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.
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How SevenTablets Builds Great Cross-Platform Apps
1. 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.
web: www.seventablets.com
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phone: (855) 285-2322
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email: contact@seventablets.com
2. Our Objective
How to Build a Solid Enterprise App / Mobile Solution That Is
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Fast
Secure
Scalable
Build It
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Faster time to market
Fewer resources
Easier to develop and manage
Using Best of Breed
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WorkLight
STAX Architecture
STAMP Process
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
3. Overview
• Spun off from iTech, a 1,200
employee group
Partners:
• Based in Dallas, TX
• Privately Held
• IBM Impact 2013 Mobile
Innovation Finalist
Differentiators:
• Rapid Deployment
• Creative Design – UX/UI
• Intellectual Property - STAX
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
4. 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: contact@seventablets.com
5. 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: contact@seventablets.com
6. We Know That Mobile is Different Than Traditional Development
We learned quickly that Agile needed to become Agile for Mobile
Challenge
Solution
Benefits
Pure Agile does not
take into account
risks of mobile
development.
Heavier up front user experience,
architecture, and infrastructure design.
Detail planning and iterative development
are guided by clear goals and UX.
Better user affinity, lowered
risks to development while
retaining agile development
methodology.
• Mobile Strategy
• Enterprise Architecture
• UX Driven Development
• Feature Sprints
• Daily Standups
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
8. Key STAMP Benefits
User Experience
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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: contact@seventablets.com
9. Cross Platform Development is a Fact of Life in Today’s BYOD World
The advantages of IBM WorkLight for cross platform mobile
Challenge
Solution
Benefits
Native and cross
platform development
tools are too weak for
the enterprise.
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.
Reduces effort and costs
to build, test, deploy, and
manage mobile apps for
the enterprise.
• 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
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
10. Key Success Factors of Building with WorkLight
Why we chose WorkLight vs. the competition
Fast Development Sequence
Success Factors
• iPad
• iPhone
• Android phone/tablet (mainly testing)
Great Return on Coding Investment!
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Security
Analytics
Cross-platform management
Middleware integration
Enterprise deployment
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
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
11. Closing the Gap for Enterprise Quality with STAX
SevenTablets Architecture for Cross Platform Apps
Challenge
Solution
Benefits
HTML5 development is still in
its infancy. Developers needed
grown-up support for complex
enterprise apps on mobile.
STAX adds a host of
capabilities for software
developers to create
consistent, well tested, and
predictable code.
Developers speak the same
language. Fewer mistakes by
automating critical tasks with
standard patterns.
Data wrappers/packers,
routing and
message queues
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
12. Widening the WorkLight Sweet Spot
HTML5/Cordova/PhoneGap
• Native platform integration
• Extension of HTML5
IBM WorkLight
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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
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
14. 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: contact@seventablets.com
15. Case Study: OnBoard
A Cloud-Based Enterprise Directory
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
16. Building the Core of the Interactive Enterprise
Case Study: OnBoard, a Cloud-Based WorkLight App
Challenge
Solution
Benefits
Enterprise apps require a highly
scalable employee directory system
that is easily integrated with social
and business applications.
WorkLight, STAX, Sencha
Touch, on a scalable cloud
infrastructure.
Enterprise app to connect
employees, social data,
reporting structure, and
interaction hub.
• Multi-tenet application for
app store publication
• Based on vCard standard for
address book compatibility
• Supports iPhone, iPad, and
Android phone/phablet/tablet
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
17. The Challenges of HTML5-based Cross-Platform Applications
Case Study: OnBoard, a Cloud-Based WorkLight App
General Challenges
Key STAX Benefits
• Data mostly in the enterprise cloud
• Management of user and server events reduced errors
• Complex Security model
• Built-in unit testing caught errors early
• Fragmented device market
• STAX role-based security simplified admin capabilities
• Simple download and data caching
Challenging Requirements
• Data loads needed to be fast
Key WorkLight Benefits
• Multi-tenant management
• Phone/tablet and iOS/Android versions easier to
code and manage
• Self-managed data at user and
group level
• WorkLight Realms ensured security context
• Deployment and testing easier with WorkLight server
• Secure persistent store
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
18. Scalable Cloud Architecture
WorkLight Clients
Elastic IP
Worklight Server
WorkLight Server
Amazon*
EC2
EC2
EC2
EC2
S3
*Any public or private cloud can be used
web: www.seventablets.com
|
phone: (855) 285-2322
|
email: contact@seventablets.com
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