Mobility is becoming an increasingly important component of the enterprise worker's day. Whether the worker is a road warrior or everyday in-office team member, a growing number of workers need mobility to achieve their best each day.
For IT professionals, deciding which mobile platform to use is a complicated process and involves many important steps -- from the initial decision making process to final deployment. And often the most difficult part is deciding on what platform will work best for the diverse majority of an enterprise's workers.
Currently leading the mobile platform arena, many enterprises select either Research In Motion (RIM) or Microsoft's Windows Mobile platforms to keep their workforce mobile. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of each platform?
To clear the fog around these platforms and facilitate this initial decision processing -- or the initial stage of a vast equipment change -- the editors at SearchMobileComputing.com have created an inclusive checklist that documents the level of support each platforms offers for a wide range of services, features and applications.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Administrator experienceUser experience
ADMINISTRATOR EXPERIENCE
Designed to provide IT administrators with the information they need to make the best decision, this section documents each service offered by the Windows Mobile platform and RIM's platform. It offers input on each platform's support for an individual service, better preparing the IT administrator to develop and maintain a mobile deployment.
| FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS | |||
| YES | NO | PARTIALLY SUPPORTED | SERVICE DESCRIPTION |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Mailbox auto-configuration: Devices include automatic mail client configuration for enduser. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Centralized device configuration: Loading device with software and user data onto multiple devices is centralized. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Admin application control: Third-party applications managed and approved or denied by administrator. | ||
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Third-party app development: Third-party wireless application development supported through software developer's kit (SDK) and framework. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Intuitive graphical environment: Easy-to-use, intuitive graphical interface for administrative activities. | ||
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Line-of-business (LOB) interoperability: Existing framework and tools allow LOB applications on worker devices. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Identifiable total cost of ownership (TCO): All ownership costs for individual devices are identifiable, including management costs, licenses, technical support, hardware costs and maintenance. | |
| SUPPORT | |||
| YES | NO | PARTIALLY SUPPORTED | SERVICE DESCRIPTION |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Track and manage device statistics: Administrator has full capability to track device statistics and manage as preferred. | ||
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Server deployment: Reduce IT overhead with modular setup and server provisioning. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Admin-controlled diagnostics and monitoring: Device has diagnostic, monitoring and user-assistance tools. | |
| RIM | Windows Mobile | Data replication capabilities: Use of data replication allows systems to have high availability. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Wireless backup/restore: Users can wirelessly backup and restore data and settings. | ||
| SECURITY | |||
| YES | NO | PARTIALLY SUPPORTED | SERVICE DESCRIPTION |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Mailbox security and architecture: Mailbox architecture and support works with existing security architecture and increases mailbox quotas. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Individual device security controls by admin: Administrator has control over individual device and user policies -- ie: attachment allowal, PIN expiration dates. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Content security contolled by Admin: Administrators have control over all data stored on individual devices. | ||
| RIM | Windows Mobile | Automatic TLS encryption: Auto-encryption between hosts -- transport layer security. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Email and wireless encryption: Automatic intra-organization email encryption; triple data encryption stand (DES) and advanced encryption stand (AES) supported. | ||
USER EXPERIENCE
In this section, services pertaining to the user's experience for both the Windows Mobile and the RIM platforms are detailed and labeled according to how much each platform can support the service. It is designed to provide both the IT administrator and the user with a better understanding of which platform best meshes with the mobile worker's specific needs.
| FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS | |||
| YES | NO | PARTIALLY SUPPORTED | SERVICE DESCRIPTION |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Email accounts: Both corporate and personal email supported. | ||
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Email applications: Operates with web-based email applications. | ||
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Attachments: Offers capability to view large-sized attached files and images. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Action functionality: User-enabled out-of-office or follow-through options supported, as well as setup for automatic reply notifications. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | RIM (for threaded messages) | Text capabilities: SMS and/or MMS enabled; threaded messages enabled. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Microsoft Office capability: Users can open, view and edit Microsoft Office applications; click links to document attached to emails or stored on external servers. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Search: Device and over-the-air (OTA) search enabled. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Image capability: Photos and video sharing capability enabled, including sound capabilities. | ||
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Ease of use: Device hardware and applications are easy to use and intuitive, including buttons, menus, Internet browsing and phone capabilities. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Contact list: Access corporate and personal address lists with search capabilities. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Web browsing: Device allows web browsing, search, RSS feeds, GPS and other location-based services, voice-activated commands, and organizational applications -- including calendar, contacts, tasks etc. | ||
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Hardware options: Users can select from numerous device manufacturers. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Applications: Multiple commercial mobile applications available. | |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Third-party solutions: Multiple third-party solutions available. | |
| SUPPORT | |||
| YES | NO | PARTIALLY SUPPORTED | SERVICE DESCRIPTION |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Remote email access: Remote access to full mailbox capabilities of corporate email, including organizational tools, status tools and subfolder structure. | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | Call history: Phone history support enabled. | ||
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Synchronization: Calendar, contact, task, email account and subfolder synchronization with corporate server enabled. | |
| SECURITY | |||
| YES | NO | PARTIALLY SUPPORTED | SERVICE DESCRIPTION |
| Windows Mobile | RIM | Email security: Email messages, forwards, replies and drafts are protected by Information Rights Management (IRM). | |
| Windows Mobile, RIM | OTA security lockdown: Over-the-air, IT control to lock down or wipe lost or stolen devices. | ||
| Windows Mobile, RIM | User controlled security: Device, local document and storage card encryption controlled by user. User can also control communication security on device for compliance and confidentiality. | ||