CM First is a global software and services company. Its focus is on application modernization, custom development of enterprise applications that support high-performing and agile development teams. There are three key areas that the teams focus on. Application modernization for IBM environments, custom application development, and tools and technology for future development are the three areas.

According to CM First, Web-enabling existing business logic is a cost effective and efficient approach to legacy modernization. The CM WebClient platform is a rich Internet application (RIA) generator that is designed to work seamlessly with the CA (News – Alert) Plex model based rapid application development platform.

CA Plex is a model based and architected rapid application development (ARAD) platform. It is designed to provide an efficient environment to create, integrate and maintain large-scale business applications for multiple platforms.

The way that enterprises function is slowing changing. We no longer have desks with PCs and phones to conduct business from.  There are some of these “offices” still around, however a lot of business is conducted through the use of smartphones and tablets these days. The concept of bring your own device (BYOD) has found a firm hold in the workforce.

Most businesses realize that simple web presence, optimized for a PC, will no longer be enough to stay competitive. That is where the latest release of CM WebClient comes into play to provide a solution. By bringing the most requested capabilities to companies they have the ability to compete in the mobile arena.

There is some cost-saving involved here. Companies will not need to hire new staff  with the necessary HTML5, JavaScript and CSS (News – Alert) skills. Legacy applications can be easily transformed into robust, customized and flexible mobile applications.

John Rhodes, CTO of CM First Group said, “The latest release of CM WebClient Mobile includes support for additional device families, including Windows Mobile 8 and BlackBerry (News – Alert). You can use a unified code base to deploy applications to all devices customers may use. In addition, CM First has added new themes, icon menus, audio and video, advanced geo and access to device E-mail and address books. Other new feature included for enterprise app development include camera / file upload, signature capture, local storage, and embedded HTML pages and forms. Support for Adobe (News – Alert) Cordova (PhoneGap) is provided to facilitate publishing WebClient apps to the various app stores for native app deployment to customer or employees.”

This week, DevCon5 HTML5 and Mobile App Developer Conference is taking place in Los Angeles. Jonathan Baker, who is the director of developer relations for SAP (News – Alert), Inc. will be speaking today, December 11, 2013. He will be discussing how challenging developing solutions for a continuum of devices using disparate web platforms is.

This session will cover usage of responsive web design and adaptive techniques that leverage HTML5 and CSS3 to develop web solutions that can support multiple devices.  Some of Baker’s topics will include best practices, available open source libraries and frameworks, implications for native apps, browser support, and the current state of web specifications related to this topic.

This falls right in line with what CM First hopes to accomplish with its latest version of CM WebClient. If the trend follows then I think that we can expect this holiday shopping season to sell a lot of new smartphones and tablets. That will most likely mean that early next year we can expect to see even more BYOD in the workplace. An easy way to update and upgrade your company into the  world of mobile technology will become even more of a necessity.