Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Mobile

    Google Gears Reflects Demand for Offline Data Access

    By
    Renee Boucher Ferguson
    -
    May 31, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Google Gears, the recently released open-source technology that lets developers create offline Web applications, is one more indication that on-demand application users are looking for more offline capabilities.

      Whats needed, according to industry analysts, are improved development environments that enable companies to more seamlessly give users offline access to diverse data sources from on-demand and legacy data systems through the latest communication technologies, such as smart phones.

      While established SAAS (software as a service) vendors like Salesforce.com, NetSuite and RightNow Technologies have had offline capabilities for a number of years—Salesforce.com introduced its Offline Edition in 2003—experts agree that theres more work to be done.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifClick here to read more about Google Gears, the open-source browser extension for Web developers.

      For those SAAS applications that do provide offline access to data, the next frontier is to provide access to data that resides in both on-demand and on-premises applications to fit a specific business process, according to Jeffrey Kaplan, an analyst with Thinkstrategies.

      “All major as well as emerging SAAS vendors are trying to build a level of functionality into their multitenant environments in such a way that they can anticipate a variety of scenarios—what kinds of legacy apps, offline environments users might need—and how to properly regulate that so that when they are connected it properly integrates in an automated fashion and mitigates any customer involvement,” Kaplan said.

      “Its certainly a work in progress. My sense is [SAAS vendors] are making aggressive efforts to satisfy this need,” he said.

      Whats needed, according to industry analysts, are improved development environments that enable companies to create a more seamless offline capability with access to more information in more ways, as well as the ability to access information offline that spans across on-demand and legacy systems.

      “Offline clients are usually very limited. Within Salesforce only a subset of information [is available] and just as an XML data transfer, so its not a true baked offline client,” said Yankee Group analyst Sheryl Kingstone. “When youre thinking about the availability of information you want it any time, anywhere. Some Web-based applications dont provide that.”

      /zimages/6/28571.gifRead details here about the Dojo Offline Toolkit, an AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) tool kit that allows Web applications to work offline.

      While on-demand vendors may well take the lead in creating better integration for offline data access—Salesforce.com users want to be able to access legacy data for CRM (customer relationship management) from their Salesforce environments, for example—outside forces will work to beef up offline capabilities as well, analysts said.

      Yankees Kingstone pointed to tools being developed by Adobe that will allow a more interactive GUI. “Eventually some of that will be able to go offline,” she said.

      The result of these developments will be more mature development tools that vendors can integrate with their products, analysts said. Google Gears is a good example, though its unclear at this point whether on-demand vendors will incorporate the technology into their own development environments, or exactly what that will enable.

      Given recent rumors that Salesforce.com will strike up a partnership to utilize Googles SAAS productivity tools—an announcement that some expect to come as early as the week of June 4—a pairing of Google Gears and Salesforce CRM applications seems likely.

      Adam Gross, director of product marketing for Salesforce.com, based in San Francisco, was noncommittal in an e-mailed statement. “Salesforce.com [has] made offline technologies available to our customers since 2003,” Gross said. “[We] think Gears and other new browser technologies will be able to further enhance that capability.”

      RightNow Technologies and NetSuite executives were not available at press time.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis about productivity and business solutions.

      Renee Boucher Ferguson
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×