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41
magazine
Software
Imagine a world where 90% of your
daily tasks are already done. You
wake up and tea is already made; all
that’s left for you to do is pour the
milk. You head to work and nine out
of ten tasks are already complete so
all you have to do is concentrate on
the one remaining job. In the evening,
dinner is already cooked and on the
table just waiting for you to add your
chosen condiment.
For in-house developers, this is
the positive impact that a Software
Development Kit (SDK) can have when
building a mobile workflow app – an
increasingly popular tool that allows
organisations to transfer traditional
paper-based tasks to a mobile platform.
Providing up to 90% of a mobile
workflow app solution as a white label
product, SDKs like the new Mobilengine
platform enable mobile apps to be easily
created and customised.
With SDKs, in-house IT teams in a
range of industries with field-based staff,
including construction, sales, healthcare
and logistics, have the opportunity to
specify, design and launch their own
customised workflow apps without
software development.
In doing this, developers can
themselves create forms; dashboards
and reports; complex workflows, both on
mobile and backend; online web forms
and data exports – with full flexibility to
customise highly complex workflows.
The benefit for the business is clear.
Taking out the requirement for external
software development can drastically
reduce costs and the use of a white label
platform allows IT teams to concentrate
on business procedures instead of
developing something from scratch.
A leading SDK will include all the
elements needed to build and manage
mobile workflow solutions, such as
Adam Dalnoki, CEO of
Mobilengine, considers
the benefits of Software
Development Kits (SDKs)
that enable in-house
development teams to build
and manage workflow apps
from white label solutions
Opening doors for
in-house teams
What’s in a name?
runtime, integrated development
environment, monitoring console,
comprehensive documentation and
support – all designed to improve the
efficiency of the business by process
optimisation.
Mobilengine is the leading mobile
enterprise workflow solution. It helps
companies automate field work and
go paperless. It has more than 1,500
customers worldwide, and some big
names on its SDK platform already,
such as Telenor, Siemens, G4S, Citibank,
McGee, Henkel and 3M. Resellers include
T-Systems and Vodafone.
..the use of
a white label
platform
allows IT
teams to
concentrate
on business
procedures...
Specialist demolition,
construction and civil
engineering contractor
McGee Group has been
using the Mobilengine
workflow solution to
simplify administration for
field workers. It enables
site managers and other
field-based employees
to complete essential
processes through a mobile
app running on Android
tablets. These include
daily resource allocation;
HR tasks, including filling
in new starter and site
induction forms; building
site stock management;
safety inspections; the
issuing of permits; and a
site diary. McGee Group
plans to move all paper-
based administration
to a single Mobilengine
application.
Roisin McCrory, a partner at
hlw Keeble Hawson, explains
how to protect your business
from cyber squatters
Running an online business can be a
veritable minefield, especially when
it comes to protecting brands from
unscrupulous cyber-squatters looking
to make money.
Cybersquatting usually involves
a party registering a domain name,
often in bad faith, to gain a commercial
advantage – such as selling the domain
name or using it as a link to their own
website to divert customers.
Although domain name registration
is a relatively straightforward process, it
can cause a business significant problems
if not done properly. The following advice
aims to help small businesses avoid
some of the potential problems.
l
There is no automatic right to a
domain name; they are available on a
first-come, first-served basis. If you have
developed a new product, business or
brand and you want to market it online,
check out your preferred domain names
as soon as possible. If a third party has
already registered your favoured domain
name, there may be little you can do to
force them to transfer ownership to you.
l
Do not register competitors or third
party brands as a domain name. Courts
have consistently found in favour of brand
owners in such cases of cybersquatting.
l
If the domain name is not essential
to your business, but you would like it,
keep a note of the date its registration
lapses. If the current owner does not
renew it, you may be able to purchase
it. Equally, if you have registered domain
names important to your business, do
not allow them to lapse.
l
If you do encounter a problem,
consider using a dispute resolution
service. For example, in the UK, domain
names ending co.uk are overseen by
Nominet, which provides a relatively
straightforward and cost-effective dispute
resolution service. However, its powers
are generally limited to a transfer of the
domain name and, unlike a court, the
service cannot make any order for costs
or damages.
l
Consider buying variations of your
preferred domain name in addition to
the domain name itself, including ones
with common typographical mistakes
in relation to any words used within
the name. If you are likely to be trading
in overseas’ markets you may want to
purchase domain registrations in those
countries as well.
l
As with all intellectual property,
actively monitor domain name activity
in order to protect your position.
For many businesses, operating online
is fundamental for growth and a web
presence is instrumental to a marketing
strategy. Monitoring, maintaining and,
ultimately, protecting your online brand
from potential cyber squatters is crucial
if your business is to succeed.
hlw Keeble Hawson is ranked in the
top 10 in Experian’s table of the most
active advisers in Yorkshire’s mergers and
acquisitions market during 2013.
