iPhone goes to work with enterprise apps

Stephen Withers
Friday, 11 July 2008 13:10

Your IT - Mobility

Oracle plans to extend the software to support ERP approval processes such as expense claims or new hires. One or more CRM related programs for the iPhone are also on  the drawing board.

Oracle Business Indicators is available in English only from the App Stores for Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Salesforce Mobile, another free application, makes customer data from the Software as a Service CRM platform available on the iPhone or iPod touch, and integrates with iPhone native functions.

For example, users can navigate and search customer records such as accounts, contacts and opportunities, initiate phone calls and emails from within Salesforce CRM, and obtain maps showing addresses stored in the system.

The application caches data on the iPhone, so it is accessible when out of wireless coverage, eg on a plane.

A significant feature is that custom and third-party applications developed for Salesforce,com's Force.com platform work on the iPhone without any extra coding. Examples include tools for expense claims, field sales visits, and insurance claims adjusting.

"Salesforce.com is committed to dramatically expanding the potential for mobile applications in the enterprise," said Chuck Dietrich, vice president, Salesforce Mobile, Salesforce.com. "The amazing iPhone interface, Salesforce CRM and the Force.com platform are a great combination that gives enterprises a new suite of mobile business applications delivered when and where their users need them."