emergency response and deployment scenario, your network connectivity may be anything but “industrial strength”. You may have a cellular data connection or get access to random Wi-Fi services. In most cases, they won’t be secure.
The solution is to have a VPN strategy in place BEFORE the crisis strikes. It’s important that your strategy include mobile devices as well as mobile computers. As any recue responder will vote, given the choice, they’d rather carry a 5oz PDA with 8-12 hours than a 6lb computer with 3-4 hours of battery. If you’re applications are web enabled and you can establish a secure connection, most portable devices can fill the need.
What’s important is a flexible VNP strategy – one that supports a wide range of devices from portable computers and personal devices to servers and mobile stations.
IBM’s Lotus Mobile Connect was a great fit for my test. Not only did it maintain a consistent interface to my enterprise services – even as I roamed form Wi-Fi, to cell to Ethernet, but it also gave me a client-less option for my mobile device. I was as connected as I wanted needed to be … and perhaps equally important, I was able to respond quickly to changing conditions – both in the environment and on the job.
What’s your mobile strategy and is a VPN part of your arsenal of tools ?
