Oracle Database Lite 10g, First Database to Extend Grid Computing to the Mobile Enterprise

"Mobile deployments have emerged as critical business systems, requiring enterprise-class functionality, reliability and security, and connection to back-office systems," said Jack Gold, vice president, META Group. "As mobile devices transition from purely personal devices to capable business tools, organizations must deploy applications built on a flexible business-class platform capable of supporting current user needs, while allowing future enhancements and connectivity for a variety of business requirements."

Mobile technologies are no longer simply the domain of sales force and field service workers have been adopted by industries such as defense, national security health and public safety. With organizations entrusting their critical data to mobile technology, centralized management, security and application functionality have become essential as applications are rolled out to tens of thousands of mobile users. Based on Oracle's Grid Computing infrastructure, Oracle Database Lite 10g provides customers with a secure and reliable technology architecture that enables increased performance and incremental scalability to support thousands of concurrent users.

"Companies are constantly looking for new ways of gaining competitive advantage and reducing costs by streamlining their business processes," said Jacob Christfort, CTO and vice president of Mobile and Wireless products, Oracle Corporation. "Making information available directly and in real-time to employees on the frontline -- serving or selling to customers -- is an increasingly critical step to gaining such efficiencies. Oracle Database Lite 10g is squarely targeted at helping our customers to achieve just that, and more specifically, offers a set of unique advances in terms of scalability, reliability, and security consistent with the overall Oracle 10g technology stack."

Organizations Use Oracle Database Lite to Treat Patients

Since its inception in 1996, Oracle Database Lite has been deployed by more than 3,000 organizations. Now, all organizations ranging from traditional sales force automation to governments can take advantage of the advanced features of Oracle Database Lite.

As the leading private practice hospitalist company in the United States, IPC -- The Hospitalist Company -- has more than 300 physicians nationwide and manages more than $1 billion in healthcare expenditures annually. IPC's hospitalists coordinate patient tests, treatments and services that take place within the hospital. Truly mobile workers with no offices or desks, hospitalists use personal digital assistants (PDAs) to capture patient demographics, diagnoses, procedures, and more, while conducting their rounds. That information is then relayed from the PDA via modem or wireless technologies to be synchronized with backend databases, while important information about new or colleagues' patients is downloaded onto the PDA.

"IPC has depended on Oracle Database Lite to help save patients' lives since July 2001," said Pat Holmes, vice president of Technology, IPC -- The Hospitalist Company. "Oracle Database Lite's seamless integration with our enterprise database, along with its excellent management tools for application deployment, allows us to concentrate on our core healthcare business. Relying on Oracle Database Lite's proven architecture, we've been able to build a solid business as the largest dedicated provider of hospital medicine."

Providing emergency road ambulance services throughout metropolitan Melbourne, Australia and statewide air ambulance services, Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) has selected Oracle Database Lite 10g to collect and share critical patient data. While treating patients, MAS paramedics capture vital statistics and information such as the state of the patient and procedures performed. A new system based on Oracle Lite will allow paramedics to collect the information electronically in the field. "MAS chose Oracle Database Lite 10g for its mobile emergency response solution due to its high degree of interoperability with existing enterprise systems," said Cameron Crampton, General Manager of Information Management Services, Metropolitan Ambulance Service. "It will deliver the enterprise level reliability required by emergency response personnel in the field and the scalability and synchronization capabilities required for the backend system."

Securely Extending the Enterprise

When access to critical information and applications is not possible, practical or in some cases desirable, Oracle Database Lite 10g enables mobile users to operate effectively while in areas where network coverage is unavailable, unreliable or unsecured. Using a bi-directional synchronization server with a publication and subscription-based model, Oracle Database Lite 10g enables mobile users to synchronize data seamlessly between their corporate database and mobile device at regular intervals, and is transport agnostic, allowing transfer of data on any connection medium including -- LAN, wireless, satellite or radio. In case of a network failure, Oracle Database Lite 10g's advanced recovery systems enable users to resume activity from point in time checkpoints where they left off, helping ensure data integrity while enabling significant savings by eliminating replication work and associated communication costs.

Simplified and Centralized System Management

The Mobile Manager in Oracle Database Lite 10g allows customers to administer and monitor their full mobile chain easily from a single, Web-based console � providing advanced features for application, system, security and device management. Features include complete application lifecycle management to develop, provision and deploy mobile applications; advanced client device, diagnostics, configuration and lockdown facilities; and centralized user provisioning and identity management.

Development Flexibility

Oracle Database Lite 10g development environments include support for Java and .NET tools such as Oracle JDeveloper 10g and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, allowing developers to leverage their existing development tools expertise. Oracle Database 10g Lite also supports the Microsoft ADO.NET interface, providing developers with greater integration, productivity and performance between Java and .NET environments. Applications can be built using several programming languages such as Java, C/C++ and Visual Studio for platforms including Linux, Microsoft Windows CE/NT/2000/XP/2003, Palm OS, and Pocket PC.