Mobile devices extend our work day. That is a good thing for sending emails and text messages. To get more work done, increase sales, and connect to company content, we need two things:

• Bigger, better hardware storage—call it silos, server farms, or cloud
• Better software tools to collect, categorize, store, and make accessible for users

OpenText, the ECM provider, just announced Tempo to deliver enterprisewide tools in an app-based environment so employees, customers, and management can upload, access, and share content freely. To learn more, I spoke with Adam Howatson, senior director, product management at OpenText.

Howatson discussed specific features along with how he anticipates companies will integrate Tempo to make more data available and significantly valuable. For example:

• Not all customers and staff are techie smart and need assistance with records management
• The tsunami sized increase in data creation and retention needs management
• File sharing means data needs more security and safety
• App-based interfaces reduce training time and make it easier for everyone to access content
• Speed of making new data more accessible faster is essential

We have all uploaded photographs and videos to online albums, paid bills without a postage stamp, and shared news of the moment from anywhere. Howatson explained, “As content is uploaded, Tempo’s patent pending technology enables very fast and automatic synchronization across devices and among trusted users.” Each piece of content, is entered and becomes available everywhere.

OpenText Tempo includes hybrid-cloud capabilities, which allow the enterprise to keep data safe within existing systems. Mobile devices are so useful with tons of cloud-based apps. Howatson said, “Organizations can maintain absolute control of their data while allowing users to easily and effectively share content through office computers, smartphones, tablets, and what comes next.”

With more data accessible to each user, the data should never be single device dependent. The data warehouse or silo or cloud needs to be accessible through an iOS or Android OS or BlackBerry OS or Windows Mobile device. And, as new devices and upgraded operating systems populate our technology use, Tempo will continue to be device independent.

The growing enterprise focus is how, where, and who will manage content within the enterprise. All things digital requires management. How information is accessed, linked, and connected requires strategic planning, implementation, and web interface or some internal database.

Today, enterprises expect Web Content Management to provide measurable business benefits. These benefits are not just to improve efficiency and productivity, but they also broaden the information available to all users to increase gross and net profits. Enterprises must establish competent strategies for content expansion.

Enterprise websites need to optimize user interactions, whether that means selling more, engaging more, or informing more. These requirements for content management mean new systems development that helps users to access relevant content and fulfill their needs, regardless of where that content comes from.

On the technology side, do not lose sight of the need for mobile accessible business; companies need to provide sufficient bandwidth capacity along with sufficient storage facilities. The OpenText Tempo design supports data management regardless of where the data originates. The company internal or outsourced IT group is responsible for providing processing power to handle growth. Each company and industry—Retail, Professional Services, Libraries, Travel, or Communications—needs to have a strategy to support and maintain both the old and new data:

• Who creates it?
• Who securely stores it?
• Who has access?
• What does access to the data enable the user to do with it?

Any new or upgraded system must provide a full search capability based on user permissions for data and program use. Search is an integral component for anyone accessing the haystack of data. OpenText Tempo enables content to be searched from a mobile world. The enterprise considering how cloud storage and accessibility can improve their business needs, should clearly assess OpenText Tempo.

Mobile apps, such as Google Apps, Dropbox, and Picasa, enable individuals and SMB organizations to manage mobile accessible data. Larger organizations have lots more data, more users, and a lot more transactions. Convenient access to data is required. And every company planner needs to evaluate how much more data will be added through new applications and services over what timeframe.

The OpenText hybrid approach allows for expanded control over information assets, while offloading the effort of maintaining all of the elements surrounding programming, reprogramming, and maintaining data integrity. As Howatson points out, “Mobility is expanding and for the enterprise to sustain reliable tools to help the enterprise connect with their staff, customers, and business partners, it is the necessary model for the enterprise to deliver maximum flexibility and choice.”

In the last century, computer feeds and speeds were among the first features described. Faster processing chips and larger local disk access, provide assistance for stand-alone computers. With mobile devices, speed is still required. However, the key is to recognize how users will access data for business or personal use.

With mobile applications, it is necessary to avoid users’ impatience waiting for a response. OpenText has speed as one of its key elements. This speed embodies access along with fast updates from new data. More content to access and 24/7 updates can slow up user interactions. This will slow up users accessing the site again.

For your evaluation, start with analyzing your current production environment. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Mobile services currently in use and what will be replaced or integrated
• Administration support and responsibility with decision making
• Stability of company and IT operations
• Scalability of company resources

OpenText Tempo will be available to customers in January 2012. Pricing is not yet set. For more information, visit www.opentext.com/opentext-tempo.