Editorial: how HP could handle device management for webOS 26

At a global summit later today, Leo Apotheker, the CEO of HP, is expected to detail the company's strategy going forward. From all recent indications, webOS will be a significant element of that strategy, as the shared OS ecosystem across portable devices, printers and PCs. As early as NYC Dev Day, and continuing at the ThinkBeyond and Mobile Web Congress developer events, HP (through the Palm Global Business Unit) has been encouraging developers to plan for the broader installation of webOS, especially in the enterprise. The logical question, of course, is what might be the "killer app" for that market, that would appeal across the broadest section of new customers. Here's a suggestion, with a hat tip to webOS Internals for the name: a Meta-Imager for webOS devices.

In the corporate IT world, consistency and control are mission-critical. One way that enterprises of any size can manage and support large numbers of PCs is through a standardized, often locked-down installation of OS and applications, frequently built and deployed via images that are directly installed or pushed out over the network to newly added machines. Updates can be handled in much the same way. This process of developing and deploying standard images is even more important in regulated industries and those utilizing custom applications, where user modifications can lead to data loss, work stoppages and even legal and financial penalties for non-compliance.

Before the rise of smartphones, enterprise control of mobile devices was fairly straightforward: voice and messaging could be provided through chosen cellphones, or via BlackBerry devices connected to the company's dedicated BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Access control, and data retention, was centrally managed. Carriers and manufacturers alike impose requirements on devices, and OS limitations and controls further complicate the picture. Android, for example, is tightly tied to Google for apps and data sharing, which may be problematic for some companies, and carriers have imposed their own overlays whose removal is frequently restricted. While BlackBerry maintains its strong controls, many (including HP) see them as vulnerable in the Enterprise space. Even where a company like Apple tries to market iOS as enterprise-friendly, it is still tethered in some way to Apple's iTunes infrastructure. Apple's own reference about enterprise functionality for the iPad states:

When deploying iPad in your business, it’s important to think about the role of iTunes. A few key functions require iTunes, starting with the activation of the device. After activation, iTunes isn’t required to configure or use iPad with your enterprise systems. It is, however, required for installing software updates and for creating a backup if user information ever needs to be restored or transferred to a new device. iTunes can also be used to synchronize music, video, applications, and other content. These synchronization capabilities are not required for general business use.

It is here where the inherent openness and user freedom, along with Linux underpinings, of webOS can shine, and where the model of Meta-Doctor is so instructive. Imagine a typical financial services company which faces a number of significant challenges as it seeks to deploy modern smartphones across its business. First, it has heavy regulatory requirements that mandate data retention and security. Second, its products and services are provided via custom, home-built software connected to both locally stored and cloud-based databases. Third, its employees are frequently traveling within the United States and even internationally. And fourth, different types of employees need different levels of access to information and security.

For most smartphone environments, this combination of requirements (typical of many industries) is difficult or impossible to configure and manage. Consider, though, how it might work in webOS and a desktop Meta-Imager app. With this hypothetical tool, starting with a standard webOS Doctor the way Meta-Doctor does, the IT Director could, with a few clicks, designate which standard webOS apps would or would not be installed, and could disable webOS Backup to avoid data being stored other than on the company's own servers. With a few more clicks, the company's custom apps and data sets (encrypted to industry standards via standard Linux libraries) could be selected for installation, along with the digital certificate and settings for the company's secure mail server and a TextAssist vocabulary with words and shortcuts specific to the company and its customers. An automatic GPS-based locator process could enable tracking of lost or stolen devices as might be needed, with or without notification to the user. Access controls could be designated depending on the employee's level and role, including possibly locking out the App Catalog and Developer Mode to eliminate employee alterations (similar to User vs. Administrator accounts in desktop OSes). Once the desired options are selected, the administrator could click "Done" to build a customized webOS Doctor image that could then be easily run by local offices on any new webOS device purchased, automatically configuring it to the company standard before it is given to employees. It might even be possible to redirect the System Updates app to look to the company's own custom version of webOS rather than the standard ones for new versions and features.

This type of customization and easy deployment is not only uniquely possible for webOS, but is absolutely essential for success in the enterprise market. While Palm could build this tool itself (and perhaps already has), it is also a great opportunity for developers to try to do so as well. Even without the specific regulatory and security requirements in this hypothetical, there is a real market for, say, an easy-to-use app that would help a small medical practice configure all of its webOS devices with its preferred insurers' formularies, dosage and drug references, and other essential tools, or a legal practice install billing software, client lists, research bookmarks and custom dictionaries.

WebOS is already among the easiest and most capable smartphone operating systems, and the promised features of webOS 3.0 will only add to those qualities. If enterprising developers can create user-friendly tools to help customize and manage webOS devices, developing the enterprise market will be much more likely to succeed.