Microsoft Surprises with Mobile Information Server - Company Business and Marketing

ENT, Oct 11, 2000 by Christopher Mcconnell

Microsoft Corp.'s .NET strategy lays out a vision of an end-to-end Windows solution extending from high-end data centers to the smallest network-enabled devices. Today, Microsoft's (www.microsoft.com) product line lacks a tool for sending information to the edge of the network, but the Mobile Information Server may narrow the gap by enabling Windows servers to send information to wireless phones.

Microsoft plans to launch the server early next year and start to support edge-of-network devices -- cell phones, PDAs, and the like -- on Windows-based infrastructure. The initial release will support only Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) phones.

The information technology world has changed with the widespread adoption of edge-of-network devices. "It's expanded beyond just PCs -- it's become mobile, too," says Scott Gode, group product manager at Microsoft Corp. Microsoft intends to expand its reach into this non-PC market.

Mobile Information Server offers two areas of core functionality: e-mail and Web browsing. Microsoft intends to give users the ability to access Exchange 2000-based e-mail via WAP-enabled phones. The server product creates a middle layer for moving e-mail, contact, and calendar data out to phones. In addition, the package determines whether the file type is appropriate for wireless communications.

Mobile Information Server similarly adapts Web-based content for wireless browsing. Since high-resolution graphics or multimedia are inappropriate for the chunky LCD screens, the package converts standard Web documents into Wireless Markup Language (WML) making them easily accessible on cell phones.

"We're leveraging the existing microbrowser," Gode says. Microsoft is not creating any new code for the devices. Instead, it is depending on the phones to provide the front end for accessing content. Microsoft has struck a deal with phone vendor Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (www.ericsson.com), hinting that a more Windowsy interface may come.

Gode says Microsoft plans to support other protocols and markup languages in the future, but has no clear roadmap for future releases. Microsoft plans to follow the market in edge-of-network devices and solicit user feedback to determine which devices to support.

Ken Dulaney, vice president of mobile computing at GartnerGroup Inc. (www.gartnerweb.com), says Microsoft's decision to support only WAP is a bit of a disappointment.

Since Microsoft actively pursues the handheld computing space with its PocketPC and Windows CE products, Dulaney believes handhelds would be a logical market for Microsoft. He points specifically to the limitations of the ActiveSync software for linking handhelds to the network. Users currently have to install the software on a desktop and transfer files from the desktop to the PDA. "ActiveSync should be glued into the [wireless] framework," Dulaney says.

Dulaney has doubts about what role Microsoft can play in edge-of-network devices. "Microsoft is late in announcing the product," he says, noting that there are about 50 companies developing or shipping similar products.

Dulaney sees two roles that Microsoft could play in offering wireless infrastructure: an overarching framework for supporting wireless devices or plug-ins enabling Microsoft products such as Exchange to be integrated into third-party frameworks.

Although the .NET strategy suggests that Microsoft's goal is to provide the overall framework for wireless data, Dulaney believes Microsoft will fare better in the wireless market if it first pursues the plug-in strategy.

First, Microsoft may face an uphill battle in adoption if they step on the toes of existing framework vendors. In addition, heavy hitters such as IBM Corp. (www.ibm.com) and Oracle Corp. (www.oracle.com) also have introduced wireless frameworks.

Dulaney believes Mobile Information Server is being developed in reaction to the partnerships Microsoft made with carriers such as Verizon Communications Inc. (www.verizon.com) and phone manufacturers like Ericsson -- as a transition product before a comprehensive edge-of-network server is released.

Microsoft plans to release two flavors of Mobile Information Server: one for enterprises interested in intranets and Outlook on phones, and one for carriers to provide functionality to consumers. Gode expects enterprises to adopt the server before there is widespread carrier adoption.

Dulaney believes Datacenter Server offers new opportunities and stability, but phone companies will likely stick with platforms like IBM's AS/3 90. Microsoft, he says, is more interested in carrier adoption of application, however. "The Microsoft carrier battle is a battle to get Exchange in the carrier," he says.

Although support for edge-of-network devices may be a key component for the .NET strategy, immediate success of Mobile Information Server may not be critical. "[The server's] success doesn't matter to .NET," Dulaney says. If anything, he believes that it will be a learning experience for Microsoft, which could later reappear in improved form.