Mobile Device Management (MDM) company InnoPath Software has announced support for the newly-ratified OMA-DM Software Component Management Object (SCOMO) Candidate Enabler. A standards-based method of managing the lifecycle of applications on mobile phones, SCOMO sets the stage for a new generation of over-the-air capabilities for both consumers and enterprises, says InnoPath, while avoiding the single vendor lock-in that characterized previous approaches.
InnoPath first demonstrated draft SCOMO support at the Mobile World Congress in 2007, and as the convener of SCOMO within OMA-DM, the company has been actively working with its key operator and device manufacturer partners to bring to market a solution that is both deployable and scalable. Additionally, InnoPath was the first company to demonstrate interoperability with third party SCOMO clients. InnoPath says that MDM vendors can now build solutions based on a stable baseline, while operators can plan their deployments with assurances of interoperability and broad industry support. The other newly ratified standards supported by InnoPath include the Device Capabilities Management Object, or DCMO.
Mobile Device Management is evolving from point products based on customized platforms, to a general solution providing care for both consumers and enterprises, says InnoPath Vice President of Marketing, David Ginsburg. That the industry has converged on SCOMO for lifecycle application management is a sign of a maturing market.
MDM is designed to enable the operators care organization to provide better service with reduced expenses, despite increasing device and service complexity. InnoPath says it is unique in delivering a device management solution which, while supporting industry standards such as OMA-DM, is also highly flexible, extensible and quickly implemented.
The ROI for MDM-enabled customer care has been illustrated in a recent study by the analyst firm Stratecast, which places the annual global operator exposure at over $25 billion, billions of which may be saved through MDM. You can review a copy of this study here.