Solutions
The buzz on business
Whether you rely on IBM’s business analytics applications, database products, or web integration tools, Webalo lets you transform them for smartphones and tablets as quickly and simply as Webalo’s customer Anixter did to provide bi-directional, transactional access to DB2 and deliver multiple mobile capabilities – sales reports, transactional warehouse inventory management capabilities, and the global employee directory. Anixter – a leading global distributor of communication and security products, electrical and electronic wire and cable, fasteners, and other small parts – operates in 263 cities in 50 countries, and feels that “Webalo is so easy to deploy that we were able to roll numerous customized mobile applications throughout the company without overburdening the IT department.”
A logical sequel that excels at mobility
Look inside virtually any business and you’ll find Microsoft applications driving critical operations – from Excel reports on the desktop to SQL Server databases on the backend and Dynamics in between. Wells Fargo uses Webalo to give credit managers mobile access to critical credit risk data stored in SQL Server, and Bell Nursery transformed Microsoft backend data with Webalo to track and manage products to and from their warehouses. According to Bell, “Webalo’s mobility solution not only helps us track inventory levels and trends, but also enables our store employees to perform real-time transactions, ensuring accurate replenishment that meets customer demand. A comprehensive mobility solution is critical to the success of our business, and we are delighted to partner with Webalo.” In England, University Hospitals Birmingham (part of the UK’s National Health Service) uses Webalo to create bi-directional, transactional, privacy-compliant mobile apps in neurology, pharmacy management, emergency room performance, and more – all relying on SQL Server data and custom-programmed in-house applications.
Capabilities unlimited
Oracle applications provide solutions for every business operation – from its namesake database to Oracle business applications such as JD Edwards, PeopleSoft ERP, and Siebel. Webalo connects to them all (and can easily combine functionality from any of them into a single mobile app) to deliver mobile-optimized interactions on any mobile device. The Inland Group used Webalo to transform its JD Edwards software capabilities into BYOD mobile apps that gave its property managers on-the-spot, bi-directional access to retail and commercial space reports, A/R data, occupancy and vacancy statistics, and leasing specifications on their Android, Apple, and BlackBerry mobile devices. Inland discovered that “Webalo is both a cost-effective and an ideal way to leverage our existing investments in our software and smartphones.”
Mobile goes global
The SAP ecosystem runs companies around the world, and Webalo is making it mobile. In Latin America, Grupo Familia connected its SAP data warehouse to mobile users without the time and cost of coding while, in Europe, Volkswagen Financial Services extends SAP reports on inventory, availability, and delivery to the mobile devices of its Corporate Leasing Sales Team: “The speed and simplicity of Webalo were the primary benefits for us, though those translate into cost saving, as well. The ease of development means that we can be fully deployed with Webalo in much less time, and at less cost, than it would take with other approaches.” In the US, film studio Lionsgate used Webalo to tie SAP web services to account executives’ smartphones and tablets, letting them determine a film’s availability along with all the statistics from broadcast rights to Academy Awards. “How would Lionsgate have gotten the pertinent business and distribution information to its mobile executives and distributors without Webalo? We wouldn’t have done it at all. Webalo was an enabler.”
Moving the cloud
The “no software” mantra of Salesforce.com translates into the far simpler management of cloud-based technologies. Yet the people who rely on Salesforce need its information to be easily available no matter where they go, and Webalo makes that possible by transforming Salesforce reports and data into easy to read and navigate, mobile-optimized versions that can even be shared with non-Salesforce users. That’s why AppExtremes turned to Webalo when it wanted a better way to optimize the Salesforce reports it delivers – through Conga Suite – to mobile devices. Sending those reports through Webalo lets AppExremes automate their delivery and make them easier to use on smartphones and tablets than they are on desktops and laptops. In their words, "It is critical that organizations today have a platform in place to give employees the flexibility they need to access information when and where it’s needed.”
Unique requirements... and solutions
Today’s software is powerful, expansive, and seemingly all-inclusive, but business is always likely to need something customized for their unique needs – something developed in-house – and Webalo makes it all mobile. Custom-developed enterprise applications were not designed for mobile access, and even web-based applications are difficult to use on mobile browsers. Yet, rather than re-writing them for mobile access, companies can use Webalo to give mobile users only the data and functions they need – not the entire application – and those data and functions can come from any number of applications, letting Webalo create integrated apps that are easy to navigate and much faster to use. Whether it’s real time access to operational analytics and the ability to take action – directly from a smartphone or tablet – to maintain normal activity; database lookups that tie into order entry and supply chain applications; making reports “individualized” to give employees only the information that’s relevant to them; extending the reach of XML web services to mobile devices; or providing website capabilities (with more direct, personalized navigation) for handling approvals or tracking expenses, for example, Webalo can connect to all of it and connect all of it into streamlined workflows that vastly improve employee productivity.
