Where does Windows CE Fit into the Enterprise? Microsoft's Douglas Dedo Q. The term "Enterprise Computing" is used a lot these days. What is it and why is Windows CE important to it?Enterprise computing refers to the technology that goes into supporting the needs of employees, partners, and customers of large organizations. This includes systems that manage electronic data, computers that automate business processes, and the networking infrastructure that ties it all together. At Microsoft, we call this the "digital nervous system." Obstacles to effective enterprise computing include keeping key information on paper, maintaining business systems where the same data needs to be entered more than once, and lacking connectivity between key business processes and data. One of the design goals for Windows CE was to provide rich connectivity so devices could easily communicate with each other, with desktop PCs, servers, and over the Internet. Devices powered by Windows CE can help people be more organized, make it easier to get data into the enterprise, and track the progress of an entire business process. Q. Bill Gates has been talking about "information at your fingertips" for some time now. Why is that important to an enterprise.Information is the lifeblood of an enterprise. Without easy access to the right information at the right time, an organization slowly dies. Q. We saw the first H/PCs well over a year ago. Now we're seeing Palm-size PCs and Auto PCs. Why is this expansion important to Enterprise Computing?No one device satisfies the diverse set of needs of people working with large organizations. Handheld PCs, Palm-size PCs, and Auto PCs have been designed to address different computing needs of mobile professionals. Handheld PCs, the smallest devices to sport a keyboard, can be useful for handling email, documents, and vertical business applications (e.g. the application making HMR's pharmaceutical sales reps more efficient(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/hpc/solutions/cs_hmr.htm). Palm-size PC's smaller size make it easy for someone to have their key information with them at all times while still having an easy way to input new data. Auto PCs provide a hands-free way to get directions, make calls, and be entertained while on the road. Auto PCs are also a business application platform within a vehicle. Q. Windows CE now supports the development of "embedded systems." Why is this important to Enterprise Computing?Sometimes it isn't feasible to create business solutions using off-the-shelf devices like the Palm-size PC or Handheld PC. The alternative is to develop a custom "embedded system" for a particular vertical business application. A point-of-purchase terminal or industrial controller are examples of this. While the first Windows development efforts were aimed at personal computing, Windows CE was designed from the ground up to give an enterprise the flexibility needed to build the right device for the job. All the developer has to do is select the subset of features from the Windows CE operating system and complete the device with those user interface elements, applications, and other services needed by the specific type of business user. Embedded systems can be built, simulated, and debugged using a standard Windows NT-based desktop computer. This approach provides a cost-effective, flexible way for IT organizations or systems integrators to build custom devices that can tie into the existing corporate information system. Q. Should an enterprise develop its own Windows CE devices or use off-the-shelf units?Business objectives, time to market, and cost typically dictate the scope of business projects. The path of least resistance often involves combining off-the-shelf PC Companion devices, add-on hardware peripherals (like bar code readers, digital cameras, or Ethernet cards), and a broad selection of off-the-shelf business applications (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/hpc/partners/thirdparty.htm). If the right off-the-shelf application isn't available, the next step is to create a custom software application. If this approach still doesn't satisfy the business requirements, then building a customized device powered by Windows CE becomes an option. More than 30 systems integrators are listed on our web site, available to help build these custom embedded systems using Windows CE. Q. What kind of company will benefit most from Windows CE devices?Any company with employees that need to leave their office to get their job done. The most significant work scenarios are where there is a need to disseminate information quickly to a large number of mobile professionals and where employees are more effective when they can be closer to the customer without sacrificing access to key corporate services. The return on investment or savings can be significant like the $5 million projected savings from making the HMR sales reps more efficient. Q. Who in the enterprise will benefit most from Windows CE devices?There are different types of mobile workers from "corridor cruisers" to "globe trotters" that spend 40% or more of their time away from their office. PC Companion devices enable these mobile professionals to take their most valuable information with them at all times. This helps them improve their productivity, provide better customer service, or speed the process of injecting key information into the business. Mobile professionals can be sales representatives, business executives, even factory floor workers. Q. What are some of the challenges faced by those integrating Windows CE devices into the enterprise?The biggest issues facing those deploying Windows CE-based devices in an enterprise include understanding exactly how the new devices will be used, how to design an application for easy deployment and updates, how to integrate existing IT systems with PC Companion devices, how to support these mobile users, and how to track the devices on an ongoing basis. Microsoft and our partners are providing information and technology to address these issues today. Q. Why should an enterprise use Windows CE devices? Why not use devices using other operating systems?Devices built with proprietary operating systems and tools are costly to build and maintain. In contrast, Windows CE-based devices are easy to use so that costly training programs aren't required. The off-the-shelf options for Windows CE-based devices, peripherals, and applications provide a huge amount of choice today. The PC Companion devices have some of the most commonly used enterprise protocols built in so it is easy to connect to Windows desktop information, POP 3/SMTP e-mail servers, TCP/IP and HTML-based Web servers, and ODBC data stored on business servers like Windows NT. And using devices running the Windows CE operating system brings all the efficiencies of the Windows software development community to the table. Over 5 million developers are already familiar with the Win32 application programming interface and the inexpensive Visual Tools used for creating or porting applications for these mobile devices. All of these factors help to drive down the costs surrounding devices powered by Windows CE. Q. How important is Windows CE to Microsoft? What internal resources have you committed to supporting developers of enterprise-wide solutions?Microsoft has been investing in Windows CE since 1993 and today has over 700 people dedicated to this one area. Over a half million of the first wave of Handheld PCs built using Windows CE have already shipped. Now Palm-size PCs and second generation H/PCs are shipping in volume. Similar to the investment in Windows NT for enterprise servers, Microsoft sees great business opportunities from this new Windows CE platform to address business needs of the enterprise. Even within Microsoft, we are using PC Companion devices to improve business efficiencies like tracking retail inventories and enhancing our sales force automation. Q. Where can an individual or company get help with the implementation of Windows CE into their enterprise?Our Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/itsolutions2/, provides information as well as pointers to a large list of companies delivering hardware, software, and services related to Windows CE. Training and assistance can also be found at events like the Windows CE Developer Conference and within the Microsoft consulting organization, MCS. Q. I know you can't comment on specific Microsoft plans, but what does the future hold for Windows CE and how will that future benefit the enterprise?The future is very bright for Windows CE. Every time a new class of device is created, the Windows CE core OS is enhanced. And every time the core OS is enhanced, new versions of Windows CE-based devices benefit. This iterative improvement process has already demonstrated results. The enterprise will benefit from ongoing Windows CE innovation in system drivers, network connectivity, extending support for desktop technology like DCOM and COM+, data access using the ActiveX Data Objects API to synchronize with enterprise data, security options, expanded real-time performance, asset management options, further international localization, and rapid application development environments. These innovations will make it even easier for developers to build solutions that tie Windows CE applications for mobile professionals with enterprise systems. Stay tuned!
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