Jan/Feb 2006

The mSuite integrated wireless "push" email mobility solution from CommonTime for IBM Lotus Notes and Domino has been extended to new platforms including Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. Features of the latest version include lowest-cost connection seeking - which might mean, for instance, connecting by Wi-Fi instead of GPRS when it is available.

One of the latest users of mSuite is Norbord, a wood products and particle board manufacturer based in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which says it is looking for significant improvements in the productivity of its mobile sales force. Network team leader Stuart Auld calls it "an excellent time-saver".

Norbord, part of a Toronto-based multinational, uses the Lotus Notes email system, and wanted a mobile solution to integrate with this. The sales team were already in the habit of logging on from home, but had no mobile email access. Norbord also wanted to introduce a navigation system, and was keen to integrate the two functions in a single handheld device.

The solution it has chosen is based round PDA-style mobile phones working on the Vodafone network. At the moment it is using the VPA Compact model, which runs under the Windows Mobile operating system and has a large, PDA-style display screen. But it says one of the attractions of the chosen system is that it is portable, and can therefore be used on other compatible hardware.

 

At the office end, "push" email is provided by CommonTime's mSuite, which runs on Hewlett-Packard DL380 hardware under the Windows 2003 Server operating system, and integrates with the Lotus Notes system. This offers a wide range of capabilities at the mobile end, including email synchronisation, personal management systems and integration with the company's Notes-based job quotation application.

The full range of software deployed includes mNotes, mControl, mSecure PDA and CommonTime Mobility Framework - Lotus Notes/Domino 6.5.4.