AvantGo, Inc., the authority in managing mobile information, today announced that it is shipping AvantGo Enterprise 3, the most complete software solution for extending Web-based and client/server applications to handheld devices. AvantGo also announced that it has signed a strategic alliance with Attachmate Corporation to bring enterprise data to handheld devices.
AvantGo Enterprise 3 has been rapidly adopted by Fortune 500 companies to wirelessly extend their networked applications to Palm Computing platform and Windows CE-based handheld devices. The mobile solution, which consists of AvantGo Server, AvantGo Client and open source Mobile Application Link, helps organizations extend their business-critical applications and information beyond desktop computers, enabling them to create closer relationships with their customers. Today, AvantGo Enterprise 3 powers AvantGo.com, the company's popular -- and free -- Internet service with hundreds of thousands of users. [Editor's Note: see also today's release entitled, "AvantGo.com Scales to Showcase the Power of AvantGo Enterprise 3."]
"AvantGo is devoted to helping Fortune 500 companies foster and maintain close relationships with their customers and partners by providing them with the business-critical information they need at hand," said Felix Lin, AvantGo's CEO. "Every Fortune 500 company is evolving into a dot com enterprise and with the adoption of handheld devices exploding, AvantGo's enterprise products are perfectly positioned to seamlessly extend enterprise data to people inside and outside of the company."
With support from major distributors, Fortune 500 customers, Application Service Providers (ASP), VARS and systems integrators, AvantGo is the leading provider of enterprise solutions for handheld devices. The world's leading provider of host access management solutions, Attachmate Corporation is now offering solutions around AvantGo software, enabling organizations to take advantage of AvantGo Enterprise's high-performance, reliable and scalable solution to extend mainframe applications to handheld devices.
"Attachmate's Business Solutions Group provides e-business solutions to customers -- from project scoping to pilot projects to full-scale e-business implementations," said Mike Kaul, vice president of Attachmate's Business Solutions Group. "We strive to help our customers bring enterprise data to all of their users, regardless of their location. By partnering with AvantGo, the leader in managing mobile information and delivering enterprise applications to handheld devices, we are now able to offer host access via handheld devices. When we evaluated the technology options for extending our functionality to handheld devices, AvantGo provided the highest level of scalability, flexibility, security and manageability available."
AvantGo Enterprise is also distributed worldwide by Symbol Technologies, Inc., a global leader in mobile data management systems. Keith Kanneg, director, software marketing at Symbol Technologies, notes, "The handheld market is expanding faster than anyone could have imagined. AvantGo has excellent products for the mobile market and they are keeping pace with the changes. The new AvantGo Enterprise is targeted to help us provide support for our largest customers."
The premier partner for enabling enterprise handheld applications, AvantGo has also struck alliances with dominant players in the enterprise software, Application Service Provider (ASP), systems integration and VAR markets, as well as with providers of innovative new Web-based business applications. These AvantGo Enterprise partners include Glyphica, Microsoft Corporation, NetReturn LLC, Niku Corporation, Opus 360, Sagent, Sybase Inc., Tibco Software, UpShot.com, Whittman-Hart, The Windward Group and WisdomWare, Inc.
"Getting the right information to mobile professionals, any time, anywhere is what Windows CE-based mobile computing is all about," said Jonathon Roberts, General Manager, Productivity Appliance Division, Microsoft Corp. "Solutions from industry leaders like AvantGo enable the innovative technology of the new color Palm-size PC platform to help mobile professionals be more effective."
"Next-generation smart devices are creating exciting opportunities for companies to take their e-Business information anywhere," said Brian Vink, vice president of marketing, Sybase's Mobile and Embedded Computing Division. "Working with AvantGo, Sybase is empowering mobile workers to use the Web to access their enterprise content and applications at any time, from these new devices."
For customers, AvantGo's easy-to-use and easy-to-program software reduces the cost of enterprise deployments. AvantGo ensures that customers have the widest range of deployment options for their handheld application needs through AvantGo Client bundling agreements with handheld device manufacturers, such as Hewlett-Packard Company, Philips, Casio, Palm Computing, IBM and Symbol. AvantGo will also work on the new QUALCOMM pdQ˜ smartphone when it is released.
Customers today benefiting from AvantGo's solutions, include McKessonHBOC, Catholic Healthcare West, FedEx, Frontline Now!, InfoNXX and Blueline Online.
"In a large enterprise, we need to integrate new technologies, such as handhelds, with our existing systems, which can often be a difficult and costly endeavor," said Jesse Bork, Project Leader at McKessonHBOC. "With AvantGo software, Symbol handheld scanning devices and Whittman-Hart services, we are reducing the cost of our supply chain application deployment, collecting field data more quickly and with fewer individual entry errors and providing more value to our current applications. AvantGo also gives us the ability to manage many users from a central location."
AvantGo Enterprise 3 delivers significant new features and product enhancements providing maximum flexibility for enterprises that want to securely extend any business application to handhelds using public or private networks. Among the new and enhanced features of AvantGo Enterprise 3 are:
Performance and Scalability AvantGo Enterprise offers proven scalability for the largest deployments, as evidenced in the AvantGo.com implementation, which is today processing more than 15 million Web pages for hundreds of thousands of Palm Computing platform and Windows CE users each day. AvantGo Server now supports load balancing across multiple server machines as well as server caching for high performance even under high load situations. Furthermore, AvantGo Server now supports Linux and Solaris in addition to Windows NT.
Web and Client/Server Compatibility AvantGo is known for its ability to extend Web applications to mobile users. With AvantGo Enterprise, organizations can also use AvantGo for connectivity to non-Web-based data and applications. AvantGo Server's conduit API allows companies to extend Web-based connectivity to include connectivity for C-based a pplications, RAD-based applications, as well as data stored in Sybase, Oracle or flat-file databases on the device. This capability provides developers with the flexibility to deliver virtually any information or applications to mobile users.
On-Device Business Logic for Wireless and Casual Connections AvantGo Enterprise supports a flexible architecture for processing mobile transactions. Developers choose the architecture that is most appropriate for their application. Batch transactions are handled via occasional synchronization, while connectivity via a wireless network permits real-time interactivity. In addition, AvantGo Client now functions like an "on-device Web server" which can be used to conduct local transactions and on-device logic. The new device-side capabilities improve performance and enable a transaction to be completed on the device without requiring a round trip to the server. Dynamic HTML capabilities allow developers to connect their Web applications with on-device databases from vendors such as Sybase and Oracle. AvantGo Enterprise scripting extensions are supported today. AvantGo Enterprise with JavaScript implementation -- currently in Beta -- will ship in October.
Enhanced Security Important for business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce solutions, AvantGo Enterprise now includes enhanced security. The updated server software delivers end-to-end security with the ability for administrators to store and transmit passwords securely. It also features 128-bit and 56-bit SSL encryption from industry-leader RSA and TLS security between device and server from Certicom.
Central User, Group and System Management Using any Web browser and proper authentication, system administrators can deliver new applications and data to mobile users and groups of users. Every time a user connects to AvantGo Enterprise, they instantly get updates of all the applications and data that they use. In addition to managing Web channels, administrators can set preferences in AvantGo Server to manage synchronization of a variety of data-types and applications. Integration with Windows NT Domain directories is supported and the product provides an API for integrating AvantGo with alternative user directories.
Open Communications Protocol Version three of AvantGo Enterprise is Mobile Application Link-compliant, enabling one-button synchronization to multiple servers. The Mobile Application Link initiative is an open, industry standard for connecting mobile devices to server-based applications.
AvantGo Enterprise supports Windows CE and Palm Computing platform devices, including integrated scanning devices from Symbol Technologies and Windows CE-based Palm-sized PC, Handheld PC and Handheld PC-Pro devices. Previously available only on Windows NT, AvantGo Enterprise now supports Windows NT, Solaris and Linux operating systems. Individuals can evaluate AvantGo Enterprise for free by visiting AvantGo.com at www.avantgo.com. For organizations, AvantGo Enterprise is available through AvantGo's direct sales force for a base price of $150 per user (volume discounts available). For more information about AvantGo, please visit www.avantgo.com or call 888-884-8812.
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