Just Enough App, Please

Once upon a time an IT user named Goldie Locks tried to access her company’s applications…

I’ll spare you the rest of the analogy. Some devices are too big, others too small, and some are just right. Of course, “just right” often depends on the application being consumed. I talk a lot with clients about user-centric computing and the fact that many in today’s mobile workforce do not want to be tethered to a single physical device. “Give me my apps on my terms” may represent a Utopian user viewpoint, but it’s still one that’s a priority for many IT organizations. Of course, we’d love to meet the user somewhere in the middle, and ensure that security is not compromised for the sake of device-agnostic application access.

We may never find Utopia, but accessing corporate apps from an approved set of devices isn’t unrealistic. We’re already doing that in many cases today (e.g., email). And that brings me to the problem. Tools like Citrix Receiver and Wyse PocketCloud can allow users to access their virtual desktops (or also published applications with Citrix Receiver) on their iPhones and other smart phones. These tools are useful, but they have their limits.

If you would like to see my point, try accessing Microsoft Word (either as a published app or as part of a virtual desktop) using Citrix Receiver or Wyse PocketCloud on an iPhone. It is a lesson in frustration. I don’t have a similar experience checking email on my iPhone because I’m not navigating a full blown version of Outlook using screen scraping technology. I get just enough email app, and it works.

--> The rest is on Chris' Blog :

http://blogs.gartner.com/chris-wolf/2010/09/15/just-enough-app-please/