Smart client and Web services: A low-cost mobility solution
Updated: May 11, 2005
Microsoft developers are using smart client and Web services technologies to create a proof-of-concept for a new system enabling state and local government agencies to improve support for field personnel such as parole agents, inspectors, Health and Human Services workers, and law enforcement officials. Using devices powered by the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 operating system, employees can quickly and easily synchronize data with their agency’s centralized databases while still in the field.
Get mobility even when IT budgets are tight
IT budgets in government agencies usually lack the resources to standardize computer systems on a single software platform. For this reason, IT staff often must support a combination of technologies and third-party software products that do not share data.
Civil service employees working in the field often do not have remote connections to the local area network, forcing them to repeatedly return to their main offices to get needed data and to update central databases with current information.
Integrate smart client technology easily with current systems
Smart client applications that support Web services can help provide a mobility solution, even when budgets are tight. Smart client applications integrate easily with software already running in different computing environments, enabling government workers to use the Internet to access the department’s network. Data and functions that are within Web services boundaries can be deployed on a variety of hardware form factors, including mobile devices. And because smart clients can run in a disconnected or partially connected environment, they are ideal for use in the field.
Reduce costs and increase efficiency in the field
Microsoft developers are using smart client and Web services technologies to increase the efficiency of field agents at the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon (PPP) Services. This proof-of-concept system was developed using Microsoft Visual C# .NET 2005, currently in beta. It integrates the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system, a preview version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005, and Microsoft Speech Server.
Before leaving the main office to meet with parolees, agents connect their Tablet PCs to the Internet and download all the information needed for each visit. If agents require additional information after they leave the main office, they can connect to the Internet and use the smart client application to access appropriate network systems. At the end of their visits, agents use the Internet to connect to the departmentâ€s central database and upload any information collected that day.
The system helps the department take advantage of functionality provided by the Tablet PC. For example, when field agents upload voice-recorded data into the network systems at the main office, Speech Server indexes the audio file in the SQL Server 2005 database and places a transcribed document there as well.
The PPP anticipates this solution will significantly reduce IT support costs because:
| • | Features were developed using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. So developers who program in traditional environments can use their current skills to meet the challenges of developing Web applications. |
| • | Click-once technology enables users to install and upgrade software themselves through a simple Web interface. |
