The suite is named IS Mobile Connect.

Field staff will have instant access to personal information, such as e-mail, contacts, notes and calendar, the ISP claims.

Using always-on push technology, e-mails are delivered automatically to a mobile device with no user initiation, it adds.

This push feature aims to send new e-mail and information changes (such as new appointments or tasks) to mobile devices, while automatically returning any changes made from the device itself.

This aims to ensure that both the device and the corporate mail server are always in sync.

Speed of response and accuracy of data are fundamental benefits, not only improving the efficiency of workers, but also delivering cost-saving benefits to the bottom line, the company adds.
 
The benefits of this technology will be felt by any company that has mobile staff, especially at the executive level, says Richard Vester, GM Mobile Solutions at IS. We expect field staff sales people, insurance claims staff and estimators to love it. No longer will they have to carry around a heavy laptop, and find a place to connect to their corporate network. This solution has been designed to put all they need to perform their jobs in the palm of their hand.
 
Currently any device Palm Pilot, laptop, pocket PC - using Symbian, Palm or CE client technology, can be connected to MS Exchange and Lotus Notes through the LayerOne solution.

IS has built this into an ASP model designed for local and international conditions.
 
iPass, a global roaming Dial up service, can be very expensive and slow, but, when the LayerOne software is added, it can become a fast and economical solution, says Vester. Using this solution, we experience download speeds of about 45 e-mails in less than one minute. This represents tremendous cost savings, as you no longer have to be online for long periods of time. This is also achieved over bearers such as GPRS and dial-up.
 
Vester is excited about the potential of the solution for his customers.

With push technology, everything is automatic and sent directly from the company mail server to the client device as it is received. Compression and reverse billing on GPRS have become two of the key features in LayerOne that enable cost-effective data transfer over GPRS.

We are also in the process of launching unlimited data solutions that will enable remote e-mail users to send and receive as many e-mails as they would like over GPRS for a fixed monthly cost, he adds.
 
It is affordable and practical, says Vester who no longer travels with a laptop. We are looking at incorporating this into an advanced local Blackberry which provides the complete data package including an e-mail account for corporate users and consumers, limited and unlimited data solutions as well as the LayerOne Mobile client for less than R400 per month. This is less than the cost of the same solution in America and Europe, he claims.