how seventablets builds great cross-platform apps

Overcoming the Challenges of Building Cross-Platform Enterprise Apps with Process, STAX API and IBM WorkLight

Presenter: Daniel Brookshier, Chief Architect, SevenTablets, Inc.

How SevenTablets Builds Great Cross-Platform Apps

web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]

How to Build a Solid Enterprise App / Mobile Solution That Is

• Fast

• Secure

• Scalable

Build It

• Faster time to market

• Fewer resources

• Easier to develop and manage

Using Best of Breed

• WorkLight

• STAX Architecture

• STAMP Process

Our Objective


• Spun off from iTech, a 1,200 employee group

• Based in Dallas, TX

• Privately Held

• IBM Impact 2013 Mobile Innovation Finalist

Overview

Differentiators:

• Rapid Deployment

• Creative Design – UX/UI

• Intellectual Property - STAX

Partners:


Challenges of Cross Platform Enterprise Mobile Apps

Mobility is not a “magic pill.” How you use it, when you use it,

and why you use it are what determines its success.


Building an Enterprise Application is Complex

• Key part of your strategy

• Usability

• Speed

• Visual appeal

• Security

• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

• Platform fragmentation

• Network chaos


We Know That Mobile is Different Than Traditional Development We learned quickly that Agile needed to become Agile for Mobile

• Mobile Strategy

• Enterprise Architecture

• UX Driven Development

• Feature Sprints

• Daily Standups

Challenge

Pure Agile does not take into account risks of mobile development.

Solution

Heavier up front user experience, architecture, and infrastructure design. Detail planning and iterative development are guided by clear goals and UX.

Benefits

Better user affinity, lowered risks to development while retaining agile development methodology.


Discovery

Mobile UX Design

Solution Design

Quality Assurance

Infrastructure Design

Manage

Deploy

STAMP


Key STAMP Benefits

User Experience

• Clearer development goals

• Faster development

• Reduced/eliminated rework

• Wider user adoption

Enterprise Architecture

• Business strategy alignment

• Better acceptance

• Leverage new and old capabilities without redesign of IT assets

Infrastructure Development/Integration

• Quick start cloud connectivity

• Reduced risks of adding mobile clients

• Opportunities to grow IT capability


Cross Platform Development is a Fact of Life in Today’s BYOD World The advantages of IBM WorkLight for cross platform mobile

• Tools to build for specific platforms

• Large number of integrations to IBM and third party solutions

• Enterprise mobile deployment

• Excellent IBM tool support/community

• Enterprise Security

• Out of the box Analytics

Challenge

Native and cross platform development tools are too weak for the enterprise.

Solution

IBM WorkLight is both a development tool and solution ecosystem to support cross platform mobile for enterprises. Growing list of features to connect the enterprise and take advantage of mobile.

Benefits

Reduces effort and costs to build, test, deploy, and manage mobile apps for the enterprise.


Key Success Factors of Building with WorkLight Why we chose WorkLight vs. the competition

Fast Development Sequence

• iPad

• iPhone

• Android phone/tablet (mainly testing)

Great Return on Coding Investment!

Notes:

• iPhone version is a slim-down of iPad features

• Android development mostly small UX changes and optimization

• iPad/iPhone used optimizations found during Android development

Success Factors

• Security

• Analytics

• Cross-platform management

• Middleware integration

• Enterprise deployment


Data wrappers/packers, routing and message queues

Closing the Gap for Enterprise Quality with STAX SevenTablets Architecture for Cross Platform Apps

Challenge

HTML5 development is still in its infancy. Developers needed grown-up support for complex enterprise apps on mobile.

Solution

STAX adds a host of capabilities for software developers to create consistent, well tested, and predictable code.

Benefits

Developers speak the same language. Fewer mistakes by automating critical tasks with standard patterns.


HTML5/Cordova/PhoneGap

• Native platform integration

• Extension of HTML5

IBM WorkLight

• Cross platform framework/tools/server

• Security

• Testing

• Analytics

STAX

• Messaging/event management

• Event chaining

• Role-based security

• Application lifecycle

• Error control

• Logging/debugging

• Unit testing on device

Widening the WorkLight Sweet Spot


STAX Architecture


STAX Increases Programmer Productivity and Reduces Risk Closing the gap for enterprise quality with STAX

• Enforces structure and application lifecycle

• Promotes best practices for coding and testing

• Support of long, multi-part transactions over unreliable networks

• Encourages on-device unit testing of code

• Common methods for configuration-based features

• Better management of device specific code


Case Study: OnBoard A Cloud-Based Enterprise Directory


• Multi-tenet application for app store publication

• Based on vCard standard for address book compatibility

• Supports iPhone, iPad, and Android phone/phablet/tablet

Building the Core of the Interactive Enterprise Case Study: OnBoard, a Cloud-Based WorkLight App

Challenge

Enterprise apps require a highly scalable employee directory system that is easily integrated with social and business applications.

Solution

WorkLight, STAX, Sencha Touch, on a scalable cloud infrastructure.

Benefits

Enterprise app to connect employees, social data, reporting structure, and interaction hub.


General Challenges

• Data mostly in the enterprise cloud

• Complex Security model

• Fragmented device market

Challenging Requirements

• Data loads needed to be fast

• Multi-tenant management

• Self-managed data at user and group level

Key STAX Benefits

• Management of user and server events reduced errors

• Built-in unit testing caught errors early

• STAX role-based security simplified admin capabilities

• Simple download and data caching

Key WorkLight Benefits

• Phone/tablet and iOS/Android versions easier to code and manage

• WorkLight Realms ensured security context

• Deployment and testing easier with WorkLight server

• Secure persistent store

The Challenges of HTML5-based Cross-Platform Applications Case Study: OnBoard, a Cloud-Based WorkLight App


Amazon*

WorkLight Clients

Worklight Server

S3 EC2 EC2 EC2 EC2

WorkLight Server

SMS

Elastic IP

*Any public or private cloud can be used

Scalable Cloud Architecture


OnBoard Demo


how seventablets builds great cross-platform apps

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