Antenna Software, which provides mobile enterprise technologies and solutions, has announced the release of AMP Studio, a completely model-driven, standards-based development environment for mobile business applications. AMP Studio is an integral part of the Antenna Mobility Platform (AMP), and, the company says, gives enterprise developers and partner software vendors the tools they need to build, deploy and mobilise existing enterprise applications quickly, easily, and cost-effectively, with little or no custom coding required.
Using AMP Studio, businesses can take advantage of the same platform that Antenna has used for almost a decade to develop field-proven mobile solutions for many of todays most recognised brands and mobility pioneers, including Pitney Bowes, Toshiba America Medical Systems, EMC, Heineken Ireland and Xerox.
According to Gartner, by 2009, 50% of enterprises will have migrated away from tactical mobile application silos (supporting a single application) to strategic platforms capable of supporting multiple applications, managing devices, and securing data and transport (0.7 probability).
As the demand for mobile enterprise applications continues to grow, fuelled by more powerful and lower-priced devices, AMP Studio enables businesses to take mobility to this strategic level, mobilising multiple applications across multiple devices from a single platform.
Unlike proprietary development tools with limited deployment options, says Antenna, AMP Studio leverages Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and standard technologies such as Web Services, XML/XSD/XSL and Java. The result is a simple, graphical, and unified system for the ongoing development and maintenance of mobile applications that reduces development time from months to days.
Antenna will continue to design, build and deploy comprehensive business mobility solutions for customers that wish to leverage the companys mobility resources and expertise. But for companies that want to do it themselves, AMP Studio gives them a simple, flexible and cost-effective option for the ongoing development and management of these mobile enterprise solutions without having to rely on specialised IT resources.
Antenna is also offering the AMP Studio to its new and existing partner organisations, including carriers, ISVs and System Integrators, enabling them to enhance and optimise their mobility solutions capabilities and ultimately address their customers growing needs.
Mobility has the power to transform business, says Antenna Software CEO Jim Hemmer. Antenna has been at the forefront of this industry since its inception, defining many of the mobility best practices that have earned us the respect of our customers, our partners and industry experts alike. AMP Studio leverages this wealth of experience to deliver the most open, flexible and comprehensive development environment available today for mobilising business applications. With this release of AMP Studio, the goal of true business mobility is real and accessible to all organisations that want to extend the value of their software investments beyond the walls of the office.
AMP Studio is available immediately via an enterprise license, which can be paid monthly or as a one-time fee. Pricing depends upon the overall size of the implementation.
Antenna has also announced a strategic alliance with AT&T to co-market and sell mobility solutions into the enterprise. Underpinning this agreement is AT&Ts decision to use Antennas AMP Studio to mobilise its own Siebel CRM system and extend it to its wireless Sales Executives, Data Solutions Consultants, Enterprise Architects, and Business Data Solutions (BDS) employees on a mix of popular business-oriented handheld devices. After a brief training session, AT&Ts development team quickly started mobilising the Siebel CRM application.
The mobile sales force automation solution being developed with AMP Studio will help make our sales organisation more productive by enabling sales representatives to have access to critical customer information when and where they need it, says Charlie Bolton, Vice President, Global and Strategic Sales, for AT&T.