5.9 Summary

There are many different approaches that can be used to provide mobile access to applications. One of the most fundamental distinctions is whether the presentation should be produced by the client or the server. Terminal services, Web and WAP browsers use server-side presentation while many of the native solutions use client-side presentation. There are also distinctions in whether the solution must support off-line and/or real-time access to the applications. And, clearly, not all approaches are available for all client platforms or back-end applications.

In order to find a suitable approach for a given environment, it is important to look at the set of client devices, the required applications, and the environments where the device may be used. In many cases it may not be possible to find a single solution that can meet all the requirements, so it may be necessary to find multiple complementary approaches that cover the spectrum of client needs.