1. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
An Oracle White Paper
May 2010
Oracle Platform for SaaS:
Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
2. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
Introduction ......................................................................................... 1!
Mobile Device Management Market Challenges................................. 2!
SaaS Offers Advantages................................................................. 2!
Oracle Platform for SaaS .................................................................... 3!
Oracle Platform Benefits for MDM ISVs.......................................... 3!
Software Development Requirements in MDM ............................... 4!
Case Study: Capricode SyncShield® .................................................. 5!
SyncShield® Mobile Device Management Architecture................... 5!
How SyncShield® Leverages the SaaS Model ................................ 7!
The Value of SyncShield® for Operators ......................................... 7!
The SyncShield® Advantage ........................................................... 9!
Conclusion .......................................................................................... 9!
The Oracle Advantage .................................................................... 9!
3. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
Introduction
In our increasingly connected world, smartphones and PDAs have become ubiquitous,
and user expectations are higher than ever for security, reliability, memory, connectivity,
and ease of upgrading devices. Mobile service providers use mobile device management
(MDM) solutions for remote configuration, diagnostics, and software management, saving
customers a trip to the mobile store. MDM provides a centralized view of individual mobile
device capabilities in real time or near-real time. It enables the service provider to
remotely manipulate the capabilities of each device for a wide variety of strategic and
operational purposes. This advanced over-the-air device fleet control is essential for
service providers to stay competitive.
As economic pressures force businesses to cut costs, enterprises seek cost-effective
methods for providing high quality, reliable services while the market scales. MDM
vendors using in-house mobile device management servers, which require continued
reinvestment of personnel and infrastructure, are finding that a “software as a service”
(SaaS) business model can deliver increased benefits while lowering the total cost of
ownership. With SaaS, the mobile device management server is maintained by the
service provider, not by the enterprise. MDM vendors can offer their customers increased
device safety and operational reliability and centralized, simultaneous device
management—optimal for over-the-air control across a fleet of devices.
Oracle Platform for SaaS provides MDM ISVs with a single, integrated platform for both
on-premise and public or private cloud-based deployments so that they can offer their
customers a choice in where to run their software. This white paper describes the
benefits of Oracle Platform for SaaS and how MDM ISVs are choosing Oracle Database
for their device management solutions and adding MDM to their Oracle Database
platforms for added value and service.
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4. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
Mobile Device Management Market Challenges
The use of mobile-based devices and endpoints in enterprises has mushroomed over the last five
years, according to industry analysts at IDC, who continue to forecast exponential growth year
over year. In a recent report, IDC said, “Mobility has begun to touch every aspect of the
business, not only mobilizing people within the organization but also processes, machinery, fleets
and items, which must all be controlled and accounted for.” More workers are conducting
business on the go—these are the so-called “road warriors” who need not only constant
connectivity to their home companies but also to organizational productivity tools and
applications, such as customer relationship management and intranet software. Enterprises and
service providers alike need secure, reliable remote management solutions to manage mobilized
assets, plan strategic rollouts of mobility, remotely configure devices and settings, and control the
use and distribution of data.
With the convergence of the market and the increasing penetration of devices, endpoints, and
mobile functionality there is growing pressure on MDM vendors to offer cost-effective solutions
to operators. Highly competitive MDM vendors offer their customers solutions for such uses as
defect fixing, remotely updating firmware, installing and managing 3rd party applications, locking
the device in case of theft, and supporting and handling client provisioning for new value-added
services being offered by operators. But MDM server software is not standardized, and operators
are faced with choosing between proprietary client technology and solution platforms. Research
conducted by Ovum suggests that a significant proportion of operators are buying into the
concept of a single modular platform and hosted or managed services. And the benefits of using
SaaS are becoming more widely recognized.
According to industry analysts at Saugatuck, 40% of MDM integrated software vendors (ISVs)
are at some stage of planning to adopt SaaS over the coming year. And IDC projected that SaaS
growth for 2009 would be 40.5% over 2008, a change from their earlier projection of 36%.
SaaS Offers Advantages
Using SaaS provides ISVs significant potential advantages in the marketplace. With SaaS, ISVs
can host the application and offer subscription-based pricing to customers. Sharing some
infrastructure components and operation services among multiple customers brings down the
cost of offering the software as a hosted service. Other advantages include:
• Creating a new profit center from a captured customer base—the existing on-premise
installation
• Doubling or tripling existing support revenues; SaaS revenue can be anywhere from 2 to 3
times the support revenue, and the margin is almost as high as that of support revenue: 60-
70%
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5. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
• Saving end customers anywhere from 25-50% in costs and providing them with solutions that
are always the latest release
• Capturing new markets and leapfrogging competition
Oracle Platform for SaaS
Figure 1: Oracle Platform for SaaS
Oracle Platform for SaaS includes Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle
Enterprise Manager, and Oracle VM, a comprehensive, open and integrated set of technologies
that allow ISVs to build, deploy, and manage SaaS and public or private cloud-based applications.
Oracle Platform for SaaS provides ISVs with a single, integrated platform for both on-premise
and public or private cloud-based deployments, allowing ISVs to offer their customers a choice
in where to run their software. Additionally, the Oracle SaaS program provides business and
technology support to ISVs, hosting service providers, and system integrators.
Oracle Platform Benefits for MDM ISVs
• Comprehensive: Oracle Platform for SaaS provides ISVs a single, integrated platform for
both on-premise and public or private cloud-based deployments.
• Scalability and availability: With support for grid computing, virtualization and integrated
management across the platform, Oracle Platform for SaaS enables ISVs to deliver highly
available, always-on services and scale out as their customer base grows.
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6. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
• Flexibility: Oracle Platform for SaaS provides the flexibility to choose individual components
of the platform by embracing a hot-pluggable, standards-based architecture.
• Accelerated time to market: With a standards-based and comprehensive platform, Oracle
Platform for SaaS accelerates time to market by reducing time and expense for costly
development, integration and testing.
Software Development Requirements in MDM
MDM ISVs need a software development and application delivery platform that delivers the
benefits that will allow them to remain competitive while reducing total overall costs. These
requirements include:
• Increased revenue stream from existing app
• Improved profitability by reducing cost of operations
• Little to no engineering effort through virtualization
• Effective delivery model (isolated tenancy, virtualization, hybrid, multitenancy)
• Single code base, whether on-premise or across multiple locations on- and off-line
• Ability to scale easily with demand or infinitely
• Improved availability and disaster recovery
• Improved uptime and reliability
• Ease of administration
• Lower TCO for entire system
Oracle Eases ISV Transition to SaaS
As an Oracle partner, ISVs can enjoy unrivalled support and assistance with migrating to Oracle
Platform for SaaS. The process includes these general steps for successful transition:
• Decide the business model – target market, pricing, go-to-market strategy
• Decide the delivery model – isolated tenancy, virtualization, multitenancy, hybrid
• Decide the hosting option – self hosting, MSP, public or private cloud
• Make application changes according to the delivery model and hosting option
• Enable billing, provisioning, support, SLA management, integration based on hosting option
• Go to market!
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7. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
Case Study: Capricode SyncShield®
Capricode is a global technology leader in 3rd generation MDM, headquartered in Finland. Their
standards-based software products give their customers the ability to quickly respond to rapidly
changing market demand. Capricode’s flagship product is SyncShield® Mobile Device
Management, a cost-efficient and secure MDM product for companies and resellers that provides
over-the-air management of smartphone security, applications, and settings.
Capricode’s competitive advantage is based on an innovative architecture (already including
support for SymbianOS, Windows Mobile, and Linux devices) and the use of test-driven agile
programming in R&D. The client-server architecture makes it possible to extend support for new
mobile device platforms in a very short time. Only a minimal percentage of the SyncShield ®
client code is platform-specific, so support for new platforms can be implemented very quickly.
Because of this, SyncShield® supports the growing market trend of OEMs releasing their own
OS platforms.
SyncShield® server architecture facilitates efficient and quick serving of customers. The unique
feature of SyncShield® is the support for a multi-organization model. This means that multiple
customer accounts can be created within a single server and the individual customers can create
their unique organization hierarchy inside SyncShield® with support vertically for up to six levels.
The server installation takes only one day and creating new customer accounts to the server only
about five minutes. SyncShield® is used from a web user interface, which is extremely simple to
navigate around, which means that training customers takes only a few hours. The SyncShield®
client application is installed to each mobile device that will be managed either via receipt of an
SMS containing the link to the SyncShield® client download or via direct download from a
website. Installation takes only about three minutes.
The product development process is based on agile methods, which enable the flexible and rapid
response to customer requirements. In most cases, this means that Capricode can provide
product families that allow customization of all features with the use of a powerful and patented
scripting language.
SyncShield® Mobile Device Management Architecture
SyncShield® has two main components:
• DM Server component, written in JAVA (J2EE) with web GUI
• DM Client component, which resides in the end user's mobile device
DM Server's task is over-the-air management of mobile devices. An administrator uses a web
browser to manage user info, contents, and data uploaded to the server. During the device
management session the SyncShield® Client has a data connection to the server and over-the-air
synchronization is performed using OMA DM's SyncML protocol.
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8. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
®
Figure 2: SyncShield Mobile Device Management Architecture
®
SyncShield Server Components
SyncShield® Server is easily accessed through a web browser connection to the web GUI server,
which communicates with other components. SyncShield® Server sends SMS notification
messages to the Client application on the device through an SMS gateway provided by the
customer. SyncShield® consist of 3 subsystems and a database.
SyncShield® DM server:
• Main server with connections to other subsystems
• Runs DM actions
SyncShield® web GUI server:
• For user access with standard web browser
• Java RMI interface
SyncShield® storage server:
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9. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
• For content (applications, files) and backups storage
• HTTP interface
SyncShield® database server:
• For data storage
• Oracle Database with Hibernate interface
How SyncShield® Leverages the SaaS Model
• Web application delivers platform-independent access
• Browser interface is easy and familiar to all
• Multiple data set (the context): with SaaS model, service provider supports many customers
with a single version of a product
• Customer/Enterprise benefit: SaaS provider manages all updates and upgrades; there are no
patches for customers to download or install
Implementation Process
Capricode makes building a secured SyncShield® Service Platform painless for the operator.
• Even though SyncShield® works well with just a single server, all components can be
distributed to the operator’s own dedicated servers in order to achieve the highest reliability
level.
• An example of one operator’s solution uses a load-balanced redundant service platform with 6
servers and 4 backup servers.
• This type of service platform is highly reliable and can service substantial customer amounts.
• Installation of the load-balanced, redundant service platform takes only 2 days, after which the
operator can start serving new customers in only a few minutes.
• As the customer base grows, so the solution can scale, moving from one service platform that
services all locations simultaneously—even internationally—to multiple service platforms at
multiple locations.
• SyncShield® opens a variety of possible integrations with back end systems.
• Operators can add value and new services to their existing Oracle Database platform.
The Value of SyncShield® for Operators
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10. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
• Increase customer loyalty: Operators can build a unique offering for to further enhance
customer loyalty, and, conversely, can increase the cost of switching to provide incentives to
stay.
• Increase operator revenue: Operators can extend service portfolios to include easy
installation of new services such as email, applications for increased security and encryption,
and CRM mobile applications.
• Offer more value to end customers: SyncShield® enables operators with enhanced services
such as application and settings management, device backup/restore, device lock, and data
wipe.
• Minimize operational costs: Automated operations help reduce the cost of delivery and
support through remote transfers of content and applications, and the use of scheduled and
chained tasks.
®
SyncShield for Businesses
SyncShield® enables painless mobile device management to help businesses enjoy:
• Significant cost savings
• Device safety
• Operational reliability of devices
SyncShield® delivers these benefits by providing:
• Centralized, simultaneous device management operations ensure cost-efficiency; for example
mobile email installation to one hundred mobile devices can take only minutes
• Comprehensive feature set enables the device’s operability throughout the entire device
lifecycle
• Effective security functionalities ensure the continuous device safety
SyncShield® supports most major Smartphone and PDA platforms.
®
SyncShield for Service Providers
SyncShield® enables service providers to offer better services for customers cost-efficiently. With
SyncShield® service providers (ASP/MPS/Operator/System Integrator) can:
• Increase revenues
• Expand the product portfolio
• Offer more value for current customers
• Minimize delivery & helpdesk costs
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11. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
SyncShield® is available as:
• Hosted Solution
• Managed Service
• In-House installation
The SyncShield® Advantage
• Full and easily managed security with extensive features
• Device management (DM) operations can be conditional. During mass operations each device
can be checked and modified individually
• Integration of the product can be easily done to existing IT systems
• Device models without phone functionality can also be managed
• Client support includes all popular manufacturers’ devices
• With a standards-based, device-agnostic SyncShield® client, the same DM features are available
on all mobile platforms without restrictions of native DM client implementations
Conclusion
With the proliferation of mobile solutions across multiple operating systems, networks and
contracts, and with devices running multiple applications, accessing and distributing vast
amounts of data, the challenge of managing security and reliability has a growing impact on
businesses and consumers, and on the global economy. MDM gives organizations the ability to
manage mobilized assets, plan strategic rollouts of mobility, remotely configure devices and
settings, and control the use and distribution of data, as well as addressing security requirements
without unduly inconveniencing mobile end users. MDM is essential for asset management,
security and control, and software distribution requirements.
Oracle Platform for SaaS provides ISVs a single, integrated platform for both on-premise and
public or private cloud-based deployments, allowing ISVs to offer their customers a choice in
where to run their software. Additionally, the Oracle SaaS program provides business and
technology support to ISVs, hosting service providers and system integrators.
The Oracle Advantage
Oracle is #1 in database technologies and a global provider solutions and technology, with 75 to
80 percent market share, according to IDC. Oracle products not only comply with standards,
Oracle actively supports and leads numerous industry standards organizations. Oracle helps
accelerate the delivery of end-to-end solutions for deploying mobile and embedded applications,
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12. Oracle Platform for SaaS: Over-the-Air Mobile Device Management
offering offers fast and efficient application development tools; scalable, high-performance and
secure mobile data storage with synchronization to Oracle Databases; and the complete set of
tools to manage applications, users, devices and systems.
Flexible Pricing on Oracle SaaS Platform
With Oracle SaaS for ISVs, software vendors can license on a monthly basis the components of
Oracle Platform for SaaS they need to build and deploy SaaS applications. The new model
effectively allows ISVs to scale their Oracle license investment in relation to end customer
demand. SaaS for ISVs is available to any software vendor interested in delivering a proprietary
application in a one-to-many hosted commercial deployment on the Oracle Database Platform.
Fees are based on a percentage of Oracle’s published processor-based pricing for perpetual
licenses of the same programs.
Benefits of Partnering
In addition to world-class products, Oracle provides partners with additional benefits. During
development, Oracle offers technical assistance via support, training and consulting to help you
embed and integrate your application. After you deploy, you will be able to deliver superior
support to your customer by being their single point of contact, while Oracle supports you with
global, 24x7 support in local languages. The cost for this support will be far lower than
maintaining your own homegrown solution, and you also avoid the risk of losing key employees.
You benefit by leveraging all this and Oracle’s continued engineering investment to add new
product features and enhancements.
Partnering with Oracle also helps you go to market. Oracle has an ecosystem of over 275,000
customers and over 17,000 partners, and Oracle PartnerNetwork offers a number of programs to
help you reach that base. In addition, the strength of the Oracle brand can increase your
customers’ confidence in your product, which can eliminate concerns and ease adoption.
Learn More
Oracle provides an extensive array of resources for ISVs interested in SaaS, including access to
product downloads, related documentation and enablement materials. Learn more about SaaS for
ISVs, as well as opportunities to engage Oracle, through the SaaS Knowledge Zone on the
Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), or by contacting us at saasforisvs_ww@oracle.com.
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