ADVANCED BusinessLink Adds WML Capabilities to Strategi
Jim Martin
ADVANCED BusinessLink (Kirkland, Wash.) has announced a new feature in its Strategi middleware that allows for two-way interactive communication between an AS/400 and a mobile user.
“Strategi gives users the ability to interact with the AS/400 in a manner that was not previously available,” says Chris Lategan, CEO of ADVANCED BusinessLink. “We provide conversational, interactive two way-communication that is unlike anything the AS/400 has seen.”
Using WML-enabled devices (phone, Palm Pilot, handheld device), Strategi provides users with the ability to interact with an AS/400 in real-time. It takes the information from the Internet and WML to convert it into text. Unlike one-way pagers that only allow users to access information residing on the AS/400, Strategi also enables users to submit information that is immediately stored on the AS/400.
According to Lategan, there are two specific areas that ADVANCED BusinessLink is targeting with the newest module of Strategi. The first is mobile workers--from sales reps to service technicians--who will be able to access and also store information on their customers in real-time.
The second area is AS/400 e-commerce sites that are looking to move beyond the traditional means of purchasing online. By implementing Strategi, e-commerce sites have the ability to offer their customers another way of ordering. As long as the customer has an WAP-enabled device, they will be able to order products without being online.
Installation of the new Strategi module takes less than 15 minutes and requires no prerequisite hardware or software. Typically, AS/400 applications can be extended to provide wireless service in a few days. Pricing starts at under $10,000 based on concurrency.