Windows poised to conquer enterprise space

Microsoft Windows Mobile is poised to win high end enterprise customers from Research In Motion’s BlackBerry and the Symbian platform, according to a report from consulting firm BRC.BRC believes that Microsoft’s edge in the enterprise space will be enhanced by the number of tools available for extending corporate applications to mobiles. This is likely to be a critical factor as enterprise computing evolves to combine more personal computer capabilities, the researcher said, and comprehensive packages are already available for using Windows Mobile to access Lotus, various SAP offerings, Oracle CRM and Microsoft Office. Conversely, BRC expects the proprietary nature of BlackBerry’s operating system will inhibit third party developers, as will Symbian’s software development kits which are device dependent, fragmenting application markets. “RIM and Symbian have attracted millions of business users through Personal Information Manager (PIM) and email, but without middleware solutions they will lose them to Microsoft,” said Jeff Ace of BRC. “Developers look to the easiest system to place their wares. Windows Mobile is well marketed, targets the most lucrative market and hides the complexity of devices from them. It is not surprising that all major middleware for CRM is available on Windows Mobile,” Ace said. “Nokia has the marketing clout to attract developers, but seems reticent, while the natural attraction of Windows Mobile must be troubling device manufacturers.” To counter the challenge and stop more revenue share going to Microsoft, the research house advises BlackBerry to build a comprehensive tool set for accessing corporate middleware and Symbian should move to a device-independent development platform to attract innovative developers.