Enterprise software is often built to run on a network, and to be deployed to many users across an organization. Professional software, although it may be used in an enterprise environment, is generally niche software built for a single user in a particular field such as law or medicine. Developer software is used by those who create software for mobile devices, and is often used within the enterprise to build business-specific mobile systems.
You may review current listings of many of these types of software at http://www.PocketPCmag.com/encyclopedia.asp. The listings are in the process of being updated.
Enterprise categories include:
- Communications: enabling data or voice communications between mobile devices, or with wired or wireless networks.
- Customer Relationship Management: contact data, customer history, sales leads, and calendars.
- Data Capture: acquiring, processing, and displaying data such as GPS location data.
- Data Collection: forms for entering and transferring data on-site on a mobile device. This kind of system is often used as a replacement for paper-based forms.
- Database Management: working with information in table/database form. This type of software is widely used in many of the other Enterprise and Professional categories.
- Device Management: network administrator tools for deploying, securing, and managing mobile devices.
- Form Building: Easy-to-use development tools that allow the creation of simple applications.
- Groupware: enabling integration and synchronization of information such as contact info on users mobile devices with other corporate users.
- Sales Force Automation: order entry and access to real-time customer, inventory, product, and sales data for mobile sales forces and managers.
- Security Solutions: setting up VPNs, firewalls, and security controls for mobile devices and the priceless corporate information they can carry.
- Vertical: enterprise applications that apply to a specific industry or vertical niche. This will also include the Professional categories listed below.
Professional categories include:
- CAD: computer aided design. Such software lets you view, edit, and even create blueprints for buildings and other objects.
- Education: tools for empowering teachers (administration, testing, instruction, etc.) and students (learning, accessing information, displaying their mastery, etc.) and administrators (supporting teachers and students, etc.)
- Engineering: engineering calculators and other support tools.
- Healthcare: tools to assist healthcare workers including references, patient-tracking, billing, etc.
- Law: tools to access information and manage client activity
- Pilots/Aviation: tools to track pilot flight-time, aircraft maintenance, etc.
- Real Estate: tools to access available real-estate, track buyers and sellers, etc.
- Sales and Marketing: tools to allow salespeople and managers to track prospects, customers, and transactions, etc.
- Transportation: tools to route fleets most efficiently to conserve fuel and save money, and to track what is being transported, etc.
Developer Categories Include:
- Controls: a basic unit of programming; they allow programmers to focus on the bigger picture by automating basic, repetitive programming tasks.
- Database Utilities: tools for creating, manipulating, and synchronizing databases.
- Developer Utilities: tools to aid in the creation and testing of applications.
- Host Integration: tools for connecting devices (clients) with servers (hosts)
- Installation and Distribution: tools for automating the installation and distribution of software. Especially useful for larger enterprises that need automated, uniform installation and distribution of applications for their employees.
- Languages: tools for creating software/applications in particular programming languages.
Many of the Developer areas apply to programmers in .NET, Visual Basic or C++. Products include such things as Active X controls, database engines, editing utilities, installation programs, and code libraries.
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