how seventablets builds great cross-platform apps
DESCRIPTION
In this IBM Mobile Tech Talk, SevenTablets Chief Architect Daniel Brookshier explains how we build cross-platform enterprise apps with Process, STAX API, and IBM Worklight.TRANSCRIPT
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
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
• 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:
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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.
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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.
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
Discovery
Mobile UX Design
Solution Design
Quality Assurance
Infrastructure Design
Manage
Deploy
STAMP
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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.
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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.
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
STAX Architecture
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
Case Study: OnBoard A Cloud-Based Enterprise Directory
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
• 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.
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
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
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]
OnBoard Demo
web: www.seventablets.com | phone: (855) 285-2322 | email: [email protected]